From the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club

HAMDEN, CT — The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club, Inc. will host its 16th annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony at The Woodwinds in Branford on Wednesday, October 23. Honorees include Durham resident and Hamden native Matthew F. Mentone.

The SCDC, a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization whose stated mission is to promote and support the sport of baseball in the Southern Connecticut region, will honor eight individuals for the Class of 2024. SCDC Hall of Fame members are selected by the group’s board of directors.

Tickets for the 2024 SCDC Hall of Fame Dinner are $60 per person and are available in advance only. Tickets can be purchased online here or by contacting Rose V. Mentone, Executive Director, at [email protected].

Matthew Mentone will be honored with the Tony Mentone Memorial Distinguished Service Award, named after his late father. Mentone has served as treasurer of the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club since 2010. Among other accomplishments, he created the organization’s first website and made it a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Mentone, a 1995 graduate of Hamden High School, coaches in the Southington South Little League and also volunteers as a youth basketball coach. He served as vice president of the Middletown Men’s Softball League for 10 years and is a three-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. He was previously a long-time volunteer with Junior Achievement.

Mentone earned a Bachelor of Science in sports industry management from the University of New Haven in 1999 and an MBA from UNH in 2000. He has lived in Durham since 2012.

Also honored this year are former Guilford High School coach Pete Civitello (North Haven HS ’94), former Notre Dame High School and Wesleyan University standout Mark Consorte (Notre Dame HS-West Haven ’88), two-time All-State Derby High School player Joe Lizza (Derby HS ’95), former New York Mets draftee Michael Moras (Amity Regional HS ’04), longtime Southern Connecticut State University head coach Tim Shea (Notre Dame HS-West Haven ’82) and former Quinnipiac College hitter Vincent Siena Jr. (West Haven HS ’82). Frank Pallone of Shelton is the winner of the Andrew Gassira Memorial Umpire Award.