Banquet: Thursday, December 19th – Packed House

The 15th Annual Ruffnecks Banquet was held Thursday, December 19th at the Needham VFW Hall with a happy, festive, packed house in attendance. The 2024 Yearbook was available and, as usual, it was the conversation starter at the dinner tables.  A sumptuous pasta dinner was catered with everyone getting plenty to eat.  The evening program featured two guest speakers.  Matt Hyde, long time Area Scout for the New York Yankees spoke.  He emphasize the theme of TEAM in the game of baseball and how the Ruffnecks stand out among club travel programs with their emphasis on team development and team play.  Rich Gedman, a 13 year MLB veteran, two-time All Star, and Red Sox Hall of Fame catcher, spoke as well.  He shared several thoughts on his career and how baseball has been a teaching tool for life. He also shared a taped tribute from former Red Sox great, Roger Clemens, on the retirment of Steve August as Director of the Ruffnecks.  The evening concluded with the Johnny Pesky Teammate Awards.  Nate Dubuc earned the 13u Award.  Max Fukudome was recognized for the 14u Teammate Award.  Angus McKenna garnered the 15u Pesky Award.  Barrett “Bear” Adam, was the 16u Teammate winner.  Five year veteran Tommy Hennessey, committed to play college ball at UMass Amherst, won the 17u Johnny Pesky Award.  It was another great banquet that entertained everyone with three videos capturing the action, a few laughs, and memories of the 2024 season.

Busy Facility During Holiday Break

The Facility is a busy place during the holiday break.  Numerous Ruffnecks alums who are curruently playing in college drop in to hit at the Facility.  It is a great opportunity for younger Ruffnecks to meet those who have gone before and to see how players grow and develop.  The Facility is also host to the Pro Scout Hitting Clinic and the Gedman Catcher’s Clinic.  Both offerings are intended for current Ruffnecks players.  These are focused clinics run by professional MLB scouts and instructors.  The Facility continues to be a unique training home for Ruffnecks to use.  It provides nearly unrestricted access for Ruffnecks players.

Third Decade of Ruffnecks Baseball

As 2024 draws to a close, it is worth a moment to look back on the first year of our third decade.  The players and coaches in the Ruffnecks program devote hours and hours to baseball.

The experience is difficult to explain to those outside our circle and culture.  But for those of us fortunate to be a part of this program, we are grateful for the moments we share and the memories we build.  We see our success in the smiles of new 13u players, not quite knowing what to expect, but forging new friendships that go beyond wins, losses, or moments of doubt.  Coaches demand the confidence of 14u players who must mentor the newest class as they were mentored.  Then there is the hot summer, looked forward to all winter long.  Once the heat arrives, the daily grind is a new experience for the 15u Ruffnecks who play “up” for two months of every-day baseball, measuring success in small moments, hard-earned wins, and tough losses.  For the 16’s there is a certain readiness for what lies ahead.  Players compete to win every day.  They are in search of success and expect much from themselves.  And for the 17u/Seniors we revel in the final stages of our Ruffnecks days, hoping to extend our playing careers at the next level while enjoying the experience, bonds, and joys of playing together for five years (or more!).

This past year is like many others in our 22 year history.  But what endures are the memories.  We are a program in continual growth, with contributions from all who pass through our dugouts.  We travel together, eat together, live together, and spend more time together than with any other subset of teammates in our lives to date.  This is the essence of the Ruffnecks experience.  We welcome our next class of 13u Ruffnecks, selected from a competitive and earnest Fall Baseball program that begins the process all over again.  May 2024 be an inspiration for 2025, making memories once again in this most difficult, yet exhilarating, team sport… Baseball.

13u Fall Baseball: Teaching and Doing

Ruffnecks Fall Baseball is an opportunity for us to meet new players and to provide returners with some weekend activity on the diamond.  On September 8th, we welcomed 40 new, rising 13 year olds to the 13u Ruffnecks Fall Program.  This is where we begin teaching the game on the big diamond to players who are making the transition from Little League to the “real” game.  The 13u program presents concepts, skills, drills, baserunning, and station work, in a well paced format.

Eighteen different Ruffnecks coaches and guest instructors add their expertise to the experience.  Returning Ruffnecks players mix into the drill work to demonstrate, assist, and show the way.  While the Ruffnecks staff members use the 13u Fall Program to select the 2025 “incoming class,” the notion that the sessions are tryouts evaporates as soon as players begin their activity on the field.  Each week new pieces of the game are layered into the curriculum.  The objective is to be able to play some innings and game situations with an understanding of the dimensions, challenges, and proportional difficulties players face on the big diamond.  It is a challenging, yet invigorating, program for the best of players.

College Prep & HS Wood Bat

The Fall also provides opportunity for older players, new and returning, to play weekends in a relaxed, yet instructional format.  Our College Prep and HS Wood Bat programs are designed to play Red vs. Blue games with a mix of veteran Ruffnecks and non-Ruffnecks who wish to experience the program.  The instructional element is focused on game situations as they occur.  Pitchers are limited to 1-2 innings per weekend with supervision from our pitching coaches.  Infielders play all three positions, and outfielders play all three positions.  Catchers get their work in!  They catch pens and play innings, never stopping.  Most importantly, the weekend activity has a balanced mix of competition, instruction, and fun.

The three oldest Ruffnecks teams traveled to Ohio Tuesday, July 30 to compete in the annual Tournament of Champions in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.  The 15u and 16u Ruffnecks competed in the 16u Division of the TOC, while the 17u Ruffnecks played in the 17u/18u Division. The event ended August 4th and signaled the close of the 2024 Ruffnecks season.  It has been a hot summer, to be sure.  Each of the older Ruffnecks rosters played a demanding schedule that provided a ton of action in the New England region.  The schedule also took our teams to New Jersey, Georgia, Nashville, and then to Ohio.

15u Finish Strong in 16u Division of TOC

The 15u Ruffnecks got off to a good start in Ohio behind an outstanding pitching effort from Jackson Shusda.  After battling through three scoreless innings the Ruffnecks took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th by virtue of some walks and timely hits.  The team went on to a opening game 6-0 victory.  Two tough losses in pool play followed. The first, was a 13-2 blowout at the hands of an excellent Pittsburgh Spike team.  The next was a competitive 7-5 loss to the St. Louis Gamers.  Nonetheless, the 15’s found themselves in a position to move up to one of the top playoff brackets with a win in their final pool play game.  They got that win with a tremendous 5-4 effort.  The victory put the 15’s in the Silver playoff bracket.  But more importantly, the win had a positive effect for the 16u Ruffnecks.  It catapulted the 16’s into the Championship Bracket, which they richly deserved

16u Ruffnecks Get to Championship Bracket

The 16’s had considerable success in 2024 behind the steady coaching of Coaches Brendan Casey and John Casey.  Ted Novio has also provided his expertise and experience to the 16u staff.  Mike Lyon joined after July 14th to provide a coaching staff that really worked hard for the players.  The efforts paid off in Ohio, July 30-August 4.  The 16’s fell flat in their Cincinnati opener, finding themselves on the short end of a 5-0 shutout.  The team’s resilience, competitiveness, and pluck showed over the next three games.  Wins of 6-2 and 13-3 put the 16u Ruffnecks among the top contenders after 3 pool play games, despite the first game loss.  In the 4th game the ‘Necks squandered a comfortable early lead, before Bear Adams clutch bases clearing triple in the top of the 7th.  The game ended in a 8-8 tie (though there was some controversy about the score).  Many thought that game was 9-8 Ruffnecks, but it was not to be.  As already mentioned, the 15’s launched the 16’s into the championship bracket where the 16u Ruffnecks played the #2 seed Ohio Warhawks.  The game was tensely played and went to extra innings, then to the tie breaker.  Sadly, the Ruffnecks season ended in a 6-5 tie breaker loss.  The team definitely had a good run.

17u Ruffnecks Fall Short – But Pitchers Shine

The 17u Ruffnecks got off to a good start behind the outstanding pitching performance from Lorcan Lee in a 2-0 shutout win.  Lee was dominant with a fastball in the high 80’s to 90 and his devastating curve.  Lee pitched 6 no-hit innings, striking out 7.  With a pitch count of 85, the coaches turned to lefthander Lincoln Loftus to close out the game.  The Senior Ruffnecks struggled in Game #2 losing by a score of 10-4.  In the next game, the 17u ‘Necks rebounded with a 1-0 win behind the superlative pitching performance by Jett Little.  The righthander threw a complete game, no-hitter in a 1-0 win.  Little was in complete control with his batterymate Owen Callahan.  He struck out 9.  The 17’s fell in their final pool play game even though pitcher Owen Ellsworth delivered a gritty, competitive, start.  The team went 2 and 2 in pool play and ended their season with a first round loss in bracket play.  The Seniors were led offensively by Bryce Larco, newcomer Boone Fahey, and Tommy Hennessey.  Defensively, Hennessey anchored a solid infield that featured Drew Reagan, Matt Silk, Yedan Diaz.  The outfield was patrolled by veteran Aiden Barclay, Larco, Will Forman, and Sean Watts.  Catching duties were split between Talen Rosborough and Callahan.  Jeremy Krendel lent his two-way abilities to 1B and pitching.  The pitching staff was manned by veterans Lorcan Lee, Matthew deBenedictis, Krendel, Ellsworth, and Lincoln Loftus along with 2026 pitchers Boone Fahey, Carter Hoganson, and Little.

Extended Road Trip Tests Oldest Ruffnecks Teams

All three of the oldest Ruffnecks teams, the 15u, 16u, and 17u Ruffnecks jumped into summer with an extended road trip.  For the 17u Ruffnecks the journey began on Monday, June 17th in Flemington, NJ at Super17 with four games in the well attended Mid-Atlantic event.  On Friday, June 21 the 17’s boarded a flight for Atlanta, Georgia and the 17u PG WWBA.  After long delays, the squad found themselves missing their connection, stranded in Nashville.  A bus, sent from Goergia at midnight, retrieved the 17u team and delivered them to the hotel in Kennesaw at 5:00am.  Eleven hours later, they were playing their first game in Georgia heat.

The 17s struggled to find their rhythm in Georgia going 1-4 in pool play.  As they boarded the bus for Nashville on June 26, they faced three more consecutive days of baseball in 90-plus weather.  12 games in 12 days is a challenge at any level.  Coaches Casey (Kevin), Brickley, and Ace Adams continued to plan, play, develop, and teach a willing 17u team.  The sqaud responded, taking two out of three in Nashville, barely missing an opportunity to sweep in the final game with a 6-5 loss.

The 16u Ruffnecks had a less eventful travel day on Wednesday, June 19 as they also flew to Atlanta to attend the 16u PBR National Championship at Lakepoint in Emerson, GA.  These were the first games of the season for the 16u team.  In their initial outing the 16’s found themselves on the short end of a 12-1 decision.  The next day they rebounded with a convincing 15-0 win!  As the trip progressed, Coaches Casey(s) and Novio guided the sqaud in a process of steady growth and improvement.  The team went 2-3 at the PBR event before heading to Nashville on June 26 where they took two out of three games against 17u opponents, including a resounding 7-3 win at Vanderbilt University.  The 16’s were not immune to travel woes however.  They and the 17’s were on another delayed flight on June 29th.  They returned to their own homes at 2:30am Sunday, June 30 and bounced back at 1:00pm with a gritty 3-2 win in the first game of the Firecracker July 4th Classic.

The 15u Ruffnecks had a shorter road trip while learning the challenges of “every day” baseball.  The 15’s played in two events i nthe New England region before boarding their flight to Nashville on June 25.  While in Music City, the 15’s played five games in three days in the same 90-plus weather.  The experience provided a good platform for learning how to prepare, manage self-preparation, and competitive expectations against older opponents.  The 15’s went 1-4 in Nashville before returning to Boston on June 28.  They continued their daily baseball with games on June 29 and June 30 at the Firecracker July 4th Classic.

Wednesday, June 12 provided perfect weather and the attendance of nearly 50 college coaches and professional scouts for the 4th consecutive Ruffnecks Scout Day.  The day began at 8:30am and continued to 1:30pm.  Ruffnecks players in the classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027 took full batting practice, infield/outfield, and played in a 7 inning Red vs. Blue game that featured 14 Ruffnecks pitchers throwing one inning each.  Scout Day is the culmination of two weeks or “Pre-Season” summer workouts at the NEBC for players who have finished their high school and prep seasons.  It is a time to recharge, prepare, get some reps in, and to ready ourselves for the intensive two-month schedule of Ruffnecks Summer Baseball.

Players Present Themselves Well

Professional scouts from the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Oakland A’s were on hand as well.  The pro scouts graded out the players and pitchers during the day’s activities.   “We love being here,” said Jim Bretz of the Tigers.  “Our time is valuable at this time of year, and we go where players are focused and talented.  Ruffnecks Scout Day is great for us and a good use of our time.”  Indeed, the 33 position players and 14 pitchers who participated during the day were all worthy of the time and attention of college coaches and scouts.  The format was decidedly not a “Showcase.”  It was a professional scouting opportunity with a comfortable format that makes it easy to cover Ruffnecks players.  Scout Day is also a day of practice with tons of hitting, a real infield, and a spirited game.  Players present themselves best when they are loose and having fun.  Scout Day 2024 was an opportunity to spend five hours on a baseball field with energy.  For the younger players in the class of 2027, Scout Day is an opportunity to experience the scene for the first time.

2025’s and 2026’s Participate in Red v. Blue Game

The Red v. Blue game is an opportunity for pitchers to pitch an inning and for position players to play at game-speed.  The Red v. Blue game saw some excellent action, good pitching, good at-bats, and presented the players in the oldest two classes to college coaches.  Playing the game, in real time, is always a valuable evaluation tool for those who want to see talented players.  Scout Day delivered. Summer has begun!