Elkton Returns for the 2023 Season

By Tyler Carney
After a year hiatus the Elkton Blue Sox are returning to Stonewall Memorial Park. With a brand new roster and manager Mike Sutton are hoping to make some noise “I want to try and carry a .500 record this year, and cap that with a first round win… I think that’s achievable.” said Mike Sutton, the first year manager of the Blue Sox. Elkton has only won the league twice and not since 2002. In 2023 the Blue Sox have a chance to start anew. In Elkton all eyes are set to the future.
 
Last time we saw Elkton in the RCBL they put together a lackluster 4-17 record and were quickly bounced in 2 games in the 2021 playoffs. A goal of Coach Sutton was to create a team that truly gels and plays for one another and some new faces may help him achieve that. Tyler Stobbs formerly of the Broadway Bruins brings solid hitting and great fielding to Elkton along with Ethan Painter will be a fun utility player to watch.
 
“Beyond that I have a ton of speed threats that can really impact the way games go,” said Sutton. “ A lot of our core guys have played with me in the past, so we will have that familiarity,” he continued.
 
“I think the biggest challenge for me will be managing a 30 man roster for the first time, getting all the playing time out but for the players they’ve stayed active and are ready for the year” said Sutton when asked about the biggest challenges of being a first year team and manager.
 
The team is on the younger end of the RCBL only boasting 9 college players with the rest being high schoolers, which is probably where we will see the speed Sutton has alluded to. The biggest question for Elkton is how quickly these high school players can get up to speed. A lot is unknown about the new look Blue Sox and we’ll get to see them May 22 home against the Braves.
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With the support of the town and community the team has made huge improvements to the field, dugouts and fan areas. All regular season home games will be free admission this year.

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