The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club, Inc., will hold its 18th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at The Woodwinds in Branford.
Tickets to the 2026 SCDC Hall of Fame dinner are $65 per person and will only be sold in advance. Ticket sales close a week prior to the dinner. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:30 p.m., with the speaking program and dinner to begin at 6 p.m.
The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame Class of 2026:
The Class of 2026 includes:
* The 2026 Special Olympics Team Connecticut Unified Softball Team, which won a silver medal at the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota;
* Chris Borelli (Hamden HS ‘94), a former player and coach at Hamden High who was an All-American at Southern Connecticut State University;
* Billy Mitchell (North Haven HS ‘76), who has enjoyed a highly-decorated career as the head coach of North Branford High;
* Andrew “Chip” Porto (Wilbur Cross HS ‘90), a former standout at Cross High and Southern Connecticut State who serves as president of Annex Little League and established the Elm City Eagles travel program; and
* Bob Turcio (Notre Dame HS-West Haven ‘75), who followed a standout high school, college (Univ. of New Haven) and international career by founding the Batters Box training facility and the Connecticut Bombers travel program.
* Jay Midolo of North Haven, who has served as president and vice president of the Greater New Haven Baseball Umpires Association during an officiating career spanning 25 years, will be inducted as the recipient of the Andrew Gassira Memorial Umpire Award.
* Mike Madera of West Haven will receive the 2026 Tony & Rose Mentone Distinguished Service Award. Madera, the president of Walter Camp Football Foundation, founded the westieblue.com website to cover West Haven High School sports. He is a former board member of both West Haven Little League and West Haven Youth Hockey.
*Joe Tonelli Sr. of Milford is the winner of the Dan Gooley Legends Award. Tonelli, who highlighted a distinguished career as a coach and administrator by spending 30 years as the athletics director at Notre Dame High of West Haven, is a member of 10 Halls of Fame.
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2026 event will be Thursday, October 22nd.
*Tickets are paperless and will only be sold in advance. Names will be on a list at the door.
*Buffett dinner with cash bar. Ticket sales close one week prior to dinner.
*Silent Auction of sports memorabilia via Mike Riccio Sports.
The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame honors those who have made a significant impact to the game of baseball in the local area. The Hall of Fame includes players, coaches, umpires, broadcasters, journalists and community volunteers. The HOF dinner is held annually in October, and features our inductees, as well as the Mentone Distinguished Service Award, the Gooley Legends Award, and the Gassira Memorial Umpire Award. Requirements for the hall include people who support our mission of fostering and promoting the game of baseball in the local area.