About Us
About the Holyoke Blue Sox
The 2011 season will represent the Blue Sox’s 4th season in Pioneer Valley, playing at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. The Blue Sox have been a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL www.necbl.com ) since 2008, and prior to becoming the Blue Sox we were the Concord Quarry Dogs and a member since 1997. The NECBL is funded in part by Major League Baseball and is comprised of 12 teams throughout all 6 New England States who recruit the elite athletes and premier pro-prospects from around the world.
Holyoke Blue Sox athletes, who come from the top college programs across the country, some are eventually drafted into Major League Baseball. These teams include the Red Sox, White Sox, Brewers, Nationals, Braves, Blue Jays, Tigers, Angels and Mariners. If you want to bond, see positive work habits, and gain insight into how to balance baseball with academics with tomorrow’s stars, this is the place to be!
Last season, 140 players were drafted out of our league, (NECBL), to Major League Baseball. The Blue Sox play 24 home games from June through the end of July, with August reserved for the Playoff Series.
Karen Wadsworth Rella
Holyoke Blue Sox Chairman & CEO, Principal Owner
Karen Rella is the President & CEO of InterFace Partners. Karen has more than 17 years experience in Executive speaker placement and event marketing. Prior to forming InterFace Partners, Karen worked for Carat, the largest independent media agency in the world. There, she created a Speaker Placement division. Karen built her team one client and one employee at a time into a multi-million dollar business.
Prior to joining Carat, was the Director of Sales and Marketing Events for Giga Information Group. In this role, she was responsible for providing strategy and analysis for all event-marketing programs. Karen also developed and implemented new events to help Giga penetrate new markets in South America and Japan.
She holds a BA Degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Emerson College. She is married to her husband Tony and has two children, Mark and Madison.
Barry Wadsworth
Holyoke Blue Sox Chief Operations Officer, Principal Owner
Barry has spent the last 3 years overseeing all Baseball Operations for the Holyoke Blue Sox of the prestigious NECBL (New England Collegiate Baseball League). Prior to the Holyoke Blue Sox, Barry was the Director of Marketing and Promotions and was involved with all operational decisions for the Pittsfield Dukes NECBL Baseball Team. The Dukes were owned by former President and GM of the Boston Red Sox Dan Duquette.
Prior to the Dukes, Barry worked as Contract Manager for Pemco, LTD., a Real Estate Marketing and Management company based out of Hawaii. Barry oversaw the HUD contract for the state of Georgia with an inventory of 4000 single family homes with a value of over 370 million in annual sales. Barry managed an executive staff of 38 people, oversaw 24 appraisers, and two law firms which averaged 300 property closings per month. In addition, he also oversaw the property management team, First Preston Group, which managed a staff of approximately 150.
Further more, over the past 22 years Barry has bought and sold 8 restaurants and orchestrated dozens of real estate deals. For the past three years, Barry has been the Assistant State Commissioner for Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Baseball for the State of Massachusetts. Barry has three children Katherine, Kristina and Ryan.
John Ferrara
Holyoke Blue Sox President & Principal Owner
John Ferrara, the founder and principal shareholder of Capstone, currently serves as the firm’s President and Managing Partner. Over his extensive career in investment banking, venture capital and management consulting, John has executed over 100 related engagements representing in excess of $6 billion in value.
John was formerly a Regional Managing Partner with Andersen Corporate Finance, where he founded the Boston office and held various national and global leadership positions. He started his career in Lehman’s Brothers’ M&A group in New York, London and Riyadh, later becoming a founding member of Rodman & Renshaw’s M&A practice in New York. After a break to compete in Australian semi-professional baseball, John joined The Deloitte Consulting Group in Los Angeles. While with Deloitte, he focused on turnaround and interim management engagements to develop hands-on operational, strategic planning and corporate finance expertise.
He earned an MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies from The Anderson School at UCLA and the London School of Economics, during which time he founded and operated a corporate finance advisory boutique, JG Atlas Advisors, and its related investment fund, Atlantis Capital Partners. He holds dual BA degrees from Wesleyan University and is qualified as a General Securities Principal and General Securities Representative.
Kirk Fredriksson
Holyoke Blue Sox General Manager
Kirk Fredriksson comes on board this season as the new General Manager of the Holyoke Blue Sox after being with the New Bedford Baysox. Fredriksson is a 14-year veteran in the NECBL, and started the Torrington Twisters back in 1990s.
Fredriksson has had his share of success in the league considering 10 of the 14 seasons he has found his team playoff bound. The only thing that has eluded Fredriksson in his career has been a championship, and he looks to get his first here in Holyoke.
Fredriksson has shown in the past that he can recruit great players considering he had Stephen Strasburg on his squad only a few seasons ago, and now Strasburg is mowing down Major League batters. The new general manager is also an associate scout for the Anaheim Angels.
Darryl Morhardt
Holyoke Blue Sox Head Coach & Scout
This will be Darryl’s 4th season as Head Coach for the Holyoke Blue Sox. In 2009 Darryl lead the Blue Sox to a Playoff Series victory, we expect big things from Darryl this season. Prior to joining the Blue Sox, Daryl coached at George Washington University where his teams were perennial Division III powers. Daryl is responsible for all game day strategy and field management. He also runs the Holyoke Blue Sox summer baseball clinics, where he gets to teach the next generation of Blue Sox.
The Torrington, CT native comes to GW from Marietta College (OH) where he served six years as the Etta Express’ pitching and catching coach. Morhardt helped guide Marietta to five Ohio Athletic Conference titles and three Division III World Series appearances. Prior to Marietta, Morhardt was the associate head coach at Western Connecticut State College for two seasons after serving as head coach at Gateway Junior College (CT) for one year.
Morhardt has also served as an assistant coach in the NECBL for the Torrington Twisters for eight seasons, winning two division titles during his tenure. From 1991-95, recruiting coordinator at the University of Hartford (CT). He began his tenure with the Hawks as a volunteer assistant and was promoted to associate head coach after two seasons.
Morhardt is a 1987 graduate of Coastal Carolina where he played first base and catcher and earned a bachelors degree in physical education. He went on to pitch three seasons in the Atlanta Braves’ minor league system. His father, Meredith, played two seasons for the Chicago Cubs in the early sixties and his brother, Greg, is currently a scout for the Los Angeles Angels.
Chad Levesque
Assistant Coach
This is Chad’s third summer in Holyoke and now has a few new responsibilities. Levesque has been named Assistant General Manager and Director of Baseball Operations. Levesque has played an integral role in building this year’s squad and will oversee all day to day baseball operations.
Levesque first started in Holyoke as an assistant coach under 2007 NECBL Coach of the Year Jason Falcon and Northern Division Champs Holyoke Giants, now the North Shore Navigators. Levesque helped lead the Giants to the Regular Season Northern Division Championship with a 26-14 overall record, best in the NECBL. The Giants led the NECBL in nearly every offensive and pitching categories.
Upon the departure of the Giants, Levesque was immediately tracked down and asked by new Owner, Barry Wadsworth, to join the Blue Sox staff. “Chad is a local guy and will be a huge asset to our organization and coaching staff”, says Wadsworth. Levesque will remain as an assistant coach on the Blue Sox Staff.
Levesque first began coaching after 3 years of Independent and Semi Pro Baseball after college. Levesque has held coaching positions at his Alma Mater, McCann Tech HS in North Adams and later at Longmeadow High School. He also held positions with the North Adams and Agawam American Legion Baseball teams. In 2005 Levesque had the privilege of being named head coach of the Bay State Games, West Baseball Team. A position he held for 2 years.
In 2007, Levesque joined the college ranks as an assistant coach with American International College where he was the academic coordinator and assisted head coach Nick Callini in all recruiting aspects.
Levesque played his collegiate baseball at Southern Vermont College where he earned a degree in Criminal Justice and played baseball for 4 years. He was a 2 year Captain and twice named team MVP. Levesque earned several NAIA and Northeast Independent accolades during his time at SVC. Levesque was the recipient of the Senior Athlete Award and still holds several Mountaineer Baseball records.
Levesque has worked at numerous baseball camps and showcases throughout New England, including the Springfield Area Baseball School (SABS) and TOPS96 Showcases and clinics held at Franklin Pierce University and Harvard University. Levesque is also a personal hitting and fielding instructor to numerous youth and high school aged players throughout Western Mass and assists many HS Seniors in their search to play College Baseball.
Levesque presently resides in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts with his wife, Jody and their four children, Hunter (9) and Triplets, Aiden, Griffen and Madison (6). Chad is a full time police officer with the Chicopee Police Department.
