Cheshire Reds Travel Baseball

The Cheshire Reds is the travel program within Cheshire Youth Baseball (CYB) open only to residents of Cheshire or students attending school within Cheshire.  The shared objectives among Reds coaches, players and parents in conjunction with CYB are:

• Provide a fun experience for all
• Develop and advance players’ baseball skills and knowledge of the game
• Play competitive baseball in greater New Haven, Waterbury, and beyond
• Positively represent the Town of Cheshire and CYB wherever Reds teams play

For the 2022 season (yes, we're already planning for NEXT year!), the Reds organization will field the following teams:

• 8U – John Melillo
• 9U – Jeff Sutherland
• 10U – Matt Clarke
• 11U – Adam Donroe
• 12U – Vito Catalanotto

These teams play in various local leagues, such as: 

• AABC Waterbury
• AAU-affiliated East Shore Travel League based in New Haven
• Colonial League in Wallingford 

While we typically play in competitive divisions within these leagues, players and parents should understand that we won’t always play in the most competitive division.  Each manager will decide before each season which division to play in, depending on the make-up of us his roster, depth of pitching and anticipated schedule.

Players are selected through tryouts announced to the broader CYB / CYS community through postings on this website.  Tryouts usually start around Labor Day, with 3 or 4 tryouts scheduled in total.  Prospective players are required to make 2 or 3, depending on turnout.  Parents of prospective players will also be required to sign a player contract and pay a non-refundable $25 fee which will be credited to those making a Reds roster.

In general each team’s season will run from early April through late June to early/mid July.  Post-season tournaments will often take a team through to the middle or end of July.  There are typically one or two games during the week and at least that many on weekends.  Additionally, teams will try to practice at least once a week.  Teams also have the option of playing in at least one non-league tournament and often more, depending on interest and cost.  Over the years, teams have competed in tournaments in from Delaware to Massachusetts and most all the states in between.  Considering regular season, post-season and non-league tournaments, each team should expect to play 25-40 games.  While managers try hard to provide equal playing time for each player, there is no guarantee that playing time will be equitable.

Reds teams begin working out indoors in January, often using school gymnasiums in Cheshire as well as local, privately-owned facilities.  Since teams cannot conduct batting practice in our school gyms, we utilize private facilities to practice hitting.  These winter workouts usually conclude when the weather permits outdoor practice, right about the start of the season.

While some Reds players also choose to play CYB, it is not a requirement to do so.  The decision to play Reds and CYB is one each family should make considering the cost and time commitment associated with playing on two teams with very different schedules.

The Reds organization is governed by the Reds Committee, which consists of the VP of Reds and each of the Reds managers.  The VP of Reds is also part of the CYB Executive Committee to ensure clear communication and coordination between CYB and Reds, and vice-versa.

For questions about the Reds, please feel free to contact Jim Gidicsin, VP of Reds, at .