North Haven Native To Be Inducted Into Local Baseball Hall Of Fame

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Former North Haven High School standout student-athlete Steve Kesses will be inducted into the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club’s Hall of Fame this fall.

The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club, Inc., will hold its 15th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 12, at The Woodwinds in Branford.

The SCDC, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose stated mission is to foster and promote the game of baseball in greater New Haven, will recognize eight individuals in the Class of 2023. SCDC Hall of Fame members are selected by the group's Executive Board.

Kesses was a high-school All-American in both football and baseball during his senior year at North Haven High in 1972-73. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round but chose instead to attend Duke University on a football scholarship. He played both sports at Duke for two years, then was selected in the first round of the secondary phase of the January 1976 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets.

A Carolina League All-Star in 1976, Kesses played two years in the Mets’ minor-league system. He then returned to Duke, and in 1980, completed his bachelor’s degree. He was inducted into the NHHS Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Also being honored this year by the SCDC are West Haven High School co-athletics director and former head coach Mike Anquillare (West Haven HS ‘86), Southern Connecticut Conference commissioner Al Carbone (East Haven HS '91), former MLB catcher/first baseman Matt Merullo (Fairfield Prep '83), former University of New Haven All-American Jim Pascarella (East Haven HS '68), and former Quinnipiac College pitcher Joe Roche (Hamden HS ‘72). Kathleen Morrison of North Haven will receive the Andrew Gassira Memorial Umpire Award, and Denis Haley of Milford is the winner of the Tony Mentone Memorial Distinguished Service Award.

Tickets to the 2023 SCDC Hall of Fame dinner are $60 per person and will only be sold in advance. Tickets can be purchased online here or by contacting Rose V. Mentone, Executive Director, at RMentone@comcast.net.