From the Impossible to the Inevitable: 2024 Big Train Season Recap

On July 1, the Big Train’s record fell to 12-13 with an 8-3 loss to the Southern Maryland Senators at Regency Stadium in Waldorf. Winning the Ripken League championship seemed impossible. On July 25 -- just 24 days later -- when the Big Train posted six runs in the first inning against those same Senators at Povich Field, an eleventh Ripken League crown seemed inevitable.

For a second season in a row, the Big Train got hot at exactly the right time, winning nine of its last eleven regular season games and outscoring its opponents 58-14 in five playoff games in the most dominant playoff performance in Ripken League history.

Our Hall of Fame Manager Sal Colangelo explained this summer’s Big Train journey from the impossible to the inevitable this way: “We just told the guys one thing: believe. We’re with you. We got your back. We do these things, and it’ll work out. And the guys believed.”

While the Big Train (21-15) finished the regular season on a hot streak, the Gaithersburg Giants (23-13) captured the league’s North Division and a bye into the semifinals. The third seeded Big Train, facing a single elimination game for the first time, advanced on an Andrew Williamson (Central Florida) three run walk off home run in the eighth inning for a 16-4 run rule win over the sixth seeded Metro South County Braves (16-20).

In the semifinals, the Big Train faced the Gaithersburg Giants, winners of four of six regular season games with Big Train. Bethesda won 11-2 at Gaithersburg and advanced to the league championship series with a 10-3 win at Povich Field.

The Alexandria Aces had the league’s best regular season record (25-11), but the fourth seeded Southern Maryland Senators (16-20) swept the Aces in the semifinals to break a three year streak of Aces v. Big Train in the league championship series.

A five run seventh inning in the first game of the best of three championship series led to a 9-2 Big Train win over the Senators. A six run first inning fired up the Povich Field crowd, and the Big Train cruised to a 12-3 championship clinching win.

Andrew Williamson was the indisputable star of the 2024 Ripken League season. Williamson set new league records for batting average (.462), slugging percentage (.906), and OPS (1.452) and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Hitter and the Most Outstanding Player in the league championship series. Williamson and Big Train pitchers Max Martzolf (Florida Atlantic) and Jonathan Stevens (Alabama) were named to the All-League First Team. Manager Sal Colangelo named Williamson the Big Train’s 2024 MVP and honored Emilio Gonzalez (Florida Atlantic) as the team’s Most Outstanding Hitter, Stevens as the Pitcher of the Year, and Martzolf as the Relief Pitcher of the Year.

Photo: Big Train Manager Sal Colangelo accepts the League Championship Trophy (credit: Mark Thalman)