By Jim McGrath

Alexandria Aces pitcher Reese Crochet is keeping his athletic dream close to home.

The left-handed fireballer, who hails from Alexandria, has played baseball in his hometown for most of his life and is currently becoming the star set-up hurler for the Aces, who have broken out to another smooth record and then beat perennial powerhouse Bethesda Big Train in a three-game series to claim the Ripken crown. The team leads the South Division of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League with a 18-7 as of Tuesday, according to the Aces website.

In modest terms, the pitcher says, “We have a good team going on right now.”

For Crochet, success with the Aces is nothing new. In 2022, as the Aces won their sole league championship, he was used mostly in late-inning situations, but still carved out a perfect 4-0 record as his team won its division with a 26-10 record and then beat perennial powerhouse Bethesda Big Train in a three-game series to claim the Ripken crown.

The following year showed modest statistics, more reflective of a pitcher who gets one or two innings of work at a time. But Crochet and his 92 mile-per-hour fastball have been on fire lately, with the 6-foot, 6-inch, 210-pound hurler on a strikeout tear in his relief stings. He struck out three against the Southern Maryland Senators to close out a 6-0 win on June 22, and both batters in a 13-11 thriller over the rival Big Train the following evening.

Crochet likes the opportunities presented by playing for the Aces. First of all, he notes, “I live at home,” unlike his teammates, who are temporarily linked with families who volunteer room and board at their homes for the summer. 

And when the season ends, the pitcher doesn’t have far to travel for his collegiate gig, pitching for George Washington University of the Atlantic 10 Conference. His decision to play for the Colonials was made just before Crochet’s junior year at T.C. Williams High School – now Alexandria City High School – and one that he was relieved to make.

“I didn’t think I’d [play] this close to home,” Crochet, who is 1-0 this season for the Aces with a 4.28 earned run average, said. “But I saw how Coach Ritchie [Glenn, head coach of GWU baseball] helped develop boys into men.”

At GWU, Crochet holds a double major in finance and political science, interned on Capitol Hill last summer and this year is with the nonprofit Congressional Institute, which supports offices in the House of Representatives. Crochet said he’s not yet settled on a career path.

“I’m not exactly sure what I’d like to do full-time yet, but I have really enjoyed both these experiences,” he said.

When it comes to his current assignment, the former Titans ace has a breadth of baseball experience to draw from.

“It all started when I was 2 years old,” Crochet recalled. “We were living in Parkfairfax [subdivision], and my dad bought me a plastic wiffle bat. I played in the front yard. Well, it wasn’t a very big front yard, but I was out there hitting all the time.”

It took three years to find an organized team, but he moved on to tee ball at the age of five, occasionally playing with teams in Arlington if there wasn’t a team for him in Alexandria.

Several years later, Crochet joined the Alexandria Little League.

“I have great memories of playing at Little Simpson Field and Brenman Park,” he said, playing for teams such as A.A Beiro Construction, McEnearney Realty and Morrison Foerster.

Two turning points happened for Crochet at the age of 10 and 11. First, he joined the PrimeTime squad, coached by Chris Berset, the current Aces manager.

Second, as a sixth grader, he was hired to serve as the batboy for his local team, which happened to be the Alexandria Aces. He laughs at his first impression.

“All those guys were in the dugout, cussing and chewing tobacco. I decided that if I was ever in that position, I’d be sure to be nice to everybody, so when I come in from the bullpen, I try not to be mean to the batboys,” he said.

Berset was quick to serve as a coach and mentor to Crochet, helping him navigate to the next level. The Aces skipper said his pitcher and player for the past 11 years has come a long way since they first met.

“RAW was the No. 1 word to describe Reese! We knew he had so much potential. My favorite story [of] Reese was he was always on our so called ‘B’ team, but that young man worked so hard, got promoted and thrived on the so called ‘A’ team,” Berset said.

The two separated for a spell as Crochet went on to play with the junior varsity for T.C. Williams as an eighth grader, and then was promoted to varsity midway through his freshman season. With the Titans, Crochet mostly played for Dave Latham, but midway through his senior season, Nashawn Bigham took over as the interim coach.

Ironically, his greatest high school success may have come at the end of his worst season. The Titans finished the regular season with a 6-15 record and were seen as a doormat for another team to step on in the region 6C baseball tournament. But Crochet tossed a no-hitter in the first game against Falls Church to lead T.C. to a 4-0 win. In game two, Abe Wingfield pitched five no-hit innings against second-seeded Robinson to buoy the team to an upset 5-1 win over the Rams.

But without a fresh veteran arm on the mound, the Titans faltered in the third game, as Lake Braddock nipped the T.C. baseballers by a score of 7-6, costing the team a state tournament berth.

However, as Crochet was waiting for his college experience to begin, Berset came back into the picture when he asked Crochet if he’d like to play for the Aces.

“All of a sudden, I wasn’t the biggest or the strongest,” confessed Crochet, echoing how he felt upon arriving for the Aces practice. But his trust in Berset is strong.

“He knows baseball and has a lot of connections in baseball,” Crochet said. “But he lets players do what they do best.”

For the reliever, this may mean becoming the team closer in the near future.

“I’m moving toward the back end [of games],” Crochet said.

If he becomes a closer, Crochet’s future could involve joining a major league team’s farm system. Then again, Capitol Hill may be in the hurler’s future. Fortunately, there is a Congressional All-Star baseball game every summer.