When weekends begin looking like hot summer nights beneath stadium lights, sounding like country music coming through the speakers, tasting like concession stand cheeseburgers and Old Bay French fries, and feeling like a neighborhood reunion in the stadium bleachers…you know the boys of summer have come back to town.
Deltas
When colleges throughout the state wrap up their spring seasons and exams, former area ball players make their way home to reunite with teammates and opponents to wear a Deltas jersey and compete in the National Adult Baseball Association (NABA) for the summer. They often bring some of their friends to compete with them, too.
“We keep it Deltaville but we try to emulate the minor leagues,” said assistant coach and Deltaville native Stephen Blue.
Blue said each summer the Deltaville Deltas are comprised of mostly current college baseball players or recently graduated ball players. The team is traditionally made up of players from Middlesex, Gloucester and the Northern Neck. However, some players travel a bit further to compete, coming from areas like Chesapeake.
While a majority of the players are playing to stay sharp during their off-season, a fair number of players come back year after year just for the love of the game.
“Last week we had an 18-year-old kid pitching to a 41- year-old catcher,” Blue laughed.
This season, however, head coach Jerry Crittenden said the team is on the young side.
“We’re young. This is one of the biggest turn-over years we’ve seen in a long time,” he said.
Coach Crittenden’s history with the Deltas program runs deep. His grandfather, Thomas Crittenden, was an instrumental leader in establishing the program in 1948. His dad, Fred Crittenden, also played for the Deltas. Jerry eventually played, and has been coaching since 1986.
Keeping the tradition alive, there are three Crittenden boys on the Deltas roster being coached by their dad. Alexander Crittenden is in his 12th season, Spencer Crittenden is in his fifth and Macs Crittenden is in his second.
“It’s been awesome growing up around the ballpark. It’s pretty cool having a bunch of different people come up telling me old stories about my family and their memories with them here,” Macs said.
Even if all of the players don’t share the same last name, there is definitely an undeniable family aspect that comes with playing for the Deltas.
Second-season catcher Colton Smith, a Gloucester High School graduate competing at Virginia Wesleyan University, said his favorite part about playing for the Deltas is his teammates.
“I love it. I get to play with people I couldn’t always get to play with growing up because of the age-gap. There’s some guys on the team I played against in high school that are now my teammates, and some guys I grew up watching that I now call my teammates,” Smith said.
Smith even brought one of his current college teammates, Zach Megaro, a pitcher from Chesapeake to come play with the Deltas this season.
Megaro, who came in to pitch the second half of the June 3 game against the Richmond Brewers, had a few special fans in the crowd supporting from Chesapeake.
His dad, who frequently works the night shift as a police officer and isn’t always able to make the games, was able to cheer on his son behind home plate.
“Hey just so you know, we’re all family here…and your kid is one of ours now, too,” another player’s mom said to Megaro’s dad.
Beyond just the tight-knit bond among the team, the talent and hard work are key components to what makes the Deltas consistently the team to beat in the league.
Eleventh-season center fielder Jacob Houston said it’s the execution that wins games.
“We have a solid squad every year. We do real well at bat and we know what we need to do defensively. It’s all just a matter of executing,” he said.
Confidence plays a key role, too. When asked if he thought they would win the game, Houston kept it simple with an “Absolutely,” and a head nod before taking the field.
In their pre-game huddle, the team knelt down to recite the Lord’s Prayer, an on-going pre-game ritual.
“We’re facing a strong team. We know that. If you make a mistake, shake it off and don’t make it two errors…Let’s play some smart ball and do the right thing. Play your hardest and have some fun,” Crittenden said to his players before taking the field.
Strong batting, smart defense and minimizing errors led the Deltas to a June 3 win over the Brewers, 5-3.
Tides
Up the river at Essex High School you can find another group of guys competing in the summer league on Ashton Field: The Tappahannock Tides.
The Tides are rebuilding a team that came back in 2018 after a long hiatus. Head coach Ras Peel said when his son Cory was playing for the Deltas in 2017, he was sitting in the stands thinking there has to be another alternative for the athletes living further north in the Tappahannock area. Ultimately, Peel got to work and brought The Tides back to Tappahannock the next year.
Before they called Tappahannock home, the Tides program actually started out as the Lancaster Tides in 1978. When they moved to Tappahannock several years later, Peel was one of the first players to compete, as he was recruited to play first base.
When Peel got a team back together just several years ago, they impressed themselves and other teams in the league making it to the playoffs in their first year back.
Like the Deltas, the roster is compromised mostly of guys who are home for the summer and play college ball throughout the state.
Most of The Tides players are from Essex, Richmond County and Lancaster, Peel said.
Their team is much younger than the Deltas, with a few 26 year olds on the team.
“So far we are a very young team. Our main struggle is a lack of pitching experience,” Peel said.
While their biggest challenge may be on the mound, Peel said the dedication and hard work makes up for it.
“These boys show a whole lot of heart. We’re finding our groove and we’re on the upswing now,” he said.
Before their June 11 game against the Richmond Trash Pandas, The Tides fell short to the Richmond River Dogs and the Deltas.
“We’re off to a slow start, but we know what we’ve got to do. We just gotta get players on base,” said second baseman Tyler Clark, who also plays club ball at Virginia Tech.
Pitcher Gavin Stone (Ferrum College) said he wasn’t worried about the team’s slow start to the season.
“We’re gonna pull it together and win it all,” he said.
Assistant Coach Brian Hodges agreed with what Clark said, echoing the team’s need to get the bat on the ball if they want to see a successful season. However, Hodges recognizes the team’s greatest strength: their defensive skills.
“We have one of the best defenses in the league,” he said.
Hodges noted how much talent there is throughout the entire league, saying it’s a very competitive organization.
Outfielder Logan Saunders said he was confident about the day and that this game would help turn the slow-start to the season around.
“We’re feeling good about today. If we stay on them early, we should be just fine,” Saunders said.
Saunders is one of several players who doesn’t compete at the college level. He said one of the best parts about being on The Tides is another opportunity for the guys to continue playing the game they love.
“Everyone is here to play ball. It’s another chance to keep playing with guys we used to play with and play against,” Saunders said.
Before taking the field, the team gathered to say a prayer as they always do.
“I want this to be more than a baseball program. It’s a lot more than that. I want this to be a good, strong part of the community,” Peel said.
Despite a tough start to the season, The Tides are fighting to get back in the running for the championship.
“It took longer than expected to get the first win but we’re glad we got it. Everyone contributed and our pitching was amazing and kept the pressure on them and not us. Our defense was solid behind our pitchers and all in all it was a great team win,” said Clark.
Teammate Jonah Patton echoed Clark’s sentiments, highlighting the team effort and cohesion as a unit that carried the team over the top.
“Our pitching was on fire and our defense was there to back them up,” he said.
Maintaining their strong defensive practice and working the bats and running the bases, The Tides came out on top to secure their first season victory over the Trash Pandas, 13-3.
Deltaville Ballpark:
linking the past with the future
While most teams in the league call various high school fields and other public sports complexes their home venues, the Deltaville Deltas play in their very own iconic wooden stadium at Deltaville Ballpark. As a matter of fact, the Deltaville Ballpark is the oldest wooden stadium in the state of Virginia and has been hosting baseball games since 1948.
Located in the heart of Deltaville, the ballpark offers an old-school feel for players and fans alike. The all-dirt infield, completely wooden stadium, and old-school press box and concession stand make for a true American Saturday night to cheer on the home team.
In 2015, the Deltaville Ballpark began a revitalization process, Stephen Blue said. Major renovations included a new roof above the spectator seats, new bathrooms, an updated concession stand and new LED lights.
“The revitalization really added about 70 years to the ballpark’s life,” Blue said.
Another exciting feature of the ballpark is the firework shows following the games. For the first time since 2012, fireworks will be coming back after Saturday night games beginning July 1.
The upgrades as well as the continuation of traditions at the ballpark are made possible by dedicated volunteers and community support, said Jerry Crittenden.
With a stadium capacity of about 450, most games typically have at least a couple hundred attendees. Making sure everything runs efficiently in the press box, concession stands, and for ticket collections has become a community effort.
“We are very fortunate for our community’s support. It’s majority volunteer work that gets game days going,” Crittenden said.
The ballpark is ultimately a staple for the Deltaville community. Not only does it serve as the home for the Deltas, it also is used as a venue for other baseball games and events, concerts, charity events and even weddings.
While the park is already in stellar shape and has its own iconic identity, Crittenden said they plan to continue with enhancements to the park over the years, as they hope to work on more field improvements.
Deltaville Deltas Schedule
5/27 Tides vs. Deltas- W
6/3 Richmond Brewers vs. Deltas- W
6/10 Amelia Athletics vs. Deltas- W
6/14 Deltas @ Chester Camels-W
6/17 Richmond Dirt Devils vs. Deltas
6/21 Deltas @ Richmond Misfits
6/24 Richmond River Dogs vs. Deltas
6/27 Deltas @ Richmond Dirt Devils
6/30 Richmond Misfits vs. Deltas
7/1 Chesapeake Sharks vs. Deltas
7/6 Deltas @ Richmond Brewers
7/8 Richmond Trash Pandas vs. Deltas
7/11 Deltas @ Amelia Athletics
7/15 Richmond Avalanche vs. Deltas
7/16 Deltas @ Tappahannock Tides
7/22 Chester Camels vs. Deltas
7/29 Richmond El Heaters vs. Deltas
Tappahannock Tides Schedule
5/27 Tides @ Deltas- L
6/3 Richmond River Dogs vs. Tides- L
6/11 Richmond Trash Pandas vs. Tides- W
6/13 Tides @Richmond River Dogs- L
6/17 Chester Camels vs. Tides
6/20 Tides @ Richmond Brewers
6/25 Richmond El Heaters vs. Tides
6/28 Tides @ Richmond Avalanche
7/1 Amelia Athletics vs. Tides
7/9 Richmond Dirt Devils vs. Tides
7/15 Richmond Misfits vs. Tides
7/16 Deltaville Deltas vs. Tides
7/18 Tides @ Richmond Trash Pandas
7/23 Richmond Brewers vs. Tides
7/26 Tides @ Chester Camels
7/29 Richmond Avalanche vs. Tides
**Playoffs Begin in August**
Game times vary.
www.nabarichmond.com/teams/
