Big Train Championship Opponent Preview: Alexandria Aces

Emilio Gonzalez by Mark Thalman

At long last, it’s time to compete for a championship.

After a thrilling semifinal series victory over the Southern Maryland Senators, the Bethesda Big Train will now prepare for the Alexandria Aces as it searches for its 12th Ripken League title. The best-of-three series begins today at 7 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field, and the Aces are certainly a formidable opponent. Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of Alexandria’s squad.

Note: All stats cited are from the regular season only unless otherwise noted.

No. 2 Alexandria Aces (22-14 regular season record)

The Big Train and the Aces have been competitive this season, with the former holding a 4-2 advantage in the season series. The squads’ last matchup came on July 20th, and the Big Train came out on top that day by a score of 14-9. A 5-for-5, six-RBI day from first baseman Emilio Gonzalez (Nova Southeastern) stole the show.

Strengths: The Aces are a relatively well-rounded squad. They rank second in the league in batting average at .269 while sitting at third in the league in ERA at 4.63, just barely behind the Big Train’s league-leading 4.45 mark. Patience at the plate has been key for Alexandria, as it boasts 242 walks in 2025, good for first in the CRSCBL. With a league-leading .967 fielding percentage, the Aces have been as reliable as it gets in the field, tallying just 39 errors on the season. Finally, Alexandria has posed an even bigger threat in the latter part of the year. It won 11 of its last 16 regular season games, adding a 2-0 playoff series sweep against a solid Olney Cropdusters squad to reach the championship.

Weaknesses: The main weakness for the Aces is a relative lack of depth in their batting lineup. While the Big Train boast five players with 50+ at-bats who hold at least a .310 batting average, the Aces have just two, neither of whom are above .365 on the year. A number of hitters on the team have been decent by CRSCBL standards, but outside of infielders Derek Almeda and Toby Hueber (who hasn’t played since July 7th), there hasn’t been a ton of batting upside for this squad. Additionally, the Aces offer the third-fewest extra-base hits in the league with 64, making it slightly easier for Big Train pitchers to avoid blow-up innings.

Key Player: Almeda has to be the guy here. The Aces have a number of solid pitchers they can turn to, but maximum success in the playoffs remains contingent on whether their best hitter can offer enough upside to fuel the team to victory. The shortstop batted 2-for-9 in the Aces’ series sweep of the Cropdusters, so he’ll certainly look to step things up against the Big Train.