The Valley Blue Sox are a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

team based in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

. The team, a member of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

, plays its home games at Mackenzie Stadium.Holyoke Blue Sox
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 The Blue Sox were founded in 2001 as the Concord Quarry Dogs but moved following the 2007 season to Holyoke to fill the void left by the departure of the Holyoke Giants to

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest List of municipalities in Massachusetts, municipality in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line ...

.About the NECBL
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 In 2017, the team won its first NECBL championship against the Ocean State Waves.

Team history

Concord Quarry Dogs

The Concord Quarry Dogs were founded in 2001, as the second NECBL team in the state of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. The team led the league in attendance their inaugural year. Despite making the postseason in both 20022002 Playoff Statistics
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 and 2003,2003 Playoff Statistics
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010
Archived
1/3/10 the fan base slowly began to dwindle. Attendance slipped dramatically in 20042003 Concord Quarry Dogs Statistics
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2009
Archived
1/3/102004 Concord Quarry Dogs Statistics
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2009
Archived
1/3/10 with the arrival of the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Ja ...

in nearby

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

.Spinners sister club the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Ready to Open Thursday, April 15
at oursportscentral.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010
Archived
1/3/10 In 2006, average attendance was only 503 per game.
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 Following the 2007 season, the team was purchased by the brother-sister team of Barry Wadsworth and Karen Rella who had hoped to help keep the team in Concord. But shortly thereafter, citing increased rent costs and low attendance, they began their search for a new home.

Move to Holyoke

With the departure of the Holyoke Giants after the 2007 season, the new ownership group decided to move their team to

. Their first year in Holyoke, the Blue Sox finished just under a .500 record and 8 games behind the division winning and eventual NECBL champions Sanford Mainers.2008 Standings
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 In 2009, the Blue Sox enjoyed far greater success than their inaugural season in Holyoke, finishing with a 20–21 record,
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 earning the fourth and final West Division playoff spot after a one-game playoff with the

Danbury Westerners The Danbury Westerners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Danbury, Connecticut. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Rogers Park. The team played its inaugural season in 1995 ...

.Wood and Rosenbeck Power Blue Sox to Postseason
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 The Blue Sox then upset the #1 seeded

Keene Swamp Bats The Keene Swamp Bats are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,40 ...

in the Division Semifinal round, becoming the first ever #4 seed to defeat a #1 seed in the playoffs.The 2009 Vermont Mountaineers Season In Review
at necbl.com, URL accessed September 1, 2009 However, the Blue Sox were then defeated by the Vermont Mountaineers in the Division Finals.Holyoke Loses game two, Ends Great Season on 5-3 loss
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 The 2009 season was highlighted by Holyoke's hosting the 2009 NECBL All-Star Game at Mackenzie Stadium. The game saw a record-breaking attendance figure for the

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

of 4,906.West Wins All-Star game in Holyoke, Hometown Hero gets MVP
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 3, 2010

1/3/10 In 2011, the team finished with a 28–14 record, sharing the West Division regular-season title with the Keene. The team's attendance figures made a dramatic jump, rising from 39th in 2010 to 3rd in

. An average of 2,510 spectators attended each game.

New ownership and name change

In 2013, former Wisconsin Woodchucks owner Clark Eckhoff purchased the team and assumed the role of team president. The 2013 squad advanced to the postseason by winning a play-in game with the Saratoga Brigade before falling 2–1 in the West Division Semifinals to the eventual champions, the

. In May 2014, the organization announced it would be changing the team's name to the Valley Blue Sox.The Valley's team takes the Valley name
at holyokesox.com, URL accessed May 7, 2014.

Quick turnaround and first championship

In September 2013, Eckhoff hired General Manager Hunter Golden. Despite winning only 13 games in 2014, the team made a 5-win improvement under Golden in the 2015 season with the help and leadership of newly appointed Manager John Raiola. The team also saw its attendance grow to second in the NECBL in their tenure and 29th nationally among all summer collegiate teams according to ''Ballpark Digest''. In 2016, the team displaced the

Newport Gulls The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, collegiate summer baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of the Coastal Division of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Since 2001, the Gulls have pla ...

as the top-drawing team in the league, and ranked 11th nationally among all Summer Collegiate Baseball teams in attendance. The success off the field was the same as the success on the field, as the team continued its upward trajectory under the Golden/Raiola tandem, as they finished second in the division with 24 wins on the season. After a dramatic walk-off victory in the division semi-finals, the team jumped out to a 1–0 series lead in the Northern Division Finals against the Sanford Mainers. In one of the more dramatic playoff games in NECBL history, the Blue Sox led the deciding game-3 2-1 heading into the 8th inning. A Sam Stauble triple and a Shane Hughes walk off 3-run HR ended the Sox run, but provided the team with a foundation to build to 2017. In 2017, the Sox repeated their success of 2016 by qualifying for the NECBL playoffs a second consecutive year, replicating the success of only three other franchises in the league. The team continued to rack up strong attendance numbers, drawing 2,800 fans+ in five consecutive games headed down the stretch run. The team would go on to win 12 of its last 13 games and not lose a single playoff game - capturing the team's first NECBL Championship in franchise history - sweeping through the playoffs an defeating the Ocean State Waves in the championship series. In the 2018 season, the Blue Sox once again captured the league championship, winning back to back years, as they once again defeated the Ocean State Waves to capture the title; resulting in the Blue Sox being ranked the #1 Summer College Team in the United States. In 2018, John Raiola was promoted to the Director of Baseball Operations and Chris Weyant as the General Manager. The team maintained its high level of success, finishing second in the Northern division before falling to the Keene Swamp Bats in the Division Finals, marking the fourth straight season the franchise had made it to the Final Four of the league. While the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 brought a new dawn, as Raiola stepped down as manager in favor of former Blue Sox Outfielder and later hitting coach Hezekiah Randolph. Kate Avard once an intern - was named the team's general manager; among the first female general managers in league history. The Blue Sox found themselves swept up in divisional realignment, being moved to the south division where they finished in third place with a 23–19 mark, good enough for third place. The Blue Sox would fall to the eventual 2021 champion Danbury Westerners in the playoffs.

Postseason appearances

Accolades

Records

Below is a list of

records set by players of the Concord Quarry Dogs and Holyoke/Valley Blue Sox, as of the end of the 2017 season.NECBL Record Book
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 Note: An asterisk (*) denotes the record being held by a member of the Concord Quarry Dogs.

Individual

Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

* - 0.00 by Tyler Smith, 2017 *

Games Played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...

* - 24 by Matt Elfeldt, 2001

Team

Hit by pitch In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provide ...

* - 55, 2004

Awards

Below is a list of awards won by members of the Concord Quarry Dogs and Holyoke/Valley Blue Sox.

End-of-season awards

*2001 Defensive Player of the Year* - Matt Tupman2001 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 *2001 Top

Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

* - John Velosky *2001 Top

Relief Pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

* - Matt Elfeldt *2002 Top Pro Prospect* - Grant Reynolds2002 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 *2002 Top

* - Grant Reynolds *2003 Sportsmanship Award* - Angus Fredenburg and Bobby Tewksbury2003 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 *2009 Rick Ligi Most Valuable Player Award - Jim Wood
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 2, 2010

1/2/10 *2011 Ben Mount Pitcher of the year - Jim Wood
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 2, 2010
Archived
1/2/10 *2011 Ronnie Freeman Sportsmanship Award - Jim Wood *2011 Trey Mancini Rookie of the Year - Jim Wood *2013 Michael Burke Pitcher of the year - Jim Wood2013 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 2, 2010

1/2/10 *2015 Manny De Jesus Jr Defensive Player of the Year - Jim Wood
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 2, 2010
Archived
1/2/10 *2016 Kyle Mottice 10th Man Award - Jim Wood
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 2, 2010
Archived
1/2/10

All-NECBL Team

*2001* - All-League Team: Pitcher, P All-Division Team: 3B Brock Koman, C Matt Tupman, Pitcher, P Matt Elfeldt *2002* - First Team: SS Pitcher, P Grant Reynolds; Second Team: Pitcher, P Chris Lambert *2003* - First Team: 2B Second Team: SS Bobby Tewksbury, DH Chris Looze *2004* - Second Team: SS DH Devin Thomas2004 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 *2005* - First Team: 2B Second Team: 1B Jerod Edmondson, OF Will Bashelor2005 Awards
at necbl.com, URL accessed January 1, 2010

1/1/10 *2009 - First Team: OF Second Team: 3B Jake Rosenbeck *2011 - First Team: C Second Team: C Ronnie Freeman *2011 - First Team: C First Team: C Ronnie Freeman *2011 - First Team: Pitcher, P First Team: Pitcher, P Ben Mount *2011 - Second Team: C Second Team: C Tommy Murphy *2011 - Second Team: 1B Second Team: 1B Trey Mancini *2011 - SecondTeam: 2B Second Team: 2B Paul McKonkey *2012 - First Team: DH First Team: DH Paul McKonkey *2013 - First Team: 3B First Team: 3B Brenden Hendricks *2013 - First Team: Pitcher, P First Team: Pitcher, P Mike Burke *2013 - Second Team: Pitcher, P Second Team: Pitcher, P Jordan Hillyer *2016 - Second Team: DH Second Team: DH Hezekiah Randolph *2017 - First Team: CL First Team: CL Tyler Smith

Professional alumni

Below is a list of Concord Quarry Dogs (2001–2007), Holyoke Blue Sox (2008–2012) and Valley Blue Sox (2014–2014) alumni who have gone on to play professional baseball at the AA level or higher. The alumni are sorted by peak level of baseball in which they have participated.

MLB

AAA

AA

References

External links

Valley Blue Sox Official Site

NECBL Website
{{Holyoke, Massachusetts New England Collegiate Baseball League teams Amateur baseball teams in Massachusetts Baseball in Holyoke, Massachusetts 2001 establishments in New Hampshire Baseball teams established in 2001 Sports clubs and teams in Holyoke, Massachusetts