The annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game holds a special place in Mike Oxley’s heart. After all, the former Ohio Representative was either a player or a coach for the Republicans the entire time he served in Congress.

That’s why he was proud to donate a piece of the game’s history — the coveted Roll Call trophy he received in 2005 — to a division of the Office of the Clerk on Friday afternoon.

“It was always the highlight of the summer,” said Oxley, who played for the first 16 years he was in office and then coached until he retired in 2007.

The trophy will become one of nearly 200 Congressional Baseball Game artifacts in the Office of History and Preservation’s collection, said Farar Elliott, the office’s curator and chief. The office will do a report on the condition of the trophy and take photos of it for the Clerk website, which also features the history and other facts about the baseball game.

For anyone wondering why he would give away the trophy, Oxley said not to worry — he has two from his run as the Republicans’ team manager for eight years. After his last game in 2006, his record was 7-1.

Oxley played in his first Congressional Baseball Game just days after he took his oath of office in 1981. He had just won a special election to fill the seat of Rep. Tennyson Guyer (R), who had died.

He was brought in by Rep. Silvio Conte (Mass.), who was the Republicans’ team manager at the time.

“He told me practice was the next day, and before I knew it, I was starting as the shortstop,” Oxley said with a laugh.

Oxley said he’ll be at Tuesday’s game, cheering for the Republicans to take back the title this year.

The game is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Nationals Park. To purchase tickets online, go to congressionalbaseball.org.