Hometown Heroes: Hadley's Ciaglo and Elson making their mark with the Blue Sox

HOLYOKE — It’s impossible to ignore the presence of young fans attending Valley Blue Sox games throughout the summer. There are a handful of kids bouncing around from the concession stands to the patch of grass behind home plate to play catch, to the bleachers where their laser-focused glares fix in on the high-quality baseball being played at beautiful MacKenzie Stadium.

Of course there are the batboys, too, decked in small Blue Sox uniforms hustling to grab any ball that’s fouled off the backstop, or a wooden bat left behind from the previous hitter. Kids are everywhere.

Not too long ago, a pair of Valley Blue Sox players were those kids. Typically Valley players come from all over the country to play for the Blue Sox, and that’s the case for many again this year. But for Hadley natives Andrew Ciaglo and Beau Elson, getting a chance to put on the all-blue jersey is extra special.

Ciaglo served as the team’s batboy for several years while his father, Fred Ciaglo, coached and owned the Blue Sox. He was as up close to the action as it gets, always hoping that he would one day be the one swinging the bats instead of running out to grab them in-between at-bats.

Elson was one of the kids in the stands, his eyes glued to the field as he watched future professional players dazzle on the diamond.

Both have earned their chance to suit up for the Blue Sox this summer, and they certainly aren’t taking it for granted.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me,” Andrew Ciaglo said. “I always thought about being in these guys’ shoes, and now I’m here. Building relationships with these guys is great, and seeing where their baseball career will take them in life is going to be really cool.”

Growing up, Elson asked Valley players to autograph merchandise for him following games. Now, he’s the one signing them.

“It’s awesome,” Elson said. “I got to go to a good amount of games growing up, so it’s awesome to be here and take it all in. We’re signing autographs and all that, you kind of feel like a big-leaguer. It’s good stuff.”

It’s not like the two Hampshire County residents are on the team simply because of their local connections, either. Both have made their impact as the midway point of the season approaches. Ciaglo, a rising junior at Elms College, was talked into playing for the Blue Sox by his college head coach John Raiola, who also happens to be the Head of Baseball Operations for the Blue Sox.

While Ciaglo isn’t a regular starter in the Valley lineup, his versatility allows head coach Endy Morales to plug-and-play him in certain situations. Ciaglo was called on in relief during the team’s win last Wednesday after their starter left the game with an injury. He pitched 2/3 of an inning with virtually no time to warm up, and didn’t allow a single base runner. Ciaglo also ripped an RBI single and drew a walk in a Valley win over Mystic on June 11.

“He coached with my dad when my dad was coaching here, and he knew it would be a great learning experience for me learning from the guys on the team,” Ciaglo said of Raiola. “That was kind of the main reason for having me on the squad, seeing this talent first-hand and making it the norm for me.”

Elson has turned in several gems for the Blue Sox on the mound. A rising sophomore at Fordham, the lefty has the most innings pitched on the team with 18.1 and has allowed only four earned runs in those frames – good for a stellar 1.96 ERA.

He has 20 strikeouts, has only given up 15 hits and seven walks, and has a 1-0 record thus far.

“I’m just attacking dudes and trusting my stuff,” Elson said. “Getting ahead has been huge. When you’re ahead 0-1 or 0-2, it turns a really good hitter into an average or below-average hitter. If you can put guys on their heels, you’re going to be at a big advantage on the mound and I’ve been doing a good job of that so far this summer.”

With a handful of older players on the pitching staff, Elson has used his time with the Blue Sox to pick up on small habits. He’s learning and absorbing knowledge any way he can.

“These guys are super deliberate about their preparation,” Elson said. “They’ve got everything down to a ‘T.’ They take everything super seriously, from their dynamic warmups to every part of catch play. Everything is intentional and there’s a purpose and thought process behind what they do. They don’t just go through the motions.”

Morales, the first-year head coach of the Blue Sox, grew up in Holyoke. Being from the area, he understands how often Hampshire County and western Massachusetts baseball is overlooked. Morales said he believes having players from a couple towns over brings positivity to the Blue Sox program, and it makes fans want to come support even more than they already do.

Morales played his college baseball at West Virginia and Southern New Hampshire, with several successful stints for the Blue Sox sprinkled in each summer. Morales, who pitched on both Valley NECBL championship teams in 2017 and 2018, had his No. 40 Blue Sox jersey retired in 2021. When Morales played for Valley, Andrew Ciaglo was his batboy. Their dynamic has certainly changed since then.

“It’s actually unbelievable,” Morales said of having Ciaglo on the roster. “First off, it makes me feel old. But number two, it’s a full-circle moment for me to be here and coach, so I can’t imagine for him, being the batboy, his dad was the former owner, and now not only is he with us, he’s contributed to us this summer.”

Being a starting pitcher himself, Morales understands the importance of getting quality outings from his starters. It not only eats up innings so the bullpen doesn’t have to throw as many, it also allows the offense to swing the bats more freely knowing their pitcher is throwing it well on the other side.

Despite only having a pitch count of 75, Elson has delivered those types of starts every time he’s stepped on the rubber this summer – pitching at least four innings in all three starts as of Thursday, June 26.

“In summer ball it’s really tough to get length out of your starters just because they’re facing such high-quality hitters,” Morales said. “A 75-pitch pitch count, he’s giving everything he has with those 75 pitches. Whether it’s three innings, four innings, five innings, we’ll take that in summer ball. He’s meant a lot to our rotation, and he’s taken the opportunity and ran with it. Now when he goes back to school, he’s going to be better because all of the experience he’s gotten from here.”

It’s uncommon for the Blue Sox to have area players on their roster, let alone two in the same season from the same town – both of which have ties to the Valley franchise in some way.

Even better, Elson and Ciaglo are contributing at a high level – aiding the Blue Sox as they sit in good shape in the NECBL playoff picture at 9-7 with still plenty of baseball to be played.

“It’s just such a cool thing,” Morales said. “And that’s what baseball and the Blue Sox franchise is all about.”