League Ramblings

Andrew Hinckley sets Tri-State record with 14 homeruns during 2021 season

Litchfield Cowboys 1st baseman Chris Beach once hit 3 home-runs (and a double) good for 10 RBI in one game against Terryville at Terryville High School….Catcher Jeremy Pesce (Torrington Rebels) hit 10 HR’s during the 2003 season….DH Rich “Shaq” Thomson’s (Torrington) stats back him up: .474 average, 10 HR’s, more than 30 RBI in 2004, and is a former league MVP….Rebel head coach Chris Clark had 8 HR’s and batted .479 while winning the 1996 Tri-State baseball league MVP award….Ryan Rogozinski hit a Bethlehem Plowboys record 8 HR’s during the 2004 season….Carl Rivers(Litchfield) struck out 17 batters in 2002 in a 2-0 win over the Torrington Rebels (A lefty, he was second in the nation, as a WestConn senior in 2003, for strikeouts per nine innings among all NCAA pitchers)….Bobby Schiaroli (Naugatuck Dogs) struck out 17 Litchfield Cowboys in a 3-2 loss during the 2006 season….Switch-hitter Jay Rocca (Bethlehem), a multi-year league MVP, has hit multiple HR’s from each side of the plate….Pitcher Rick Koenig(Torrington) once pitched both ends of a double-header (14 innings) and picked up 2 wins on a Sunday afternoon versus the Thomaston Spoilers….Spoiler pitching legend Chris Caron (believed to hit 94 mph on the gun- catcher Jimmy Mischke often had a bright red left hand to prove it) -once broke his catcher’s thumb….Thomaston star SSTimmy Hamel has had multiple 2 HR games for the Spoilers in his career….Paul Giroux had 10 RBI in a Tri-State baseball game for the Amenia Monarchs back in 1978….Winsted flame-thrower Donny Crossman was the #1 overall draft selection of the Stan Musial tournament from 2000 through 2005 until Winsted qualified in 2006 (As a senior, he helped Central Connecticut State University reach the College World Series in 2003)….Joe Deming (Thomaston) once threw 18 consecutive scoreless innings in the 2003 post-season and finished with 26 scoreless innings out of 30 for the league playoffs….Deming also once hit for the cycle versus Burlington in the 2005 season….3BDarrin Gould (Torrington) never played baseball in school – instead, he joined an amateur team as an adult, helped it win a national championship. Then, at 24, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants (he turned them down) – but at 39, he still has the tools: a .425 batting average and a 3-0 pitching record this year (2004) for the Rebels and was named league MVP….1B Jay Wetherell (Torrington) played at Windham High School, then went to Eastern Connecticut State University, where he was a warrior closer in one of several Eastern marches to a Division III World Series Championship – he can pitch, but head coach Chris Clark lists him as “a great defensive first baseman with a lot of pop in his bat.” – Wetherell was the Tri-State league 2005 MVP….Terryville’s Jesse Carpenter was 4-6 with 2 HR’s (one a grand slam) and 8 RBI in a playoff win over Thomaston in 2000….Dave Post, playing in his first-ever Tri-State Baseball League game as a member of the Bethlehem Plowboys in 1982, homered twice (as the #9 batter in the lineup) in a 13-2 loss to Amenia. Terryville’s Chris Strahowski batted 9-9 in consecutive playoff games in 2000….Jamie Whiting (Winsted) played professional baseball in Europe….Marc Damelio had 2 HR’s in Bethlehem’s championship game victory over Thomaston in 1999….Terryville standout Mike Cleary once hit 3 HR’s in a Twi-Met league game for the Waterbury Timers…Wolcott Tri-State pitcherAlex Narus once struck out 15 batters in 7 innings in a Timers 3-1 win over the Waterville Red Wings in 2005 in Twi-Met league action….Jimmy Spirito (Burlington Hunters) once struck out 15 batters in a complete game shutout of the Naugatuck Dogs in 2007….Donny Crossman (Winsted) threw a No-Hitter in 2007….Chris Caron (Thomaston) threw a No-Hitter in 2007….Amenia pitcher Larry Jackson struck out 17 batters in a game on three different occasions and struck out 15 in the championship game win over Winsted all during the 1984 season…Jamie Kimberly crushed two 3-run home-runs for Tribury in a 2007 game…the Burlington Hunters smashed six home-runs in one game (two by Justin Campbell) vs East End in a 2007 game…theWinsted Whalers were 17-1 during the 2007 regular season allowing just 39 runs by a pitching staff anchored by Donny Crossman, Toby Nylin, Mark Peterson, Adam Peichowski and Dan Conley…Joel Judson of Amenia had 37 hits during the 2007 season… Ed Gadomski hit 2 homeruns in a game versus Brass City in 2003. Matt Wahl hit 2 homeruns for Brass City Brew in a game versus the Waterbury Wild in 2008. Jon Noack hit 2 homeruns for Torrington Rebels in a game versus the Burlington Hunters in 2008. Wolcott’sPierre LePage led UConn in hitting (.341) his freshman year. Sam Iverson of the Bethlehem Plowboys, who graduated from Eastern CT, appeared in three Division III College World Series in his four years there. Donny Crossman fired his 2nd career no-hitter blanking Mazda Dodge in 2008. Ben Murphy (Litchfield) hurled a no-hitter in 2008 versus the Farmingbury Longshots. Brass City Brew finished the 2008 regular season with a Tri-State best in regular season history 18-1 record. Justin McCulloch (Brass City) andRicky Langer (Winsted) each had 42 hits during the 2008 season. Former Plowboy Ryan Rogizinski was the Region 21 player of the year while attending NVCC. Former Torrington Rebel CJ Giampaolo once hurled 3 shoutout innings against Team USA while playing for the Torrington Twisters. Former Terryville standout Chris Strahowski is the head coach at Manchester Community College and took his team to the NJCAA division III World Series in 2008. Wolcott’s Sal Messina struck out 16 of the 21 batters he faced in throwing a no-hitter vs Winsted in 2009. Wolcott’s Justin Koutrous played in the Division II World Series three times with Eastern CT State University. Ken Pomeisl played rightfield during an Amenia game in 2009 while sons Jim (P), Jeff (LF), and Matt (C) were also in the lineup that day. Amenia’s Tom Moore hit two home runs in a playoff game vs Waterbury in 2009.  Tom Hagerty once threw 236 pitches in an extra-inning game versus Bethlehem in 1984. In the early 80’s, Charley Thornton threw a 9 inning no-hitter with 1 walk for the Amenia Monarchs vs Washington. Billy Armstrong struck out 24 batters, threw 190 pitches in 12 innings in a Terryville win over Tri-Town in 2010. Makey Cianciola homered twice for Naugatuck in a 2010 game vs Torinngton. John Conlan hit two home runs for Bethlehem in a 2010 game vs Burlington. Wolcott Scrappers 2nd baseman Pierre LePage was drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs.Torrington’s Mike Fabiaschi was drafted in the 38th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics. Justin McCulloch hit 2 home runs in a Brass City game in 2010 vs Tribury. Ken Kerski struck out 17 Naugy Dogs in a 2010 game for Waterbury WIld and struck out 17 players in two different games for the Waterbury Wild in 2012 and struck
out 20 Torrington Rebel players also in 2012. Bristol’s Rex Cone threw a no-hitter in 2010 vs Prospect. Justin Koutros struck out 19 Amenia Monarchs in a 7-0 playoff win in 2010. Naugys Lance Stevens and Terryvilles Tyler Wenz combined for 26 K’s ina 2010 playoff game. Winsted’s Adam Piechowski was one walk shy of a perfect game vs Lakeville in 2011. Justin Koutros (Wolcott) threw a no-hitter vs Lakville in 2011. Paul Novakowski had two home runs in a game for Brass City in 2011. Adam Piechowski tossed a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts in a 1-0 win over Torrington in 2012. Ken Kerski threw a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts for Waterbury Wild in 2013 state tourney. Lance Stevens threw a perfect game for Naugy in 2013 state tourney. Waterbury Wild Jim Dimon tossed a 9 inning no-hitter vs Watertown Blaze in 2012 playoffs. Bristol’s Bryan Wyrebek had 18 strikeouts in a playoff game vs Bethlehem Plowboys in a 2012 playoff game. Miles Scribner had an 18-1 personal record for the league champion Tri-Town Trojans during the 2013 season. MOONSHOTS:  Marc Damelio and Joe Deming are the only 2 players to have cleared the left field fence (into the parking lot) at Thomaston High School –Justin McCulloch and Ed Gadomski both reached the playground (on a fly) in left center field….Burlington Hunters 1st baseman Mike Morin hit a HR at Waterville Park (2006) versus the Brass City Brew estimated to have gone about 450 feet, Thomas Richards (Torrington Titans) hit above the 3rd story window house behind the batting cages at Fuessenich Park during the 2011 Home Run Derby…. Naugy’s Devin Murphy went to the finals of the 2011 Home Run Derby with several bombs into the Naugatuck River at Fuessenich Park. Sgt Jonathon Conlin of the Bethlehem Plowboys hit the factory across over the Naugatuck River in the 2012 Home Run Derby. Paul Novakowski won the 2012 Home Run Derby while Justin Morhardt bombarded the house in right field at Fuessenich Park. Zach Dandrea (Terryville Black Sox) won the 2013 HR Derby. Ryan Plourde won the 2016 HR Derby and the Tri-State All-Stars defeated the Torrington Titans 14-1. The Watertown Blaze team threw 2 consecutive no-hitters during the 2016 season. Zach Albin threw a no-hitter for the Watertown Blaze over the Waterford Nationals in the 2017 AABC Stan Musial East Coast World Series. Matt Quintana threw a one-hitter with 17 strikeouts over Bourne Mariners in the 2017 Stan Musial World Series for the Watertown Blaze. In 2024 Matt Rose pitches first No-Hitter in Canton Crushers history.