Tri-State 2024 Preview
The Tri-State Baseball League opens up its 91st baseball season on Sunday May 19 with 12 teams featured in the 2024 season. Each team will play a 22 regular season game schedule with Playoffs during the month of August. The defending three-time champion Tri-Town Trojans begin their quest for a four-peat which would tie the Tri-State record as only the Torrington Rebels from years 1992-1995 and the Amenia Monarchs 1982- 1985 have accomplished that feat. Player/Coach Danny McCarty is the team leader for Tri-Town both on and off the field and headlines a star-studded team with the likes of Team MVP Coleby Bunnell, 2023 Silver Slugger award winner Willie Yahn, former Minor leaguers Mike Fabiaschi and Evan Scribner, and a solid pitching staff that features Cy Young award winner Miles Scribner, Bobby Chatfield and closer Connor Gannon. The Trojans finished 2023 with a 24-3 record.
The Bethlehem Plowboys have had back to back dream seasons, all except for one thing, consecutive yearly losses to the Trojans in the World Series in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Bethlehem will once again be a top contender for the title splitting 7 games in 2023 with Tri-Town holding a slight 4-3 games advantage. The spirit for the Plowboys has never been higher after celebrating 100 years of Bethlehem Plowboys baseball in 2023. Head Coach Rich Revere welcomes back 2023 Tri-State Baseball League MVP Greg Campbell, Joe Rupe, Matt Mancini, Ricky Descoteaux, and leadoff man Jon Wilson to lead the offense along with pitchers Keegan Daigle and Ty Boisvert. The Plow finished the 2023 season with a 21-6 record.
The surgent Burlington Hunters finished the regular season in 3rd place in 2023 and look to continue their climb into a World Series appearance, aided by a strong pitching staff comprised of Tayor Donofrio, David Alarcon, Alex Stackpole, Ty Morin, and Alex Hansen while head coach Andrew Bunger, Team MVP Zach Martin, George Zaruba, and Jose Lopez lead the offense. The Valley Ducks are a serious contender as well with star pitcher Zach Royka, the Cy Young runner-up, and league MVP runner-up Chris Oliwa. The Winsted Whalers are one of those teams that no-one wants to play in the playoffs lead by silver slugger runner-up Johnny Lippincott, first baseman Austin Brochu, and pitcher Casey Weingart. Four sets of brothers on Winsted help round out the team.
The legendary Amenia Monarchs are always a contender lead by Team MVP Andrew Thrasher and will eb coached by DJ Reilly who replaces the retiring Tom Downey Jr. Two Waterbury based teams from 2023 have combined forces to organize one team from Waterbury called the CT Sliders. Patrick Smith returns as the coach and is aided by Team MVP Josh Dobratz and player/coach Patrick Reymond. The Canton Crushers led by a host of veteran players in Jimmy Spirito, Jake Bryant, Matt Rose, Ben Sullivan, Taylor Riley, Steve Dubois round out the returning teams.
Four new teams have joined up for the 2023 season. Valle Kraken of New Milford will be coached by AJ and Billy Romaniello, the Naugatuck Scorpions will be coached by Victor Rivera, Torrington Thunder returns a team to the league coach by Misti Doherty, and the Wolcott Scrappers, coached by Alex Sconziano, will consist mainly of former Wolcott High School players who went to the Class M high school state finals in 2023.
The Tri-state league would like to announce its Hall of Fame class for 2024 who will be inducted this August during the Tri-State baseball league World Series:
Jay Harlamon, Ryan Soucy, Joe Deming, Paul Novakowski, Gary Novakowski, Steve Carosella Sr, Steve Carosella Jr, Nick Doyle