Wanted players and teams!!
We want you!!
Do you live near one of the clubs and are interested in playing vintage base ball? All of the clubs are looking for ballists to help bolster their rosters. You don’t need to be a former professional player or a softball all-star to play for the clubs. All you really need is a love of the history of the game. Most clubs playing age requirements start at 21 and go all the way up. There are members of many clubs in their 50s, and even late 60s! The more “experienced” you are in age, the more likely you are to “place” the ball in the holes. It doesn’t take very long to pick up the game, but it may take years to “master” it!
Want to form your own club?
Looking to form your own club? We can help at no cost to you! Our experienced staff of managers and players can take you through the process step by step. We do this out of love for the game! Contact us at nahistoricbaseballclubs@gmail.com
Our Advisors
Bruce “Early” Leith
We are here to advise and guide you through making your experience the most authentic one possible. Our advisors have many years experience under their belts and can provide assistance in different areas of need. Don’t hesitate to contact them. Click on individuals picture to contact them directly or contact us at nahistoricbaseballclubs@gmail.com
Bruce “Early” Leith
Bruce “Early” Leith
- Founder and still president of the Eclipse Base Ball Club of Elkton. He started the club in 2005 and in 2024 they will play their 500th game.
- Founder of the Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League in 2009.
- Co-founder of the Maryland State Championship Series and Tournament.
- He has helped start numerous clubs all over the Mid Atlantic region.
- President of the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival which each year draws up to 32 clubs from all over the country and thousands of fans.
- Organizer of the Strasburg Railroad Tournament and several other festivals and events throughout the years.
- He is also a big resource for those wish by to incorporate and learn what a 501c3 is and the advantages.
- Under his guidance, the Club has won the Award from Maryland Magazine as the Best Kept Tourism Secret in the State and the Tourism Gives Back Award from Cecil County Tourism.
Tom “Big Bat” Fesolowich
- Founder and president of the New York Mutuals for 25 years.
- Received Henry Chadwick Award in 2001 from Ohio Historical Society
- 2023 Received Ed Elmore Award for Historical Research
- 27 years experience in 19th century baseball
- Research presenter at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
- Coordinator of the Old Time Base Ball Program at Old Bethpage Village Restoration
- Experienced with media relations having dealt with and appeared in This Week in Baseball, Cut Four with MLB, CBS, Comcast Sports and Fox Sports to name a few.
- Organizer of The Doc Adams Festival on Long Island
- Organizer of the NY-NJ Cup on Long Island
- Helped numerous teams get their start in 19th century base ball
- Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) member since 1999
Tom “Schoolboy” Duffy
- Playing since 2006
- Original member of the Elkton Eclipse
- On planning committee for Gettysburg Festival
- Supervises Gettysburg Festival on game days
- Elkton Eclipse treasurer
Brian Travers
Matt Albertson
Brian Travers
- Providence Grays player, field captain, and vice president since 2000. Named CEO in 2023.
- Has played in over 700 matches covering rule years 1858 to 1898.
- Received the Joe Start award for historical accuracy
- Expert on 1884 National League rules.
John Zinn
Matt Albertson
Brian Travers
- Scorekeeper of Eureka Club of Newark 2008-2009.
- Scorekeeper of Flemington Neshanock 2010-present
- Schedule maker and administrator of Flemington Neshanock 2020-present.
- Author of A Manly Pastime: A Baseball History Blog
- Author of “A Cradle the National Pastime: New Jersey Baseball 1855-1880”.
Matt Albertson
Matt Albertson
Matt Albertson
- Playing with Philadelphia Athletics since 2017.
- Vice President of Operations 2018-2019
- President 2023.
- Events coordinator 2023-present.
- Has a BA in history and a MA in history with a concentration in Public History (museums, sites, archives, and interpretation)
- SABR Member since 2015
- Research presenter at the 2023 Fredrick Ivor Campbell Nineteenth Century Base Ball Conference held at the National Base Ball of Fame
- Member of SABR 19th Century Committee since 2016
- Co-chair of Connie Mack-Dick Allen SABR Chapter since 2020.
Corky Gaskell
Matt Albertson
- Joined my local club in Rochester, MN in 1999
- Discovered all the wrong doings of our club when I took over as captain in 2012, after a Rules and Customs committee meeting at the annual VBBA conference and began the process to "fix what we were doing wrong as best I could. We never quite made it to 100%, but we got a lot closer.
- Joined the VBBA in 2013 as a New Member Club mentor helping new clubs get started
- Became a trustee of VBBA in 2015 and held that spot for 4 years at which time they asked me to join the Rules and Customs committee
- Named chairman of the Rules committee in 2021
- Regularly help people who ask about rules conundrums and game situations that happen and use research to help them get an answer.
- SABR member since 2019 with access to tons of research materials.
Bob Tholkes
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- Operated 1860-rules Quicksteps Vintage Base Ball Club of Minnesota, 1992-2006
- Operated 1860-rules Quicksteps Base Ball Club of Minnesota as an authentic historical club, 2007-2013.
- Researcher and presenter about pre-professional era (to 1871) American baseball, 2009-present.
- VBBA Rules & Customs Committee ?-present.
- Umpire for several authentic 1860-rules historic baseball matches, 2007-present
- Authored articles about pre-professional era (to 1871) American baseball, 2009-present, in Protoball, SABR publications and Base Ball, A Journal of the Early Game.
- SABR 19th Century Committee, ?-present.
Paul Hunkle
- Founder and past captain of the Regular Base Ball Club of Mount Clemens
- Present Member Historian.
- Umpire / Announcer / Advisor Historic Base Ball program at Greenfield Village.
- Past Chairman VBBA Rules and Customs Committee. Present member.
- Past presenter VBBA national conference; - Should we rewrite the Mission Statement if were not going to follow it, which morphed into - What are we doing wrong?
- Member SABR 19th Century Committee 20 some years.
- Research cited in several base ball history publications.