As the MCL Minutemen head into their second season as a franchise, they have brought in a manager to lead the players to wins in the upcoming season.

The team announced that Prairie State College assistant coach Deandre Gilmore would fit in the role of manager for the 2021 season.

Gilmore is the second manager in the organization’s two years of competing in the Midwest Collegiate League.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “I am excited to get out there for two more months of college baseball.”

Gilmore has been a part of the baseball community in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana region for quite some time. He started off playing high school baseball at Donald E. Gavit High School, where he played all four years, and was All-Conference his junior and senior years. He then went on to play collegiate baseball at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana. He also commissioned and managed a team in the Lakeshore Babe Ruth League in Whiting.’

Gilmore was the manager for the NWI Shockers last year and is now the assistant coach for Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, IL.

Northwest Indiana holds a special place in Gilmore’s heart.

“It’s where I grew up, I’m from Northwest Indiana.” Gilmore says, “There’s a lot of great players from Indiana.”

Having grown up in Northwest Indiana, he is excited to see players who he once battled with on the diamond, now in the opposing dugouts in a manager role.

“I’ve played with a bunch of them and there’s a lot of talent out there,” Gilmore said. “For me, this is great. I get to see a lot of people that I know, and I get to see the guys I’ve played against who are coaching on the other side. It’s just exciting to see familiar faces being from Northwest Indiana.”

Even though he has a lot on his resume, a collegiate head coaching job was still needed. Gilmore will enter the summer season as a rookie manager for the Minutemen.

“I am a rookie head coach,” he said. “You never can stop learning. The game is going to continue to grow, and I’m very excited to get this opportunity to keep learning and keep going,” Gilmore said.

Gilmore believes that his past experiences in baseball will help him in his first year as a collegiate manager.

“I would say being a player is totally different than being a coach,” he said. Being a player, you want to go up there with your first thought and whatever you’re thinking at the time is what you want to do. But with coaching, you have to take a back seat and think about what you want to do. I think that’s the biggest difference for me. I have to take a back seat and really think about what’s next, or how are we going to do this or that. That’s the biggest difference, but it’s all working out great.”

Gilmore may be a rookie manager, but he’s quite familiar with many players he will be coaching on the Minutemen. Eight of his players also play for him at Prairie State College.

“It’s a chance for these guys to get better with time,” he said. “They’re just coming off a college season, so to play with other guys from around the area and different cities, it’s exciting for those guys. I’m excited to be here and see these guys get better this summer. It should be a good season for me and all the guys on the team.”

Gilmore hopes to use the chemistry he has with his players to the team’s advantage.

“I think it’s going to be good,” he said. I’m a young guy and I’m still learning. It’s an advantage for me because I was in their shoes when I was playing. ,“Me being a younger guy, I get to be on the same page as them. It makes it easier to connect with them.”

Gilmore has set goals for the season, but they are all looking after the players, and making sure they are having fun and learning as much as they can.

“I would love to have everybody improve in all ways,” he said. “As long as these guys can improve, then the job there is done. “I want this to be an exciting summer league for them. I want the experience for them to be exciting. I want them to have fun.”

Deandre Gilmore replaces Pascual Santiago, who has accepted a position in professional baseball.