Denise Dunbar | ddunbar@alextimes.com

After an unprecedented regular season, during which the Alexandria Aces set a Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League record with an .833 regular season winning percentage, the Aces fell to the Bethesda Big Train in the league championship series last week.

Bethesda defeated the Aces in Alexandria on July 25 by a score of 16-10, then won the

next night in Bethesda, 7-3 to secure the title. Alexandria and Bethesda have traded off winning the championship the last three years, with the Aces pre- vailing last year and the Big Train winning in 2021.

Aces highlights during the 2023 season included a regular season record of 30-6 and a 17-game winning streak, both league records. All Aces players have left Alexandria and re-

turned to their homes in Ohio, Indiana Alabama, New Mexico and other locations around the United States, according to Aces owner Frank Fannon.

“We look forward to the 2024 season under the leadership of Coach Berset as we assemble another great team over the winter that will report to Alexandria on June 1, 2024,” Fannon said.