Aces Clinch South Division Title with No Signs of Slowing Down

By David Schurter

The Alexandria Aces, the reigning Cal Ripken Sr. League Champions, are backing up their title defense in a big way. As of July 16, the Aces currently hold a 26-3 record – the best mark in the Ripken League by 6.5 games over second-place Bethesda – and have clinched the South Division title and a first-round playoff bye. There’s not much more to say about these Aces, other than asking: who is going to stop them?

Led by manager Chris Berset, strong play on both sides of the ball has helped the players step up in multiple ways.

“I’d say our pitching has been a huge part of it, with timely hitting too,” assistant coach Chris Rooney said. “We’ve seen it come with two outs, nobody out, whatever the spot is. We put good at bats against some good arms and then our arms can come back in right away and back it up by putting zeroes on the board and getting us out of some tough jams.”

Right-hander Ethan Houghtaling (Western Michigan), said coaching has had a lot to do with the success of the pitching staff in 2023, crediting the staff for their commitment to the players’ development.

“Coach Rooney does a great job with us trying to keep us all fresh and cycling through some guys,” Houghtaling said. “The relievers pick us up in the back half for sure.”

The Aces starting rotation is anchored by the dominant pitching of Houghtaling (3–0, 2.88 ERA, 36 K), Anthony Ehly (Seton Hall) (4–1, 3.10 ERA, 32 K), and Ryan Reich (Seton Hall) (3–0, 2.57 ERA, 37 K). On top of these stars, the Aces’ pitching staff also boasts the likes of Sam Belliveau (UMass Amherst) (2.45 ERA) and Cameron Keshock (Auburn) (3.17 ERA) coming out of the bullpen.

As for the lineup, the Aces have an embarrassment of riches with young talent on the rise. Leadoff hitter Tim Nicholson (George Washington), leads the way with a .352 batting average. On top of this elevated average, Nicholson has speed, with 13 stolen bases this season.

Following Nicholson, it just keeps getting tougher for opposing pitchers. Cory Taylor (Eastern Michigan) (.330 BA, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 17 SB, 1.003 OPS), Matt Ossenfort (Vanderbilt) (.357 BA, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 1.078 OPS), RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt) (.333 BA, 16 RBI, 15 SB, .960 OPS), Gavin Miller (Auburn) (.255 BA, 22 RBI, 9 2B, .747 OPS), and Jonah Oster (Campbell) (.293 BA, 22 RBI,  .746 OPS) keep the line rolling for the league’s best and most consistent offense.

Another huge advantage in the way the Aces’ play is that they always capitalize on their opponent’s errors. A team that finds great success in their own play can build on that success by preying on other teams’ mistakes.

On paper, the Aces have the most well-rounded roster across the Ripken Sr. League. However, historically, the Big Train have had that advantage. With seven games to go in the regular season, including three against the Big Train, the coaching staff has emphasized the Aces’ need to keep their foot on the gas and not let in any pressure.

“[We just need] to keep on staying up,” Rooney said. “It’s easy when we have this many wins for a team to kind of coast, but we just have to stay up and take it game by game, inning by inning and just keep on going and keep winning ball games.”

There goes a common saying in baseball: “pitching wins championships.” That may be true, but with the offensive surge in today’s game and the competition in the Ripken Sr. League, the Aces are going to need everyone to step up in order to repeat as league champions.

Houghtaling said the pitching staff will need to keep following the methods they have that have boosted them to the success they have had to this point in the season.

“We don’t have to do anything crazy, just follow the same sort of recipe,” Houghtaling said. “Just get ahead early in counts, then try to put them away whether that be pitching for contact or strikeouts, but I feel like us as a staff, we’ve done that the whole year.”

The Aces have already clinched the South Division title. With one more win, they can clinch the top playoff seed. They’re hoping that the regular season success is just the beginning.