Homegrown Chemistry: The Childhood Bond Powering Olney Baseball
For four members of the Olney Cropdusters, their bond spans over a decade of Montgomery County baseball.
By Evan Joseph
Ryan Bouma and Brian Scott first shared the diamond at age 12, playing youth baseball for the Olney Pirates. Ben Berger joined them at 15 as they moved on to Sherwood High School in Olney.
At Sherwood, they won three consecutive Maryland state championships from 2021 through 2023.
Now, reunited with former Sherwood teammate Mac Crismond at Frostburg State University, the quartet has taken that connection to the collegiate level.
The group helped lead the Bobcats to the program's first-ever NCAA Division II tournament appearance in May 2024.
This summer, all four are back home playing for the Olney Cropdusters in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, helping push the team to a 17-8 record at the top of the North Division.
"Team chemistry is always huge," Berger said. "When you've known a guy very personally and played with him for such a long time... it's a lot easier to get more comfortable playing, and just be worried about playing, not worried about anything else."
"It’s really special, those are my guys," Bouma added. "We were roommates at school, so I spend a lot of time with them. They're like my best friends... it's fun to do pretty much everything with them."
That comfort level has translated directly into high-level production for their teams.
Over three collegiate seasons at Frostburg State, Bouma has compiled a .304 career batting average with 144 hits, 133 RBIs, and 18 home runs across 154 games. Heading into his senior year, Bouma used this summer to focus on his offensive consistency.
Bouma earned a selection as a Cal Ripken League All-Star this season while posting a dominant .479 on-base percentage, a .516 slugging percentage, and launching four home runs.
Crismond has performed out of the bullpen for Olney this summer. The relief pitcher has posted a 2.79 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP over five appearances, striking out 14 batters in 9.2 innings of work while securing one save.
Berger, who also operates as a relief pitcher, anchors the bullpen with a proven track record in the league. He returns to the bump for Olney after earning All-League Second Team honors for the Cropdusters last season.
Scott has been highly productive at the plate over the years but is currently recovering an injury. The outfielder posted a .342 batting average and a .945 OPS with 26 hits and 12 RBIs in 28 games during the 2026 season at Frostburg State.
With the Cropdusters leading the division, the ultimate goal for the Sherwood alumni is to bring a league championship back to their hometown community.
"Especially this year, I think we have the best team we've had," Berger said. "The town of Olney has been very supportive of us, so we want to do everything we can to give back to the fans for Olney and win a league title."
The quest for a championship brings the group full circle, playing their home games at First Responder Field at OBGC Park, the same park where they grew up playing youth baseball together.
"I can't tell you how many hours I spent at those fields," Bouma said. "That's just like my childhood right there... I just think it would be the cherry on top if we got a championship for the Olney community."