Mondschein and baseball are synonymous in Coplay

By Jack Lapos
Of The Morning Call


There are four brothers on the Coplay team of the Tri-County Baseball League, and this may indicate why scorekeepers tend to be confused at times.

They are the Mondschein boys - Jeff 27, Matt 24, Chuck 21 and Scott 19. That's their ages, not their uniform numbers. To add to the possible confusion, they all look a bit alike.

The brothers, all bachelors, live with their parents, Bill and Theresa, at 137 S. 5th St., Coplay, and Dad and Mom try to watch their sons in action as often as possible. The parents of course are never confused who is who.

All four players are products of Whitehall High, where they played under veteran head coach Joe Steiner.

Let's start with Jeff. He plays left field and is a designated hitter. He works at Tarkett, a floor covering business in West Catty.

Matt is a center fielder. He is fresh out of the Army after serving six years in the United States and Germany. He's looking for a job at present.

Chuck, a third baseman, is a student at East Stroudsburg University majoring in computer science. He graduates next year.

Scott is a second baseman. He works for Sunburst Property Management in Coplay. He attended Williamsport Community College two years.

"Scorekeepers get to know us strictly by our initials," Matt said with a smile. "In other words I am better known as M. Mondschein than Matt Mondschein.

"You could say baseball is in our blood," Matt continued. "Our dad played for Sammy Balliet with the Coplay Legion in 1938 and 1939.

"So we brothers have grown up with baseball . . . I remember when we all played together out in the back yard . . . lost a lot of baseballs that way . . . we would hit them over the fence and somebody would grab them and run.

"Such was life in Coplay in those days," Matt said.

All four brothers are die-hard big league baseball fans but the similarity stops there. Jeff is a Cincinnati fan. Matt likes Baltimore. Chuck is a Pittsburgh fan. Scott follows the Phillies.

"We have a lot of interesting arguments over baseball," Matt noted.

This is Coplay's first season in the Tri-County League. Things have not been all peaches and cream but Matt is convinced the situation will improve as the players gain more experience.

"We still may put things together this year because we have a shot at the playoffs and that is our goal right now," Matt said.

Incidentally, there are four other brothers in the family. Jerry, 29, is a third baseman for the Allentown Patriots fastpitch team. Dave, 28, is a slo-pitch player, also at third base. Tom, 33, and Billy, 35, still play some slo-pitch softball also.

In addition, there are four sisters, none of whom play any organized sports. Lisa, 26, isn't around the Lehigh Valley at present. She's in the Air Force, stationed in California.

There is no question this is a close-knit family.

"Everybody gets along well but not all the time," Matt said laughingly.



  

From The Morning Call -- July 12, 1984

Copyright © 1984, The Morning Call