Naugy Babe Ruth returns to action

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By Ken Morse, Citizen’s News

NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck Babe Ruth League is back in full swing after Gov. Ned Lamont lifted restrictions on youth sports put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league started the season this week.

“We were able to keep all five teams from last year and all our returning kids,” said league President Dave Falzone, who is in his 20th season with Babe Ruth baseball.

The Naugatuck Babe Ruth League consists of Sibby’s Automotive, B&G Sports, Coldwell Banker Realty, Brown Roofing and Naugatuck Firefighters.

The league is for players 13 to 15 years old. Players are from Prospect, Beacon Falls and Naugatuck. Falzone said the league also opened up to players from Ansonia this season because their league didn’t start up due to the pandemic.

“We are excited to be back and to be able to offer the kids of Naugatuck a place to play baseball this summer,” Falzone said.

The league has between 13 and 14 players per team and also plays teams from districts 2 and 3, including Milford, Amity, Clinton and Middletown. Teams will play about between 15 to 18 games followed by a league tournament championship. All games in Naugatuck are played at Rotary Field on Hotchkiss Street.

“We should be done by Aug. 14 and we combined with another district just for scheduling down on the shoreline,” Falzone said. “But we will finish with an in-house Naugatuck championship tournament.”

Falzone is in his fourth year as president after stepping down from coaching. It takes a lot of time to coordinate the league, but he has help from B&G coach Brian Rollinson and his assistant Brian Farrell, who have been coaching for 20 years.

As the league gets into the swing of things, Falzone said the response has been overwhelming.

“The response from the parents and the returning teams has been great and we are all looking forward to a safe and fun experience this season,” he said.