19th annual Albany Athletics Baseball Fest starts Fri.
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. » The 2012 and 2016 AABC World Series Champion Albany Athletics will host its 19th Annual Baseball Fest at Central Park in Schenectady on Friday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 24th. The event is the longest running 18 years and older summer baseball invitational tournament in the northeast and for the sixth straight year, the event will be an official Coaches vs Cancer benefit with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. All games can be followed on the Tourney Machine app this year.
“This year’s event should top last year’s,” said Joe Altieri, Tournament Founder/Director and Head Coach of the Athletics. “There are some high caliber teams returning to this tournament and a few new ones who will certainly be competitive. The vast majority of teams this year have gotten off to very good starts and have intentions of playing on Championship Sunday. With 15 games of baseball, its going to be a great atmosphere in the park and a weekend to bring attention to cancer awareness.”
City of Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and Angelo Novak, cancer patient and father of Athletics third baseman Nate, will throw out the first pitch prior to the A’s opening game on Friday.
The tournament, which has been primarily conducted at Central Park fields since its inception, has seen over 40 different teams compete in the event since 2000 including a team from as far as Columbus, Ohio in 2012, and a team from Ottawa the last several years. The host Athletics (16-3), who are 10-time Baseball Fest Champions, have invited several local teams and regional teams to round out an eight-team field this year.
The returning champion Brothers Baseball Club highlights the returning teams. Brothers, out of the George Donnelly Sunset League in Warwick, RI, currently sport a 6-2 record (first place) and are perennial league champions. They will participate in their seventh Baseball Fest. The Champlain Mariners, who compete in the Green Mountain League out of Burlington, VT, return for their second year after a strong run in the 2017 event losing to Brothers in the semifinals. Champlain is in first place in their league with a 13-1 record.
Third-time returnees are the Twin Town Devilcats from the Eastern NY Collegiate League who boast a 10-2 record, also in first place in their league. The South Troy Dodgers 18U Elite team are at 10-4 and in first place in the Atlantic Coast Elite League and return to the event for the second time. Two new teams to the tournament are Thruway League members the Amsterdam Railcats, first place in their league, and Amsterdam Aces. Ninth year participant and Twilight member the Albany Thunder, who reached the 2016 championship game, will also join the field once again. GGR Photography will be the official photographer of the event and cover all 15 games. (www.GGRphotography.com).
Each player, coach and umpire will be provided a set of pink sweat bands to wear throughout the games to bring awareness to the fight against cancer. The Schenectady Old Timers Association, made up of over 100 members, will be recognized before the same game as well for their support and contributions to the tournament over
the years.
The Eastern New York Umpires Association will contribute a portion of their game fees to ACS as well. The Athletics and American Cancer Society have teamed to develop brochures and other literature for teams and fans this weekend as well.
“We are excited to once again partner with the Albany Athletics for this great baseball event that will bring cancer awareness to the forefront. We are grateful to all the teams for helping us finish the fight. Their contributions will help support the cancer fighting efforts in our local communities as well as deliver a great message to the fans and supporters of the Baseball Fest,” said Jeffrey Winters, Senior Marketing Manager for the Capital Region of the American Cancer Society.
Each team is slated to play three round robin games with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals on Sunday morning and the winners advancing to the championship at 1 p.m. on the A diamond Sunday. Admission to the tournament is free and a total of 15 games will be played in a three-day period. Last year’s event saw eight teams participate and in past years as many as 12 have participated in the tournament. Game results can also be followed on the Tourney Machine app or on Twitter @AlbanyAthletics all weekend.