Alexandria Aces

The Aces led the league in wins last year, but lost in the semifinal round of the playoffs. Photo by Tess Wilhelm. 

By Erin Hughes

Head Coach: Chris Berset

2024: 25-11 (1st in South Division, Lost in LCS Semifinal Round)

First Game: Wednesday, June 4 vs. Thunderbolts

After posting a CRSCBL-best 25-11 regular season record in 2024, the Alexandria Aces have some new faces in town for the 2025 season. 

Ahead of their first game against the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, Aces’ head coach Chris Berset said, “we’ve been very successful in the past [few] years. We’re just excited to get the boys in town and have them play. I get to watch them play, get to learn a little bit, and have some fun with them.”

Aces’ pitching coach Anthony Naso looks to have a loaded pitching staff in 2025. With five righties, five lefties, and multiple two-way players, the Aces have plenty of options to toe the rubber.

Adan Longoria (South Florida) could be a commanding force on the bump. In his sophomore season with the Bulls, the right-hander logged a 4.98 ERA through 21.2 innings of work. In 16 appearances, Longoria recorded two saves, struck out 21 batters, and walked six.

Alexandria’s pitching staff also includes a trio of Seton Hall pitchers - righties Tomas Cestero and Stephen Curry and lefty Mason Christopher. Berset mentioned that “the Seton Hall boys should be pretty good” for the Aces, as their Pirates arms have been in the past. Each pitcher posted over 20 strikeouts in 2025 - Cestero led the trio with 34, Christopher fanned 25, and Curry added 22. Cestero saw the mound 12 times for the Pirates, including six starts; Christopher added three starts in 13 appearances; Curry logged the most time, with 35.1 innings of work over 16 appearances. 

When asked about the 2025 offense, Coach Berset said he thinks the Aces are “going to have some power and some speed” and that “it should be a well-rounded offense.” At the plate for Alexandria, infielders Derek Almeda (Chaffey College) and Jovan Gill (Grand Valley State), as well as outfielder Gavin Degnan (Penn) bring in big numbers from their respective schools. 

Almeda had an impressive freshman season for the Panthers, logging 56 hits, 31 walks, 40 RBI, and 12 stolen bases in 44 games, ending the year with a .346 batting average and a .924 OPS. Gill owned a .317 batting average in 50 games for GVSU, ending the season tied for first in his conference in RBIs (62), second in home runs (11), and sixth in walks (32).  

Ivy Leaguer Degnan, a sophomore from Penn, hit at a .277 clip over 35 games; his Penn teammate, catcher Ernie Echaverria, nearly matched him with a .276 average. George Mason sophomore infielder Tony Hueber brings some serious speed, putting up three triples, five doubles, and six stolen bases in 48 games this year with the Patriots. Hueber’s three triples in 2025 were good for third in his conference. 

Echaverria will be part of a catching unit that Berset believes “is going to be pretty strong, as a whole.” In addition to Echaverria, the Aces’ will have Diego Pena (Western Michigan) and DJ Scheumann (Ball State) behind the dish in 2025. Both Pena and Scheumann posted 1.000 fielding percentages for their teams, with Pena also catching five runners stealing.

With such a deep roster, Berset says it “makes my job a little bit tougher that everyone can play and is really good, but it’s a good problem to have.” 

The Aces will host the Thunderbolts on Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Frank Mann Field to open the season.