For so many of us, summertime in Michigan means one thing, it's baseball season.

And, all across Michigan, baseball lovers have been putting a historical twist on our nation's favorite pastime, and even I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get in on the action, so I suited up with the Frankenmuth Bavarian Baseball Club to see if I had what it took to become a vintage ball player.

If it's vintage, they will come.

And, they have come, from near and far.

With names like the Independents, the Lah-De-Dahs, and the Old Golds, over 20 teams from across the Midwest made their way to these fields in Frankenmuth to take part in Michigan's first and only vintage baseball festival.

- It's a great way to keep the game alive, there's great history.

There's not just one thing.

Some of these guys, I've known for a decade now, and it's just fun to see them every weekend.

- There are people from Indiana and Ohio that I'm really good friends with, because of this one thing that we have and we hold together.

- I am a history teacher by trade.

To be able to really relive what our great, great grandfathers would have done is really touching.

- [Matthew] Michigan is home to over 30 vintage ball clubs, playing by the rules put in place when baseball was in its infancy.

- We reenact baseball when it is a modification of cricket.

The most unique thing is the fact that we don't have gloves, and you have to, essentially, relearn how to play the game.

- There are definitely some throws, the first baseman ends up with a black and blue hand often, because the throws come in from short and third all the time, so.

But, it's baseball, so.

- [Matthew] There is some serious baseball skill on display here at the festival, which, honestly, made me a little nervous to take the field, considering the last time I played baseball was in the seventh grade.

Nonetheless, there was nothing that was gonna keep Matthew 'Mittens' Ozanich on the bench today.

Connecting with the ball didn't prove itself to be that much of a challenge, but hoofing it around the bases certainly did.

My heart's about to explode.

I haven't run that much since 12th grade.

Between the makeshift fields and the friendly ribbing between teams, it reminded me so much of the sandlot days of my youth, and I owed this day of baseball glory to festival organizer and Frankenmuth team captain Matt Bernard.

After our victory over the Royal Oak Wahoos, I chatted with 'Barrel Roller' to learn more.

Now, this is my first time ever playing vintage baseball.

You can be honest with me, how did I do?

- Oh, for your first time, you did great.

I'm not even lying to you, right now.

- Oh good.

- It was really good.

We had a couple of other first timers out there, they did really good.

It's baseball.

At its core, it's baseball.

- [Matthew] What are the big differences between the baseball that we know today and 1860s rules?

- [Matt] The biggest difference between modern baseball and 1860s is that, there was a gentlemanly aspect to the game.

You were expected to call yourself out.

They didn't call balls and strikes.

The pitcher was actually supposed to supply you with a good pitch to hit.

He was out there to help you, and there's a couple of different styles of vintage, there's bound and fly, which you learned about today.

Where you can catch things off of one hop, and it'd still be an out.

There's a lot of little differences that make up this huge difference, but everybody does it for the love of the game in vintage.

- Absolutely, and of course, the big difference I notice, and the big difference that my hands notice, is that we don't use gloves.

Why couldn't I use a glove today?

- They weren't invented yet.

- They weren't invented yet.

- In the 1860s, but you know why they were invented now.

- [Matthew] Oh yeah, absolutely.

My palms are reminding me.

- Because there's finger issues that happen.

And, you use the ball, the same ball, for the entire match.

So, in the very beginning of the match, it's hard.

Like, it's a hard ball.

But, by the fifth inning, it'll start softening up, and then it's a lot easier to play with.

So, often, you'll get teams, that even though they're the home team, will choose to bat first, so they can have that ball at its hardest, because they know how hard it is to catch.

- And, one thing I noticed, too about today, everybody gets a nickname, a vintage baseball nickname.

- You have to have nickname.

We made up one for you on the spot.

- You guys did, you gave me the name Mittens.

- Mittens, yes.

- Which, I'm still a little on the fence about, but you know what, I'll take it.

- You know what, they evolve.

- [Matthew] They evolve.

(laughs) - [Matt] They change.

- [Matthew] Oh, absolutely.

- Eventually, a nickname comes around where, you just know it's you.

My name is Barrel Roller, the captain of the Bay City Independents named me that because I deliver beer, and so, it just stuck, boom it's in.

This is a perfect place for players to meet each other.

They play single matches all season.

They only see these guys maybe once every three years.

So, they can reconnect with those relationships, they can make new relationships.

A lot of this festival atmosphere, I'm hoping that teams that don't usually schedule each other and play each other will now come together and play.

So, that's basically what the point of the festival is.

- And, since there are over two dozen men's and women's ball clubs across Michigan, chances are there's one in your neck of the woods, and if not, feel free to start your own, and see if you and your friends have what it takes to go head to head with these seasoned veterans.