Alexandria Aces Announce Broadcasters for the 2015 Season

The Aces are excited to introduce the two gentlemen who will be calling all home games and select road games for the upcoming season.

Caleb Waters is a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill from Winston-Salem, NC. He is a Journalism major, with a focus in Broadcast and Electronic Communications and is also studying for a double minor in Hispanic Studies and History. Caleb is pursuing a career in play-by-play broadcasting and would love to one day work with a Major League team or at a University. He has prior broadcasting experience in high school and Division III college basketball with Triad Sports Coverage in Winston-Salem, NC. He also does play-by-play for a number of UNC sports, including Men’s and Women’s lacrosse, softball, and baseball. He spent three semesters writing for The Daily Tar Heel, the school newspaper, produces graphics and is a Technical Director for a student-produced sports show, and is the co-host of a weekly sports podcast. He is extremely excited about spending this summer with the Aces!

Ron Kroptavich is currently a junior at Penn State University in State College, PA. A native of Scranton PA, he is pursuing a Broadcast Journalism major while also earning a minor in Meteorology. Ron aspires to successfully apply his degree in the field of radio. Currently, he is a play-by-play caller for ComRadio and the Big Ten Network, primarily for wrestling and baseball. In addition, he hosts his own radio show, and has had the opportunity to run the board operations and learn the ins and outs of operating an everyday sports station. A passionate baseball fan, Ron looks forward to using his skills this summer with the Aces so that all of the fans and family members can feel as they are truly part of the Aces season and success.

Aces broadcasts will be available on line at http://www.alexandriaaces.org/aces-radio/. We hope fans and family members enjoy all of the action as Caleb and Ron call the play-by-play throughout the 2015 Alexandria Aces quest to win the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League Championship!

Aces Announce 2015 Schedule

The Alexandria Aces are pleased to announce that The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League has released the 2015 schedule. This year’s schedule is packed with excitement and the new division format is sure to bring additional importance to match-ups.

Regular Season:

The Aces open their 40 game regular season schedule on the road against Southern Dvision foe, FCA Herndon Braves, at Herndon High School. The game is slated for June 2nd at 7PM. After another road game the following evening, the Aces return to the friendly confines of Frank Mann Field for their Home Opener on June 4th. The home opener is a rematch of last year’s wild card game in which the Aces beat Gaithersburg 5-3. The June 4th home game marks the first of 20 schedule regular season home games and the beginning of a three game home stand for the Aces.

Overall, the Aces play 12 home games in June and 8 home games in July. The regular season ends on the road on July 24th against the arch rival Bethesda Big Train at Shirley Povich Field.

For the first time in history, the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League has moved to a two division format. This forces the Aces to play an unbalanced schedule. Southern Division rivals, the DC Grays and the Vienna Riverdogs will visit Frank Mann Field three times during the season, while the Aces travel to the Grays’ National Academy and the Riverdog’s Warhawk Field at James Madison High School, for two away games. The five games against the remaining two Southern Division ball clubs, the Herndon Braves and the Bethesda Big Train, will be split with two home games at Frank Mann Field and three road games at McCullock Field and Povich Field, respectively. Against the five Northern Division franchises, the Aces will play four games, two home and two on the road.

Highlights for the 2015 regular season include June 18th and July 9th home games against last year’s regular season champion Bethesda Big Train. The 2015 Tournament Champion, Baltimore (Towson, MD) Redbirds make their visits to Frank Mann Field on June 10th and July 1st. The Aces are scheduled for two Monday, three Wednesday, five Thursday, four Friday, three Saturday and three Sunday home games. Tuesdays are set aside for makeup games in the event of inclement weather. In addition, the Cal Ripken League is not slated to play on June 25th, July 4th and 5th during the Independence Day weekend, and July 13th and 14th prior to the Cal Ripken League All Star game on Wednesday July 15th.

Playoffs:

The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Sunday July 26th, with 6 teams qualifying. After single elimination games between the 3rd and 6th seeds, and the 4th and 5th seeds, the playoffs will continue with best of three semifinal and championship series, culminating no later than Sunday August 2nd. The goal of the Alexandria Aces is to be playing baseball in August 2015!

An important note for 2015 as it is new this year: all Alexandria Aces home games will be played at 7PM. In the event of a home makeup game or doubleheader due to previous postponements, the updated game time will be posted on the Aces website and across the various Aces social media outlets.

Hope to see you at Frank Mann Field for the Home Opener on June 4th! Go Aces! Be sure to check out the full schedule here: http://www.alexandriaaces.org/schedule/

Local Rememberance for Aces GM Dennis Feeney Announced

Memorial Services for Aces former General Manager, Dennis Feeney, will be held in Washington D.C., on Thursday, February 5 at 12:00 P.M. at St. Peters Catholic Church, 313 2nd Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003.

A reception will immediately follow at the American Legion, 224 D Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003.

All are welcome to attend in remembering Dennis.

Aces Announce Coaching Staff

The Alexandria Aces are pleased to announce the 2015 coaching staff led by Manager David DeSilva. Newcomers Chris Metz, Anthony Naso and Tim Hadley round out the staff as the Assistant Coach, Pitching Coach and Bench Coach.

David DeSilva returns for a fourth season with the Alexandria Aces and his third as the Manager. With a regular season record of 50-34, DeSilva has led the Aces to the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League playoffs in his first two seasons, winning the Aces’ opening playoff game before heartbreaking losses in the modified double elimination playoff format. His 2013 squad finished the regular season with the second best record in the league at 27-17 en route to its first playoff game victory. Last season, the Aces finished tied for fourth in the league with a 23-17 record. After only two seasons as Manager, DeSilva holds the all-time wins record as well as highest winning percentage in Aces organizational history.

Chris Metz brings over 10 years of coaching experience at the high school level as he assumes Assistant Coach responsibilities. Currently the Head Coach at TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Chris played collegiately at both the University of Averett (Danville, VA) and the University of Findlay (Findlay, OH). When asked about Metz, DeSilva said “when I first met Chris, there was no doubt he was the right guy for the job. His passion for the game of baseball is unmatched and everything about the Aces excited him. In addition, he is a local guy that can provide a long term, stable solution for my staff.”

Anthony Naso, a recent graduate of Slippery Rock University, joins the on field staff as Pitching Coach. The current director of baseball operations at Canisius College (Buffalo NY), he joins a Golden Griffins program that holds back to back 40 win seasons, and a berth in the 2013 NCAA Baseball Tournament. He also pitched in three summer college baseball leagues from 2011 through 2013. DeSilva commented on Naso saying “He is a young energetic guy. I am really looking forward to having Anthony lead our pitching staff. His experience, knowledge and ability to relate to these guys will be a tremendous asset this summer.”

Tim Hadley joins the Aces as the Bench Coach. Tim was recently the assistant coach for Dig In Baseball of the Maryland Collegiate Baseball League. Tim began umpiring high school and semi-pro baseball in college as well as coaching as a Varsity Assistant and JV Head Coach at his alma mater, the Heights School, in Potomac, MD. DeSilva stated, “I am excited for Hadley to join the coaching staff this summer. His excitement for baseball and great attitude will be a great benefit to the Aces!”

For additional information on these three coaches, click the following link: http://www.alexandriaaces.org/coaching-staff/.

The Aces Remember General Manager, Dennis Fenney

Long-time Alexandria Aces General Manager, Dennis P. Feeney, 59, a resident of Oswego, NY and formerly of Washington D.C., passed away after a courageous fight with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday January 7, 2015, at Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, surrounded by his family.

For Denny, baseball was life. He loved the game and the game loved him. Denny joined the Aces during the 2009 season and he quickly became a fan favorite at Frank Mann Field. At Aces home games, he could always be heard urging fans to support the club and win some money by participating in the ’50-50′ raffle tickets. He would often joke with fans telling them that they can’t let the other team buy the winning raffle ticket.

His love for the game of baseball led him to fulfill the role of general manager for the Aces in 2011.  While assisting Aces owner, Don Dinan, with both on-and-off-the field operations, one of Denny’s favorites responsibilities was managing two weeks of youth summer baseball camps. At these camps, he encouraged all the kids to have a great attitude in life and to ‘keep swinging for the fences’. Denny always worked to make sure that children had great experiences at the ballpark.  His own positive attitude and humor inspired us all.

Denny would always participate in the superstitious activities that Head Coach David DeSilva and former broadcaster Lukas Favale believed in. Whether it was eating at Chipotle for lunch every day, getting smoothies, slurpees or milkshakes, Denny was always involved.

The Alexandria Aces will greatly miss Denny and thank him for all that he did for the organization. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.

Denny’s family has asked in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Purple Hope Foundation, Three Lakeview Drive, Wilton N.Y. 12831.