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Ava Quinlan – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Ava Quinlan - July Athlete of the Month

“At BVSA, Coach Matt and I do a ton of birthday parties… probably close to one hundred parties per year. They all vary in sports played, competitiveness between the kids, and time spent on each of a minimum of 2-3 sports.

Ava had her birthday party here last year and her and her teammates played ninety minutes of a legit softball game. We were blown away, we could not believe this is what the girls wanted to do and it was some of the most fun we ever had as coaches working a birthday party.”

— Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for July is Ava Quinlan! Ava is going into fourth grade at Springdale Elementary School,  and currently plays for the Stamford Stars 8u Red team. This isn’t just any 8u softball team, this team just recently earned a spot in the Babe Ruth World Series in Jensen Beach, Florida. Surprise, surprise, Ava was just awarded Player of the Game during the World Series Tournament!

Ava has played for the Stars for the last five years, starting at just four years old. This is her second year playing travel softball, and it has certainly been a successful one. She is hitting .614 and leading the team in RBIs with 26. She leads the team with 15 extra base hits, including her first career home run in the State Championship game. She ended up hitting for the cycle that game and took home MVP honors along with the championship trophy. 

Ava trains at BVSA in the offseason with Coach Danielle doing both hitting and pitching, and she has already verbally committed that she wants to work here when she is older.

Other than softball, Ava loves dancing at Center Stage Dance Studio and plays basketball for the Stamford Young Timers. Her favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees, with her favorite player being Aaron Judge. In ten years, you can find Ava starting at second base or on the mound for the University of Florida, as she already knows she wants to be a Gator.

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Ava Quinlan once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for July. She has made history as the youngest BVSA Athlete of the Month we’ve ever had, and we cannot wait to see her continue to grow into her game. Congratulations, Ava!
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Alex Benevento – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Alex Benevento
Alex Benevento

“I don’t know if I have ever met someone with such intensity, passion, and kindness around the game of baseball. Alex simply does not stop. He goes from the field, to the cage, to the gym, and then back to the cage to coach…

He is undeniably incredible to watch play, but even more impressive to be around and get to know because he is an amazing human being.”

— Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for June is seventeen year old Alex Benevento! Alex is a three year varsity starter for the New Canaan High School baseball team, currently finishing up his junior year.

“Seeing Alex grow these past three years has been amazing to watch. He came into BVSA as a freshman and you could see that his energy was on a different level. Not only did he want to improve at every aspect of the game, but he pushed others to do the same…

The dedication that he shows is evident, with an even higher level of respect for the craft. He proves this even further when working with younger players in our clinics, giving plenty of helpful tips while making it a fun experience. The sky is the limit for Alex in his future baseball endeavors, and I can’t want to see how far he can go.”

— Matt Diurno, BVSA Instructor

Alex is primarily a center fielder, but can play the infield as well. In addition to baseball, he is also one of the captains for the NCHS varsity football team. When not on the field, he is watching the New York Yankees or his favorite player, Diamondbacks outfielder, Corbin Carroll. Alex has a 4.0 GPA and plans to study data analytics and play baseball at Brown University. 

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Alex once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for June. The tenacity on the field combined with the knowledge he loves to share with the younger kids is one you don’t see very often. He is an inspiration both with his skillset and his leadership. We cannot wait to see where he goes from here. Congratulations, Alex!
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Marissa DelCarmine – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

“One of the hardest working athletes I have ever had the pleasure of working with. One of the most talented, well rounded softball players that I have seen in a while. Powerful, multi position, huge softball IQ. Someone you definitely enjoy watching when she’s playing and definitely am honored to coach her.” – Danielle Simoneau, BVSA Softball Director

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for May is sixteen year old Marissa DelCarmine!

Marissa started playing softball at the age of five and began her training at BVSA three years later. She is a pitcher and a shortstop, playing for both New Canaan Softball and the BVSA Titans.

“It has been an absolute pleasure getting the opportunity to coach Marissa over this past year with the Titans. She has a competitive presence to her that is unmatched and not just brings the best out of her, but elevates her teammates as well…

Marissa’s passion and drive for excellence makes her exactly the type of player coaches hope to be able to have on their team and in their program. I am excited to see what the future holds for her on the diamond and in the rink!” – Justin Virgulak, BVSA Facility Director

In addition to softball, Marissa plays volleyball and ice hockey for New Canaan High School. She is a honor roll student, undecided on what she might want to study in college being only a freshman.

Marissa is a big New York Yankees and New York Rangers fan, and enjoys watching the Florida Gators on the softball diamond when they are nationally televised. When not playing sports, she can be found at home enjoying time with her twin brother, older sister, and her two French Bulldogs.

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Marissa once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for May. Her competitiveness is contagious, her leadership is inspiring, and we cannot wait to see where she goes from here both on and off the field! Congratulations, Marissa!
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Matthew Scholtz – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Matthew Scholtz

“I have known Matthew Scholtz pretty much since my first day here at BVSA almost two years ago now, and I am constantly blown away with the different gears he possesses…

One night he can be in here talking Giants football and taking jump shots when picking up baseballs in the cage, and the next night activating “hulk mode” and blowing fastballs by hitters. He is an absolute pleasure to train and to coach, and I’m excited to watch him continue to grow into the player he is.” – Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for April is Matthew Scholtz. Matt is currently in fourth grade and a part of the 10U Red team for New Canaan Travel Baseball. Last year as 9U Red, his team made it to the Regional Semifinal in West Hartford.

Matt started playing baseball when he was in preschool, and has played New Canaan baseball every spring and fall season since.
 
This past November, baseball was put on pause as Matt underwent an open heart aortic valve surgery called the Ross Procedure over at Columbia Presbyterian in New York City.
 
It took about two months before Matt was able to resume all activities, including joining his basketball team by the end of January and resuming his baseball lessons at BVSA.
 
Matt has returned to his old self this spring, dialing up his fastball and mixing in his new changeup to keep hitters off balance. He kicked off the month of April going 2-3 with a RBI and struck out five over two innings.
 
Baseball and basketball are just a few of Matt’s many talents. When not on the field or court, he plays keyboard in a band at School of Rock and has earned himself a black belt in Taekwondo a couple years back. 
 
We here at BVSA want to congratulate Matt once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for April. He is as tough as they come, having to go through more than any ten year old should. We here at BVSA love having him around the facility and are beyond excited to continue watching him grow! Congratulations, Matt!
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Henry Reagan – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Henry Reagan - Athlete of the Month
Henry Reagan

“Henry Reagan is one of the most determined, hard-working players I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. He experienced some injury setbacks that have not slowed him down in any way, they seemed to only motivate him more. Henry is so determined and committed to be great. He is such a perfect example for other athletes, and his hard work is really paying off. His improvements over the last few years are monumental! He simply won’t be denied and I’m so excited to see what the future holds. Congratulations Henry, you deserve it!” – Frank Ramppen, BVSA Managing Partner

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for March is Henry Reagan. Henry is currently the first baseman and designated hitter for CTBC.

It was always sports for Henry as he has played baseball, football, and travel hockey since he was in the third grade. He is entering his second season with CTBC, a team that was once a part of New Canaan Travel Baseball.
 
Henry is a straight-A student in the classroom, and his favorite class this year is Algebra. His favorite teams are the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, making his favorite players Julio Rodriguez and Anthony Rizzo. His other favorite teams include the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, and Philadelphia Eagles.
 
In addition to playing and watching sports, Henry really enjoys working out and playing chess. It feels like every day you can find him at BVSA either in the gym or on the field, putting in work one way or the other!
 
We here at BVSA want to congratulate Henry once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for March. We truly admire his work ethic and drive to achieve all of his goals, whether baseball related or following his dream of attending West Point and going into the Army. Wherever he goes from here, we couldn’t be prouder and happier to be a part of his process! Congratulations, Henry!
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Sadie Boroff – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Sadie Boroff
Sadie Boroff

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for February is Sadie Boroff. Sadie just turned fourteen earlier this month and is currently an eighth grader at Saxe Middle School.

“Sadie is a very special player. She is one of our hardest working athletes. She strives to improve her craft with each lesson, and she is determined to be the best she can be both on the mound and at the plate.”  – Danielle Simoneau, BVSA Director of Softball

Sadie has been playing both recreational and travel softball in New Canaan since she was six years old. She began her travel career as a catcher, and then moved on to pitching. When she is not on the mound, you can find her at one of the infield corners. 

“Sadie is easily the face I see most often around BVSA. She is either in her lesson, or in one of our clinics, or outside the cage watching her younger brother, Tyler, work on his game. Our instructors love having her in our clinics as she does an awesome job leading by example for the rest of the groups.” – Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor

When not playing softball, Sadie is either playing basketball or spending her weekends on the ski slopes. She also enjoys spending time with her pets, cooking, and hiking. 

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Sadie once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for February. Her drive to continue to learn, grow, and improve is incredible, and we cannot wait to see where she goes from here!

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Jack Patterson – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Jack Patterson
Jack Patterson

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for January is Jack Patterson. Jack currently plays for Stamford Little League and Stamford Travel, and spends more time at BVSA than some of our own staff.

“Jack Patterson is easily one of the most consistent and dedicated kids we have in the building. His drive to become a better player, let alone athlete, is unmatched with the amount of swings he takes, pitches he throws, and simply minutes here in the building…
 
It is a pleasure to have Jack here on a regular basis and we are seeing the development of one of the next great baseball players from this area right in front of us!” – Justin Virgulak, BVSA Director 
Jack, who recently turned 11 years old, played over SIXTY games last season, batting over .500! As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he had more extra base hits than singles AND hit his very first home run! On the mound, he averaged over two strikeouts per inning. When he wasn’t on the mound, he also played first base and center field.
 
“Relentless. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Jack. He simply does not stop. I feel like every day at some point he ends up in the cage next to me putting in work. I’ve seen him come in after having the flu, nothing stops him from accomplishing what he wants to accomplish.” – Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor
 
Jack is currently in fifth grade at Newfield Elementary School where he excels in the classroom. When he is not on the baseball diamond, he is on the football field playing for the Stamford First Down Club. Whatever spare time he has left, he loves to play wiffle ball and football which comes as such a big surprise!
 
We here at BVSA want to congratulate Jack once more on earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for January. Safe to say this is just the beginning for Jack, and we cannot wait to see where he goes from here. It is an absolute joy seeing him around BVSA, and we look forward to continuing watching him grow into the baseball player that he is. Congratulations Jack!
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Tristan Pearl – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Athlete of the Month
Athlete of the Month

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for December is Tristan Pearl. This former three year varsity pitcher at New Canaan High School is currently a member of the Choate Rosemary Hall pitching staff heading into their Spring 2023 season. This southpaw was co-captain in 2022 for the Rams alongside Zack Ramppen, as well as an All-FCIAC East selection.

It all started for Tristan in the Federal Little League in Stamford, where he played from T-ball all the way up to Majors. From there, he played in the New Canaan Cal Ripken League and New Canaan Travel for three years. Following that was stints with our very own BVSA Fury, the Westchester/Long Island Junior Ducks, the Greenwich Cannons, and Baseball U CT. This upcoming summer, he’ll play for Ridgefield American Legion.
 
"I remember the first time I noticed Tristan on a baseball field. He was pitching in a Fury game he had to be around 11 years old. I thought to myself man this kid has potential! Potential is one of those strange things… it could mean the ceiling is extremely high and that player with the right coaching can play at a higher level. It also means that the player is still not where he should be. In Tristan’s case at 11 years old who really is? Tristan and I went to work! We worked together for the past 6 years. T was dedicated to the “process” day in and day out. I’ve seen him grow not only physically but mentally and emotionally. Both on and off the field. Tristan's character and work ethic is what channeled him to play at the college level. I’m extremely proud of all he has accomplished in his short journey thus far. There is so much more he’s going to accomplish in this game over time. Babson college is not only receiving a great LHP , but more importantly a great young man who comes from a great family!
Mike Abate
Mike Abate Abate Training
Tristan is a 2022 graduate of New Canaan High School, and is currently pursuing a post-graduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall, where he expects to graduate from in May.  After graduation, he will be pitching for Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts as a Fall 2023 commit. While there, he plans to study International Business & Entrepreneurship at Babson.
 
We here at BVSA want to congratulate Tristan on earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for December. It has been a pleasure watching him train, following his career, and watching him succeed in all aspects of life. We cannot wait to see where he goes from here. Congratulations and good luck at Babson, Tristan!
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Brian Balkun – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Athlete of the Month

 

Brian Balkun

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for November is seventeen year old Brian Balkun. A senior at New Canaan High School, Brian was just recently selected to be tri-captain for the upcoming varsity baseball season, which deserves a huge congratulations in itself!

Brian has been playing for New Canaan Baseball ever since he was five years old. He spent the last eight years playing both recreational and travel baseball, and has been pitching ever since the switch from coach pitch to kid pitch. When not pitching, he has played a ton of third base as well.

“Brian was one of our most reliable pitchers last year.  He is unflappable when things get tough, and his quiet confidence is contagious.  I look forward to him doing big things this coming year and being one of our leaders.” – Coach Anthony Bloss

You may very well know Brian around BVSA as Coach Brian, as he spends a ton of time here both with his New Canaan team but also coaching many of our clinics. He has been a tremendous part of our BAPs, TPTs, and pitching clinics, and we cannot thank him enough for the contributions and value he brings to our BVSA team.

“Brian is simply awesome. It’s so easy to be just an extra set of hands, but Brian goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He does an amazing job working with our kids, developing relationships with them, and having fun while doing it. It’s pretty cool to hear kids come back and ask for Coach Brian.” – Joe Wanderlingh, BVSA Instructor

Brian has been an honor roll student all throughout high school and just recently submitted his college applications. As far as baseball goes, he would love to play club baseball in college.

In his free time, Brian enjoys hanging out with his friends and family. He plays a lot of pickup basketball with his friends. Apparently, they invented a game called “tennis baseball”.  So next time you see Coach Brian at BVSA, make sure to ask him how to play!

BVSA wants to congratulate Brian once more for earning the First County Bank Athlete of the Month honor for November. The ability to lead so well while also being so humble and modest is not something you see every day.  We are so excited to continue to watch Brian grow both on and off the field!
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Christina Zinicola – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

 

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for October is Christina Zinicola. Christina made the switch from baseball to softball when she was seven years old, and made her first travel team two years later. In her first travel year, she helped lead her Stamford Stars team to a state championship! This was only the beginning for Christina.

After a couple of years with the Stars, Christina made the switch to the Darien Angels. She went on to BVSA and the Lady Titans, where she is now in her fourth season with the team. Christina plays middle infield and pitches for both the Lady Titans 18u team as well as Stamford High School, where she received all-FCIAC honors this year!

“Christina is one of the best players I’ve ever coached. She is the definition of a gamer and a treat to watch on the field. She’ll make plays that could be on SportsCenter highlight reels and has a college level softball IQ. It’s been such a pleasure to both teach and learn from her.” – Ashley Simoneau, Lady Titans Coach

At Stamford HS, Christina is in her senior year and is currently taking all AP classes. She has also taken additional college classes at Norwalk Community College throughout high school, specifically studying software engineering. Last year, Christina was awarded a 2021-2022 College Board National Hispanic Recognition Scholar!

“Christina is a tough, tenacious softball player who consistently demonstrates her true passion for the game. Her drive and wanting-to-win attitude are remarkable. Christina is never afraid of getting dirty and is always thinking about taking the extra base. Christina’s an extremely hard worker in the classroom as well. She takes multiple AP classes and already has an associate’s degree. Christina is the true definition of a student-athlete.” – Coach Beezer

The hope and plan for Christina is to continue playing softball in college, while majoring in Civil Engineering. She has always been passionate about helping and giving back to the community, dating back to when she was nine years old. For the last nine years Christina has collected items to donate to local homeless shelters and food pantries in place of birthday gifts. Last year, she was a part of the Stamford Answer to Cancer team, contributing to raising over $25,000 towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Christina once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for October. She definitely has made her presence felt here at the facility, whether she is training with her team, or volunteer coaching for our softball clinics, or walking around in her inflatable dinosaur costume on Halloween. We cannot wait to see where Christina goes from here! Congratulations!