Trumbull 15s to host New England Babe Ruth Regional

Bob Elinskas is the Connecticut State Commissioner. Stacy Albaladejo is the Regional Tournament Director.

“Bob has been the longtime District II commissioner. Now as the state commissioner, we have an established relationship,” Buswell said. “We know his expectations; he knows the pride we take in being hosts.

“I want to thank Stacy and all the people on the sub-committees. There is a lot that goes into this. Lodging, coordinating logistics. We wouldn’t be as excited to be hosting this great tournament without someone like Stacy.

“When we go to a regional, the banquet, sitting with teammates, meeting the other teams, those are the things we look forward to. It gives you that tournament feel.”

Trumbull, which won the title in 2017, opens on Friday with at 7 p.m. with Vermont champion Three Corners.

Trumbull didn’t compete in the state tournament, instead choosing to play in higher-level tournaments. It won two (the CT Blue Bays 16U College Invitational Tournament and the Diamond Nation Memorial Day Tournament in Flemington NJ.) and advanced to the title game in the third.

New London defeated Waterford twice in the state championships and will represent Connecticut.

“I think when you have a team that has been together since they were 9-years-olds it speaks volumes about the players and their families,” said Buswell, who has coached them since age 12. “Everyone associated has made a commitment to stay together. It would be easy to program hop or team hop if something doesn’t work out. The loyalty to each other is ultimately the most special thing to me.”

Sean Francoeur has been a pitching mainstay for Trumbull.

“We have a lot of good pitchers. If I don’t have my best one day, I’m comfortable handing the ball to someone else. I know they will do the job,” the rising junior at Trumbull High said. “Some of us have been playing since T-ball when we were 5 and 6. We go to the same schools. It adds to that sense of trust.”

Jack Durland and Jackson DePino lock down the defense at shortstop and second base, respectively.

Durland said: “We’ve been playing Little League together since we were 9. Then we were together in All-Stars with districts. We know how to handle the pressure situations. We all have a specific role and help the team where we can.We’ve played and won a lot of tournaments this summer. That has helped us prepare for New England’s.”

DePino said: “We’ve been playing middle infield together since we were 9. We rely on each other to make the plays. Knowing each other helps team chemistry. We just want to do our part. You know your teammate is there if you don’t get the big hit.”

A.J. Albaladejo when asked if he could only bat or be the team catcher which would he choose said: “I’d be catcher. You are always involved. Sean and Jeffrey (Kraus) each throw some of the same pitches, but with different looks. Everyone on the team knows each other’s strengths because we’ve been together for going on 7 years. We spend quality time with each other. Our focus is on winning. It will be great playing at home.”

Trumbull will roster the maximum 15 players.

“Some have had injuries this summer, so we may only be able to play 13 in a given game,” Buswell said. “Each has earned their spot. We have Sean Francoeur and Jeffrey Kraus as starters. In a perfect world, if we get to the end of the tournament, we would like to have one of them on the mound.

“Dylan Lamy, A.J. Albaladejo, Scott Harvey are other pitchers we go to. Ryan McGurk and Joey Sabato are currently sidelined by injuries,” said Buswell, who will be assisted by Matt Renzoni. “We’ve tried different things pitching at tournaments this summer. We had Jake Hull close some games. We’ve had a starter come back and close another game. All the guys have pitched in different roles. They can come in for us in any situation. We will bring in the best pitcher available.

“Ryan Warner, Dylan Lamy and Luca Antonio play third base. Jack Durland plays shortstop. Jackson DePino and Ryan Warner play second. We can rotate three guys for two spots. Nick Lobuono plays first. Kraus or Lamy can also play first, Antonio can also play shortstop. Amaral and Lobuono can each catch.

“Sean Francoeur, Matthew Wood, Hull, Kraus and D.J. Amaral are in the outfield.”

Buswell described his players as athletic.

“We have good outfield depth. We can move players around. We like to keep our infield consistent,” he said. “We won’t be fastest team in the tournament. But one through nine in the lineup we can run the bases and each player does his job at the plate. We know every team here is special, that they are here for a reason.”

Tournament schedule

Friday: 10 a.m. North Providence-Smithfield Rhode Island vs New London Connecticut; 1 p.m. Pittsfield Western Massachusetts vs Braintree Eastern Massachusetts; 4 p.m. Skowhegan Maine vs. Lamprey River New Hampshire; 7 p.m. Trumbull (host) vs. Three Corners Vermont

Saturday: 10 a.m. Eastern Mass vs Vermont; 1 p.m. Rhode Island vs Maine; 4 p.m. New London vs New Hampshire; 7 p.m. Trumbull vs Western Mass.

Sunday: 10 a.m. New London vs. Maine; 1 p.m. Vermont vs Western Mass; 4 p.m. New Hampshire vs Eastern Mass; 7 p.m. Trumbull vs Eastern Mass.

Pool play begins Monday with the second and third place team in each bracket meeting at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bracket winners return to play teams that advance on Tuesday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The title game is Wednesday at 10 a.m.