Bethesda Big Train

The Bethesda Big Train is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bethesda, Maryland. Most of its players are drawn from the college ranks. The team is a member of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL), and derives its name from the nickname of Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson,[2] who was a Bethesda resident for ten years.[3] The Big Train plays its home games at Shirley Povich Field. As of August 2019, more than 175 Big Train alumni have played professional baseball, including 16 in the major leagues.[4]

Bethesda Big Train
Information
LeagueCal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (2005–present)
Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League (1999–2004) (CRCBL South)
LocationBethesda, Maryland
BallparkShirley Povich Field
Year founded1999
League championships2005 (co-champions), 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018 (co-champions), 2019
Regular Season Titles championships2004 (CGL); 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 (CRCBL)
ColorsGreen, white, black               
MascotHomer, Bunt
2019 record31-7[1]
OwnershipBethesda Community Base Ball Club
ManagerSal Colangelo
General ManagerChris Rogers

History

The Bethesda Community Baseball Club, Inc. was founded in 1998 "to raise funds to improve the quality of youth baseball and softball fields in Montgomery County and the District of Columbia." Proceeds from the operations of the Bethesda Big Train are used to further this mission.

The Big Train commenced play in 1999 as part of the Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League (CGL). In 2004, they won the CGL championship.[5]

In 2005, the Big Train joined the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL).[6] That first year, the team won the regular season championship and shared the league championship with the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. In 2006 the Big Train were the regular season champions.[7] In 2009, the Big Train won both the regular season and league championships. In 2010, the Big Train captured their 2nd straight league championship after placing 3rd in the regular season, and in 2011 rolled to their 3rd consecutive league championship with a 36–9 overall record and were ranked the #1 summer collegiate baseball league team in the nation by Perfect Game USA.

In early 2012, Bethesda Community Base Ball Club announced its merger with one of its longtime partners, BCC Baseball. To this day, all proceeds from the Bethesda Big Train continue to enrich the ballfields of Montgomery County, Maryland.[8]

In 2016, after a four-year title drought, Big Train captured the Cal Ripken League championship with a victory over the Baltimore Redbirds. The next year, Big Train again defeated the Redbirds in the finals to win back-to-back league championships. That season, Big Train outfielder James Outman was named the 2017 National Summer Collegiate Player of the Year by Perfect Game after hitting .341 with 18 stolen bases and a league-best nine homers and 36 RBIs.[9]

The Big Train and Redbirds were named co-champions in 2018 due to inclement weather, and Big Train won their fourth straight league title in 2019 after defeating the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts in a three-game League Championship Series.[10]

Bethesda's 2020 season was cancelled due to Covid-19.

In addition to on-field efforts, Big Train runs a summer camp for children ages 5-12.

Team records

Individual (single-season)[11]
  • Batting average: .441, Kobe Kato (2019)
  • Home runs: 16, Hunter Renfroe (2012)
  • Runs batted in: 53, Hunter Renfroe (2012)
  • Runs scored: 47, Hunter Renfroe (2012)
  • Stolen bases: 39, Gio Diaz (2019)
  • On-base percentage: .612, Kobe Kato (2019)
  • Slugging percentage: .866, Hunter Renfroe (2012)

Notable alumni

Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League

Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League

References
  1. "Standings". Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. "Walter Johnson" at Bethesda Big Train official site. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
  3. Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train, by Henry W. Thomas, Published by U of Nebraska Press, 1998, page 288. On Google Books.
  4. "Big Train official web site". Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  5. "Clark Griffith League History". Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  6. "Big Train CRSCBL Announcement". Archived from the original on 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  7. "CRSCBL Archives". Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  8. "Through the Years". Bethesda Big Train. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  9. "OUTMAN NAMED SUMMER COLLEGIATE PLAYER OF THE YEAR BY PERFECT GAME". Sacramento State Athletics. 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  10. "Big Train wins fourth-consecutive CRCBL Championship". The Montgomery County Sentinel. 2019-08-02. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  11. "The Official Site of Bethesda Big Train Summer Collegiate Baseball: Records". www.bigtrain.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  12. "The Official Site of Bethesda Big Train Summer Collegiate Baseball: Records". www.bigtrain.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  13. "The Official Site of Bethesda Big Train Summer Collegiate Baseball: Major Leaguers". www.bigtrain.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  14. "The Official Site of Bethesda Big Train Summer Collegiate Baseball: Major Leaguers". www.bigtrain.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  15. "MLB Player Profile". Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  16. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  17. "Cincinnati Reds Player Profile". Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  18. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  19. "MLB Player Profile". Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  20. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  21. "MLB Player Profile". Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  22. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  23. "MLB Player Profile". Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  24. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  25. "MLB Player Profile". Retrieved 2009-03-21.
  26. "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
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