On top of the 3 new teams we covered elsewhere, we have 7 great teams coming back.
Arch 2 Sports Bar & Grill – Made of the 2019 Indians, plus the merging in of the Chicago Sam’s Orioles. Don Fodaski and a big core of his team merges in with the longest running team in the league, and now has to work with what remains of Chris Barsa and Keith Echevarria’s squad. They should be very strong, and will likely be looked at as a favorite. Now sponsored by Rocky Hill’s Arch 2 Sports Bar & Grill, the team starts a new era in the CTL.

Bristol Knights – After a solid regular season in 2019, and a fantastic playoff run… the Knights didn’t pull out their 5th championship. The Knights return a solid core of their team and have loaded up with a bunch of new young faces and talent and should push to be near the top of the standings in 2020. Rick Barrett returns as manager in what might be his swan song in competitive baseball playing/managing… OR WILL IT? The Knights also are still led by the cluster coach veterans Earl Oakes, Chris McGrath, Steve Clout, Justin Martella, and Kyle Pileski.

Elmer’s Angels – Elmer’s returns again, but under new management. After the Cook Brothers founded the team and Ken ran it in recent years, Elmer’s is now managed by Kyle Maglio, with assistant coaches Adam Antonini, Louis Zanette, and Carter Marshall. Some long time Elmer’s and Angels veteran players should still be playing reletively regularly, but they have handed the team over to a new generation of Elmer’s players. Elmer’s as always looks to be one of the strongest teams in the league. Elmer’s Place in New Britain, right next to the CCSU campus remains their title sponsor and post game hangout.

Fat Orange Cat Brewers – After an amazing run through the elimination bracket, the Brewers claimed their first championship (in their first year of existence). This of course is misleading though as most all the guys have been in the CTL for many years playing with the Loco Perro Expos, The Tri County Twins, the East Hampton Royals, and the Moodus Nationals… they all reformed into the Brewers, and had a very special year. After losing some players who were key contributers to the Brewers championship run, they look to add new talent and try to defend the CTL Championship they took back to sponsor Fat Orange Cat Brewing Company in 2019. Brian Timmes is the one behind the scenes getting the team going, but Matt Sevigny, Jeff Durso, and John Silvestri will be running the show at games in 2020.

Glastonbury Pirates – The Pirates return to the league in search of their 2nd CTL Championship. After and up and down year in 2019, the Pirates have lost and added some new young talent and make a run (Althought, they are always on the lookout for new talent), the Pirates hope to return to at or near the top of the standings as they had been for many years. Perrenial strong players and coaches Zach Cloft and Bill Eller return, while Todd Kessel still manages the talented squad.

Great Falls Gators – This expansion team is made mostly of ball players whose leagues cancelled their seasons previously… and this group of friends led by UConn veteran ballplayer Willy Yahn as GM and coach, and manager Jeremy Stiewing look to make a big impact in the the CTL. The Gator Gang look to be competitive right away in the new league, although they will be traveling most of the time… a CTL version of the Road Warriors.

New Britain Hurricanes – Based out of thier hometown of New Britain, this collection of various CTL veteran players have come together to form a team of their own. The name pays homage to their hometown highschool and the Hurricanes should be a talented group. Many players on this team were part of the Indians 2018 championship, and a few others were strong competitors with the Ridges. Led by manager Kenny Noyalo and coach Kian Downes, the Canes should challenge right away in the CTL while looking to win in their first year like the Brewers did in 2019.

Southington Aftershock – In their second year as the CTL version of the Southington Aftershock, the shock look to improve on a solid but tough 2019. Many close games and 1 run losses in a league with a lot of parity in 2019 was a tough pill to swallown. It left them wanting to come back and compete in 2020… while still making sure they had fun doing it. Some of the best guys in the league, look to notch a few more wins in 2020. The Aftershock are still managed by Nick Dzioba and coached by Kyle Lentini, Tommy Stagis, Jon Blais, and Neil Ayotte.

Terryville Black Sox – After winning the 2019 Tri-State League championship, the Black Sox were unfortunately left without a league to play in for 2020. The Tri-State league made the tough and understandable call to shut down for the season following the Corona virus pandemic. In the baseball vacuum, the Black Sox reached out to the teams they would scrimmage in preseason years past… and were soon welcomed into the CTL with open arms. The Black Sox led by manager Dave Alarcon and coach Chris Ayer should be one of the strongest teams right away in the CTL and look to try and win a championship in their first try with us.

Wethersfield Dodgers – the Dodgers have made big strides year to year, ever year improving talent and play level, and hope to burst through to the next level in 2020. The Dodgers return Manager Christian Spuches and coach Nico Spuches, and a solid core of guys… but have also been picking up some talented young local ballplayers, and look to push into the top tier of the standings and make a playoff run in 2020.