NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – With the fall high school sports season just around the corner, the boys – and women and men – of summer are still going strong.
The next week or so features a plethora of baseball and softball games around the county, with the Berkshire Adult Baseball League finals this weekend, the North Adams Women’s Softball League tournament building to next Thursday’s semi-final round and the county’s newest summer offering: the 1791 Classic youth baseball tournament that gets underway on Friday in North Adams and Dalton.
The 1791 Classic is the brainchild – or Reign child – of Berkshire Reign baseball coach Kristopher Ireland.
Since 2022, the Reign program has been offering local youngsters a chance to develop their skills on the baseball diamond in Berkshire County and beyond, including road trips to compete in tournaments from Maine to Maryland.
Now, the non-profit is ready to offer the same experience in its backyard.
“Since 2022, 23 wanted to get a feel for the landscape, make some contacts out and about,” Ireland said this week. “The plan was always to host a tournament. We wanted to leverage Wahconah Park, but, obviously we can’t use that now. The surrounding towns have been awesome – Pittsfield, North Adams, Dalton.
“Ultimately, what I’d love to have is a 50- to 100-team tournament where could have a North County Division, Central County Division and South County Division and everyone meets at the new Wahconah Park for the final. That’s what I’m seeing in Upstate New York, seeing in Maine, seeing in Boston.
“We can do that in the Berkshires.”
The first iteration is more modest, with eight teams competing in two age divisions, 14-and-under and 17-and-under, over three days at three ballparks.
Most of those teams are from the Berkshires, including three from the Reign program, which will run a split squad of its 18-player 14U team, hopefully with a couple of additional players brought in for the weekend.
After a round-robin in each age division, the tournament will conclude with semi-finals and championship games on Sunday at Joe Wolfe Field. But any titles won are a secondary concern to the organizers.
“For us, it’s more creating a good experience for all the teams coming in,” Ireland said. “We’re not going to go out and be super competitive with this thing. We’re here to provide an opportunity to develop and have fun.”
That has been the guiding principle since Berkshire Reign baseball began.
“The simple goal was to create another opportunity for kids in Berkshire County to grow, compete and learn life lessons through the game of baseball,” Ireland said. “I wanted to give back to the kids of the community. One of my buddies from high school, Brandon Mauer, was with the Reign, and at that time I think it was exclusively basketball. It was a non-profit, and all the coaches are volunteers, and that’s exactly what I wanted to start.
“So I called him up and asked him if he’d be interested in adding baseball with the basketball. He was like, ‘Absolutely.’ Same thought process, same model. It was a win-win for everyone.”
Ireland recognized that the cost to participate in youth sports can be a burden for families. And the organization strives to keep registration costs as low as possible.
And those trips throughout the Northeast and beyond, the Reign has ways of helping to keep those costs down, too.
“We’ve got kids who stay with other families on the road,” Ireland said. “We’ll find a way, if they want to travel, to have them go. And if they don’t travel to a tournament, they don’t lose their starting spot.
“We see families step up and say, ‘Johnny can come stay with us.’ The families are close. The kids are best friends. Sometimes a family has two or three kids with them going to a tournament.”
And while this weekend marks the last big competition for the Reign this summer, the season does not end on Sunday afternoon.
“We have guys who play soccer, play football, they golf and they’ll play some games [in the fall] with us as well,” Ireland said. “And then we have guys who focus on baseball in the fall, and that’s good too. I think I’m losing two or three kids on the 14U team. All the 16s except for one will be back in the fall.
“The fall is more limited. The focus is on skills development, and we’ll play a few games here or there. The guys who haven’t pitched a lot in the spring will pitch more in the fall to get their innings in.”
1791 Classic
(Youth baseball)
13-/14-year-old Division
Friday, Aug. 14
Berkshire Reign White vs. Rip City 13U, 5 p.m., Alcombright Complex, North Adams
Berkshire Reign Purple vs. Eastern New York Blackhawks, 5:30 p.m., Wahconah Regional High School
Saturday, Aug. 15
Rip City 13U vs. Berkshire Reign Purple, 9 a.m., Wahconah
ENY Blackhawks vs. Rip City 13U, 11:15, Wahconah
ENY Blackhawks vs. Berkshire Reign White, 1:30, Wahconah
Berkshire Reign Purple vs. Berkshire Reign White, 7 p.m., Wahconah
Sunday, Aug. 16
Semifinal No. 1, 10:30 a.m., Alcombright
Semifinal No. 2, 1 p.m., Alcombright
Championship, 4 p.m., Joe Wolfe Field
16-/17-year-old Division
Friday, Aug. 14
Rip City 16U vs. Berkshire Bananas, 5:30 p.m., Joe Wolfe
Berkshire Reign vs. Diamond 17U, 7:45 p.m., Joe Wolfe
Saturday, Aug. 15
Rip City 16U vs. Diamond 17U, 9 a.m., Joe Wolfe
Rip City 16U vs. Berkshire Reign, 11:15 a.m., Joe Wolfe
Diamond 17U vs. Berkshire Bananas, 1:30 p.m., Joe Wolfe
Berkshire Bananas vs. Berkshire Reign, 4:30, Joe Wolfe
Sunday, Aug. 16
Semifinal No. 1, 8 a.m., Joe Wolfe
Semifinal No. 2, 10:30 a.m., Joe Wolfe
Championship, 1 p.m., Joe Wolfe
Berkshire Adult Baseball League
All series best-of-three
20-and-Older Division
Saturday, Aug. 15
Berkshire Thunder vs. GB Millers, 10 a.m., Dalton American Legion field
Sunday, Aug. 16
Berkshire Thunder vs. GB Millers, 10 a.m. and (if necessary) 1 p.m., Memorial Field, Great Barrington
33-and-older Division
Saturday, Aug. 15
Dalton Moneymakers vs. Tunnel City Freight, 10 a.m., Alcombright Complex, North Adams
Sunday, Aug. 16
Dalton Moneymakers vs. Tunnel City Freight, 10 a.m. and (if necessary) 1 p.m., Clapp Park, Pittsfield
North Adams Women’s Softball League
All games at 6 p.m. at DiSanti Field
Games played Monday through Thursday through at least Aug. 24, but tournament extended in the event of rain,
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.
The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.
"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."
Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.
Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.
The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.
Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.
Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.
The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.
The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.
"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."
Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.
"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."
He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.
"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."
The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office. click for more
That was the list of grievances that current and former tenants of the North Adams Housing Authority's high rise laid before the City Council on Tuesday.
click for more