News

‘One of the Best Moments of My Life’: New Canaan’s Casali Promoted to the Major Leagues

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Curt Casali’s dream of becoming a major league baseball player that began here in New Canaan became a reality Thursday when the Tampa Bay Rays promoted him from Triple-A to the big leagues. Casali’s call-up came after the Rays placed starting catcher Ryan Hanigan on the disabled list with a strained oblique. And although the promotion came as no surprise to many in the baseball world, the 2007 New Canaan High School grad never saw it coming. “Shock and awe were the emotions when I first found out,” Casali told NewCanaanite.com. “I’m so excited and thankful for the opportunity, and grateful to the Rays organization.”

If Casali continues to perform like he has in the minors, the Rays will be the grateful ones.

Sports

New Canaan Youth Baseball Roundup: O’s, A’s Take Titles

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Last week was championship week for several New Canaan youth baseball teams as the spring season came to a close. Here’s a recap of the action from the Majors 70’s and AA title games. Majors 70’s

The Orioles, sponsored by SONO Fieldhouse, beat Norwalk Champion George Comfort 12-4 at Fox Run Field on Wednesday, to win the 2014 Majors Division World Series.  Max Plum hurled five dominant innings for the New Canaan champs before handing the ball off to Jack Lisecky, who pitched a scoreless sixth. Lisecky helped set the early offensive tone, leading off the game with a deep double to left.  The Orioles went on to plate three in the opening frame, getting RBI from Noah Jensen and Jack O’Donnell.  In the second, Charlie Tait opened with a walk and Walker Swindell drove him in with a big two-out double. The Orioles bats stayed hot in the third.

Sports

New Canaan Youth Baseball Roundup: June 9

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When May moves to June it usually means youth spring baseball is entering the postseason. Sunny skies and ideal temperatures made for some lively crowds at Mead Park this past week, as teams squared off in some exciting and fun playoff games. Here is look at some of the action:

AAA

Diamondbacks–7, Braves–4

The AC Auto Body Diamondbacks beat the Oxygen Fitness Braves 7-4 in the first round of the AAA division playoffs. The Braves took an early lead with RBI’s by Edward Graham. The D-Backs came back with RBI’s by Will Besgen and Christian Carson, and a 3-run homerun by Alex Rashad. D-Backs held on to the lead behind 2 defensive gems by Jack Anderson, and strong pitching by Andrew Rashad, Ben Loomis and Justin Higgins.

Sports

New Canaan Baseball Cleans Up With Postseason Honors

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Although New Canaan’s run at a second consecutive state title ended Tuesday with a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Cheney Tech, 2014 was still a memorable year for the varsity baseball team. The Rams finished at 15-8 in a season that saw its fair share of dramatic wins, including what ended up being the last ‘W’ of the year – a 5-4 walk-off victory over Wethersfield in the first round of the Class L playoffs. The results of the All FCIAC voting point directly to the program’s success. Given that baseball is a sport that only fields nine players at a time, to have ten players garnering postseason honors is truly astounding. Leading the way for the Rams were senior co-captains Nick Cascione and Matt Toth, who along with junior Alex LaPolice were named to the All FCIAC team.

Sports
Credit: Amy Sheffield

New Canaan Youth Baseball Roundup: May 29

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As the New Canaan Rams prepare for a defense of their Class L State Championship, future Rams saw plenty of action last week on the youth diamonds. The AA Division-leading Yankees continued their winning ways, though the second place Angels were able to keep pace. In the A Division, the Cardinals remained in first place with a tough win over the Padres. AA Division

Yankees–6, Orioles–3

The Karl Chevrolet Yankees defeated the Express Orioles 6-3 in a hard-fought battle. Great pitching from the Yanks’ Cole Schubert held the Orioles attack in check. The O’s offense was paced by great at-bats from Thomas Arnold and Robert Harris. The Orioles defense was stout with great plays from Charlie Besgen and Jack Greiner. Trey Hartnett paced the Yankee offense with a multi-hit game. The Yankees defense was anchored by John Totaro and Colin Sampson.