New champions were crowned at the 33rd edition of the Steve Corcoran Memorial Tournament hosted by the Claremont Youth Baseball and Softball Association, which wrapped up late last week at Monadnock Park.
Swanzey 10U claimed championship glory in the 10U Division over Swanzey 9U with a 14-4 victory, while Hinsdale 12U — holding a 4-0 lead — won the 12U Division after its championship contest with Swanzey 12U was unable to be completed due to weather.
In addition to the division champions, 32 athletes received sportsmanship awards. Those honorees were chosen for the honors by an opposing coach.
“Overall, I think it was a great tournament,” said CYBSA president Valerie D’Aloia of the tourney, which featured teams from New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, and was created to honor her father, Steve Corcoran, who coached youth baseball in Claremont and died after a battle with cancer.
While the tournament memorializes Corcoran, it is also a fundraising vehicle for the CYBSA. D’Aloia estimated that this year’s version of the event raised anywhere between $7,500 and $10,000.
Although the 33rd edition of the tournament was just recently completed, D’Aloia shared her excitement for the future — with the coming addition of a 50-70 field as part of a field conversion project that recently got the go-ahead from the Claremont City Council.
“That hopefully will bring our 12U teams in a little stronger — I think we’ve seen a little decline with that 50-70 standardization that we didn’t have,” she said.
“We were having the 12U Division playing on a 10U Division field, so I think numbers are just going to continue to meet maximums where right now we’re not quite at maximum.”
“I’m super excited that the tournament has lasted this long and is still going strong after all these years,” D’Aloia added. “It is pretty remarkable.”
