East Haven's Joe Tonelli Jr.I To Be inducted Into Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame

EAST HAVEN, CT — Joe Tonelli Jr. of East Haven is set to be inducted into the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame.

The Club holds its 17th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony, Oct. 23, at The Woodwinds in Branford.

Among the honorees are Tonelli, and fellow Notre Dame High School graduate, Don Martone.

Martone and Tonelli were teammates on Notre Dame’s first state championship baseball team, as the Green Knights captured the 1985 CIAC Class LL crown under coach Tom Marcucci. Tonelli’s father, Joe Tonelli Sr., was NDHS’s athletics director at the time.

Tonelli earned his Notre Dame diploma in 1986. He was an all-conference and all-New England third baseman at Assumption College (now University) before completing a bachelor’s degree in 1990.

Tonelli has enjoyed a 33-year career as a college baseball coach. He was the first head coach at Albertus Magnus College (1990-2003) and recently completed his 13th season at the University of Bridgeport, where he is the all-time winningest coach. He was also the athletics director at Albertus for eight years and is in the Falcons’ Athletics Hall of Fame.

About the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club
The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club was formed with the goal of fostering and promoting the great game of baseball in the area. That simple mission continues in the dedication of its all-volunteer membership. The club spreads the goodwill of baseball through recognition of those who have given back to the game, donations to local organizations, and more. It is a full-fledged network of baseball enthusiasts working to help others enjoy the game. The SCDC, which has hosted the No I in Team high-school awards banquet since 2005 and held its first Hall of Fame dinner in 2008, gained its non-profit status in 2013. To learn more, visit www.southernctdiamondclub.org.