Big Train Announces 2025 Hitter Awards

Emilio Gonzalez (left), Brennon Wright (middle) and Matt Westley (right) by Mark Thalman

ROCKVILLE, Md. - After a stellar 2025 championship season, the Bethesda Big Train honored six outstanding players with team awards. Among those six, Big Train head coach Sal Colangelo selected two hitters to be honored. Here’s a look at the impressive performances from both players this year.

Most Valuable Player - Emilio Gonzalez, first baseman (Nova Southeastern University)

In a year full of broken records, Gonzalez cemented himself as one of the most decorated players in Ripken League history, ensuring his title as the Big Train’s MVP. In the regular season, the lefty became the Triple Crown winner the league has ever seen, finishing first in batting average (.418), home runs (5) and RBIs (41).

So many unbelievable performances stand out from Gonzalez’s season. During a three-game stretch from June 8-11, the first baseman batted 9-for-15 with six RBIs. He hit 8-for-14 during the June 23-25 period with a home run and five runs driven in. There were many other multi-hit days from Gonzalez, but his best stretch by far came on July 20-21, when the slugger hit a combined 9-for-11 with three home runs and 12 runs batted in.

“I was feeling it a little bit,” Gonzalez said after his 5-for-5, two-bomb day against the Alexandria Aces. “Everyone would clown me for being in the cages for so long, but it’s really just the work I put in, that’s all that’s clicked.”

“He’s seeing the ball well,” Colangelo said after the game. “Emilio’s a great player. He wanted to work hard this summer and get back to where he was last year.”

Emilio Gonzalez by Caroline Smith

After the summer of 2025, it’s safe to say Gonzalez exceeded his already-stellar regular season from 2024, in which he hit .337. Now, he’ll seek to take that momentum to Nova Southeastern University next spring.

Most Outstanding Hitter - Brennon Wright, second baseman (South Alabama University)

In a year where the Big Train had plenty of elite batters, Wright played at an extremely high level in terms of efficiency, securing the Most Outstanding Hitter award for 2025. The second baseman hit .371 in the regular season and .438 in the playoffs, consistently getting big-time knocks while ranking second in the league with a superb .509 on-base percentage.

Perhaps most notably, Wright reached base in all 38 of his games this season, an incredible feat of consistency. The lefty had a whopping seven three-hit games (including playoffs) in 2025, but his best game came on July 22, when he went 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a walk against the Olney Cropdusters. He followed that up with a 3-for-4 day against the Southern Maryland Senators on July 24.

Additionally, in a four-game stretch from June 22-25, Wright went a combined 10-for-19 with seven RBIs in all.

“I can’t give enough credit to my team for allowing me to be in the position I was,” Wright said on June 22 after his first of four consecutive multi-hit performances.

“He’s a bulldog,” Colangelo said. “He’s got a lot of emotion, plays the game with fire, with a lot of passion and joy and love and does all the little things.”

Brennon Wright by Caroline Smith

“Just keeping things simple and just playing my game,” Wright said after his two-hit day on June 25.

Such a high level of focus has worked wonders for Wright, who put up one of the most dominant seasons out of any player in the Ripken League this year. He’ll look to carry his success into 2026 with the South Alabama Jaguars.