Local All-Stars Lead Lamoille to State Babe Ruth Title

NORTHFIELD – A pair of Hazen Union Wildcats helped power the Lamoille summer baseball team to the Babe Ruth 16-18U State Championship over the weekend on Garrity Field at Norwich University.

Incoming Wildcat seniors Grayson McNaughten and Owen Skorstad helped the Lamoille 16-18U Babe Ruth team finish off a spectacular championship run with a weekend doubleheader sweep of Northfield. Lamoille’s offense exploded for eight runs in the final two innings of the opener to break open a one run game to win going away 11-6. They kept their foot on the gas in the nightcap to capture the state title in blowout fashion 12-3. BFA-Fairfax ace and Vermont Twin-State selection Ryan Sheehan earned the win in game one, with Alex Hudson and Camden Strong closing the door on Northfield in relief. McNaughten earned the win in game two, with Strong finishing in relief. Strong was an All-Mountain League First Team selection for Peoples Academy (PA) this past season.

McNaughten and Skorstad are coming off stellar seasons for a young Hazen squad that struggled in the rugged Capital League this past spring but will look to improve next season behind their two senior leaders. McNaughten was an All-Capital First Team selection for the Wildcats after batting .380, belting four doubles, swiping 12 bases, and driving in a team-high nine runs on the year. He also anchored a green pitching staff with a team best 35 innings pitched, striking out 42 batters. Skorstad also earned Capital League honors for Hazen after leading them in both batting average (.420) and stolen bases (29).

The 2025 16-18U Babe Ruth State Champs were made up of a star-studded cast of ball players from Hazen, BFA-Fairfax, PA, and Lamoille, including Lancer Capital League First Team selection Ryan Germaine. Head coach and Lamoille alum Caleb Bezio’s goal of raising interest in summer baseball in the surrounding communities exceeded all expectations this summer, winning a state title in just the program’s second year of existence. He gives credit to the returning players from last season, as well as recruiting newcomers this season to mold the type of chemistry that leads to team success. He aimed to create a fun and competitive atmosphere for his players that could create memories and friendships to last a lifetime.

“I really enjoy coaching baseball, so giving the time to coach these kids in the summer is an easy choice. I wanted to give the opportunity for players around the area to play competitively where they don’t have to travel 40-50 minutes. I want to build baseball back up in the area and young kids seeing teams like this have success is a really good start. Having kids from different schools on the team makes it more interesting and creates connections that they otherwise may not have ever had. As a former player, I think it makes it more fun for everyone as some of these guys might be playing against each other in high school next spring. We saw more teams in the area having success at different age group this summer and it’s our goal to have baseball thriving again in this area,” said Bezio.

Ken Brown