Tri-Town chases league history mark in 2025
- The Commish Corner
Baseball is often thought of as an individual sport, with players being judged on their individual statistics and performances. However, in baseball, no one player can win a game on their own. Winning back to back team championships are rare, and certainly winning three years in a row, in any major sport, depends on various factors, including team performance, player health, roster changes, and competition. From 2007 through 2019 in the Tri-State Baseball League there were eleven different World Series team winners.
Is a four-peat even possible? Well its happened three times in Tri-State League history. The Amenia Monarchs were the first team to accomplish that feat from 1982-1985 and then the Torrington Rebels won four in a row from 1992-1995. Now we have a third team, the Tri-Town Trojans have won championships from 2021 through 2024 but there is an asterisk next to their name. Why? The Trojans play the 2025 season with the opportunity to set the greatest team mark in Tri-State Baseball League history. No team has ever won 5 consecutive World Series titles in the Tri-State Baseball League. The Kansas City Chiefs found out how difficult a three-peat can be in the NFL. The Dodgers seem to be building a team that could become dynasty in MLB and it would be a shock if they don’t make the playoffs this season. Likewise, the Trojans are deeply talented and everyone expects a true run into the Tri-State playoffs at the ultimate league, team history mark. The rarity and excitement of such potential benchmark accomplishments contributes to the significance in the sport, and in the Tri-State baseball league this season.
How does Tri-Town handle the pressure? For many of these summer league players, this is their major leagues’ and they take it seriously. They may not be under the same scrutiny as an Olympic player, but the spotlight will be on the Tri-Town team as a whole in 2025. Can they accomplish what has never been done before? There are way too many individual stars on this Tri-Town team to name. Knowing many of these players on a personal level, that sits just fine with them. They want to be known as the Tri-Town Trojans. Eleven World Series appearances in the last fourteen seasons is unheard of. (Tri-State did not play in covid year 2020) Legendary stuff. There are twelve teams standing in the way of unprecedented territory.
A host of teams post a legitimate threat to ending the streak for the Trojans. The first team that comes to mind is the Bethlehem Plowboys. Another storied franchise that has earned the slogan moniker “Plow for Life” in reference to Bethlehem players past and present. The Plowboys, whom celebrated their 100 year team history in 2023, have appeared in the last three World Series against the Trojans, taking the 2023 and 2024 series each year to a final and deciding game three. The Plowboys finished the 2024 season as the #1 seed with a 21-1 record. The Plow are strong in every facet of the game; offense, defense, pitching, and speed. Bethlehem has been to 14 league World Series since 1996 winning their last championship in 2010 over the Trojans that year. Too many stars to name here as well, definitely a legitimate contender in 2025.
The Burlington Hunters and Valley Ducks both advanced to the semi-finals after finishing as the #3 and #4 seeds respectively. Burlington finished 3rd overall in runs scored on the season and the Ducks fished 3rd in runs allowed on the season. Both teams have added players to their roster in hopes of a championship run in 2025. Burlington and the Ducks are both looking to make their first ever World Series appearance in their young franchise existence. Two franchises whom are legitimate World Series contenders year in and year out are the Amenia Monarchs (10 career championships) and the Winsted Whalers (6 career championships). Amenia finished as the #5 seed and Winsted as the #7 seed in 2025 while both teams added a plethora of young players to their team rosters over the last couple of seasons.
Adding to the list of strong contenders, the New Haven Ravens have joined the Tri-State Baseball League for the 2025 season. The Ravens were both the Wallingford Twilight Baseball League Champions and Nutmeg League Champions in 2024 and will be coached by Joselito Pagan. Competition as a whole, drew the Ravens to the Tri-State League as they certainly will be a team to watch. The 2024 CTL champion Terryville Scrappers have left the CTL and applied to the Tri-State Baseball League before deciding to forego a team entry and simply disperse players individually to various existing teams in the Tri-State League. The influx of talented players from the two ’additions’ to the league has simply added to the already top-level talent that exists and makes 2025 arguably one of the most intriguing seasons to look forward to with a huge history story line achievement on the line.
The CT Sliders (based out of Waterbury) after a slow start won 12 of their last 17 regular season games and look to continue their climb up the ladder towards the top of the rankings. The latest version of the very young Wolcott Scrappers team took the Bethlehem Plowboys to a final Game three in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Canton Crushers suffered through an injury plagued season in 2024 but showed what they can do when healthy as the Crushers handed the Plowboys their only loss of the regular season last year. Expansion teams from 2024; Valley Kraken of New Milford, Naugatuck White Sox and Torrington Thunder return for their second seasons and look to qualify for the playoffs in a fiercely competitive Tri-State League. Top 12 teams qualify for the playoffs. The race to make history begins on opening day; Sunday May 18, 2025.
Tri-State announces its 2024 League and Team award winners.
MVP: Jon Wilson Bethlehem Plowboys
Silver Slugger: Chad Lavelle Burlington Hunters
Cy Young: Miles Scribner Tri-Town Trojans
Teams 2024 MVP:
Wolcott Scrappers: Blake Stone; Amenia Monarchs: Zack Spencer; Torrington Thunder: Melvin Alvarez Tri-Town Trojans: Owen Hibbard Bethlehem Plowboys: Jon Wilson Canton Crushers: Angel Valentin Burlington Hunters: Chad Lavelle Naugatuck Scorpions: Edison Ortiz Valley Kraken: Will Granata CT Sliders: Ian Glover Valley Ducks: Chris Oliwa
Winsted Whalers: Johnny Lippincott
Tri-State announces its Hall of Fame class of 2025 whom will be inducted on Friday August 15 just before Game #1 of the Tri-State league World Series on the field at Fuessenich Park:
Adam Piechowski, Ken Kerski, Lance Stevens, Kyle Osolin, Adam LaCapra, Ricky Langer, Marc Beaudoin, Kevin Pettit