ROCKVILLE, Md. — With perhaps the most dominant playoff performance in Ripken League history, the Bethesda Big Train captured its eleventh Ripken League championship. The Big Train went on a tear in the playoffs, winning five straight games and outscoring opponents by 58-14. With a final 12-3 victory over the Southern Maryland Senators on Thursday at Shirley Povich Field, the Big Train sealed the deal to claim the 2024 Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Championship.

“It was amazing,” manager Sal Colangelo said. “We had our ups and downs, below .500, above .500. Coach Lopez kept telling me, ‘They’re gonna hit their stride, keep doing what you’re doing. And once they hit their stride, there’s no one stopping us.’ And he was right.”

The Big Train asserted its dominance from the first at-bat on Thursday. Second baseman Justin Nadeau (Florida) hit a leadoff double, and center fielder Andrew Williamson (Central Florida) promptly brought him home with a bouncing single through the middle. Williamson earned the Championship Series Most Outstanding Player Award, batting 6-for-11 with three runs scored, one RBI, and three stolen bases in the Big Train’s two-game sweep.

Right fielder Davin Whitaker (East Carolina) and shortstop Kenan Bowman (East Carolina) kept the train rolling in the first inning, each rocketing a two RBI triple. Whitaker and Bowman each had three hits in the game.

“We definitely set the tone,” Whitaker said. “I feel like they deflated after the first inning when we put up six, and that was our plan going into the game, just attack on them first and throw a punch early.”

With the massive first punch landed, the Big Train added on a few more jabs to put the game far out of reach. The Big Train tacked on five runs in the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by doubles from Nadeau, Whitaker, and Bowman. 

On the other side of the ball, the Big Train pitching staff kept the Senators locked down with another stellar performance. Joey Wimpelberg (Central Florida) threw the first three innings, only allowing two hits through three scoreless frames. Max Martzolf (Florida Atlantic) kept the Big Train in the lead with six strikeouts in four innings of relief.

Six outs away from claiming the championship, the Big Train turned to Brandon Cassedy (George Mason). A key part of last year’s championship-winning team, Cassedy is accustomed to the big moments.

“I wanted to be there as a teammate,” Cassedy said.”I gotta hold myself accountable. Once Sal told me to go get hot, it's my job to keep us where we're at and finish the job.”

After a scoreless eighth inning, Cassedy faced runners on the corners with no outs in the ninth. He maintained his composure and turned up the heat, shutting down the next three batters with swinging strikeouts. At the final swing and miss, the Big Train dugout cleared, mobbing Cassedy at the mound in celebration.

“I'm just so happy for the kids because they battled through all the adversities this summer,” Colangelo said. “It was hot, early games, late games, injuries, and then the transfer portal. But they didn't quit. They stood together, and that’s the sign of a championship team.”