The Bethesda Big Train begin their bid for a fourth consecutive Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League championship Wednesday night, facing the top-seeded Olney Cropdusters in Game 1 of the best-of-three title series at First Responder Field in Olney.
First pitch is 6 p.m.
It's a dynasty-versus-upstart matchup. The Big Train, seeded No. 2, have won three straight league titles and are chasing their fifth championship in six years. The Cropdusters, founded in 2021, have never won one. This is their first championship series appearance.
It's also the first all-Montgomery County title series since 2019, when the Big Train beat the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts in three games.
Both rosters are stacked. The Big Train led the league in runs scored (317), batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.438), and slugging percentage (.450) during the regular season, according to the league's official playoff preview. Catcher TJ Gramesty (Florida Atlantic) topped the league with a .388 average and .580 on-base percentage. Outfielder Zachary Malvasio (UCF) clubbed a league-best nine home runs with 31 RBIs, and first baseman Emilio Gonzalez (Nova Southeastern) drove in a team-high 33 runs.
The Cropdusters counter with the league's best pitching staff, posting the lowest combined ERA at 5.08 while allowing the fewest earned runs, per Bethesda Magazine. They also led the league with 32 home runs. Outfielder Cade Walter (Jacksonville University) batted .351 with six homers and 38 RBIs, second in the league. In the final regular-season game, Walter went 3-for-4 with three home runs and seven RBIs as Olney rallied from an 8-5 deficit with six runs in the eighth inning to beat Bethesda 11-8 and clinch the No. 1 seed.
On the mound, Olney's Matt Levari (La Salle) posted a 2.25 ERA and tied for the league lead with three wins. Big Train ace Charlie Hoagland (East Carolina) counters with a 3.12 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.
"Charlie [Hoagland] and Aiden [Parker], what can you say? Charlie's phenomenal, and Aiden came in and closed the door," Big Train head coach Sal Colangelo said after the team's semifinal Game 1 win on Saturday, July 25, praising the pitching tandem that set the tone for Bethesda's postseason run.
A fourth straight title would give the Big Train their second four-peat in program history, matching their 2016-2019 run, and their 13th Ripken League championship overall.
Championship series schedule:
- Game 1: Wednesday, July 29, 6 p.m. at First Responder Field, 4501 Olney Laytonsville Road, Olney
- Game 2: Thursday, July 30, 7 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field, 10600 Westlake Drive, Rockville
- Game 3 (if needed): Friday, July 31, 6 p.m. at First Responder Field, Olney
Tickets are available on each team's website.
