July 2022: The Hammontonian | Page 11

THE HAMMONTONIAN | JULY 2022 | P . 11

Hammonton ’ s hometown baseball team : The Hot Shots

SHOTS , from P . 10 joined the team , as did Kevin Baxter and Bill Jackson .
Juan and Junior Mejia joined the lineup , and the roster was boosted with players like Nick Crescenzo , Frank Galeota , Brett Uhing and Chase Williams . Hammonton High School products Steve and L . T . Struble also became contributors that season .
In 2015 , Hammonton rolled through the regular season and once again met Margate to decide the league championship .
After several years of frustrating losses to the Hurricanes , the Hot Shots finally broke through , winning the title in five games .
Baxter and Jackson delivered outstanding pitching performances and the lineup was able to generate runs when it needed to , giving Hammonton a well-deserved championship .
FORMER HAMMONTON HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NICK CRESCENZO HELPED THE HOT SHOTS WIN TWO ATLANTIC COUNTY BASEBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS .
With almost an identical roster , the Hot Shots repeated as ACBL champions in 2016 , and the team continued to earn trips to the finals for the next two seasons .
The last few years have seen some turnover on the roster , as many of the members of those championship teams have moved on to other endeavors .
In 2020 , the ACBL played a COVID-19-shortened season , and the Hot Shots featured many new players , including some top collegiate stars who joined the team for one year .
“ Because of COVID , a lot of guys couldn ’ t go out of state to play , so we were very fortunate to have them and we had a great team that had a lot of fun ,” Rodio said .
Disputes that arose from the 2020 season , as well as some long-running feuds within the ACBL , let almost every team in the league to jump to the newly-formed South Jersey South Shore Baseball League ( SJSSBL ) in 2021 , leaving just Hammonton and Margate in the ACBL .
After efforts to add teams failed , the two squads played an entire season against each other with Margate winning the title .
“ It wasn ’ t ideal by any means ,” Rodio said .
With the prospects of another two-team league this year , Rodio made the decision to switch to the SJSSBL .
“ It wasn ’ t going to work in the ACBL . It ’ s sad , because that was such a great league and it was around for a long
BRAD MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN ONE OF HAMMONTON ’ S TOP PITCHERS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE .
time , but we [ the Hot Shots ] had to do what was best for us to keep our team alive . The new league is exciting . There are a lot of things that are different , but we ’ re having fun ,” Rodio said .
For Rodio , managing the Hot Shots is about more than winning baseball games . Throughout his almost two decades of managing and operating the team , the Hot Shots have become extended family .
“ Creating a culture ,” has become a standard motto in sports , and Rodio has made his team one that traditionally plays good baseball , has fun and builds lifelong friendships .
“ That ’ s maybe the best thing for me ,” Rodio said .
“ I ’ ve been able to meet so many great people and gain so many friends , guys I talk to all the time and hang out with . We go to each other ’ s weddings and are just such great friends ,” Rodio said .
This year ’ s Hot Shots may not have won a championship , but they continue to be a model for how to build a successful team .