Southern Maryland is like most small towns – a place where everybody knows everybody, which means when one person makes it big, it’s not just a win for them but a win for the community as a whole. 

 

Within the tri-county area of Southern Maryland – Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties – six players represent their hometown by wearing Southern Maryland across their chest in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League (CRSCBL). Allen Miller (Shepherd) and Logan Quade (Mt. Aloysius) come from St. Mary’s County. Dawson Wetherald (Mt. Aloysius), Ky Queen (Norfolk State), and Chet Bowling (Winthrop) are all from Charles County. Finally, Luke Emory (Fairmont) is a native of Chesapeake Beach in Calvert County.

 

“It’s always nice to have some local players on the team and see them grow on and off the field,” said Head Coach Scott Middleton.

 

Pitchers Allen Miller and Logan Quade are from Mechanicsville, Maryland, and both attended Chopticon High School, where they played on the varsity baseball team. Miller attended Chopticon from 2018 to 2022, while Quade attended from 2020 to 2024.

 

During his high school career, Miller excelled as a pitcher for the Chopticon baseball team. In his junior year, he was part of the team that won the 3A state championship. Furthermore, during his senior year, Miller was mentioned in a Washington Post article highlighting his outstanding pitching performance against the then-defending 2A baseball champions, the La Plata Warriors. In addition, he was named the 2022 Chopticon Male Athlete of the Year.

 

Once it was time for Miller to choose a college to attend, he committed to Shepherd University. In his first three years thus far with the Rams, Miller has recorded a 4.65 ERA with forty-four strikes throughout sixty-two innings pitched. 

 

Miller is currently in his second season with the Senators' collegiate team, having grown up playing in the Senators' youth organization. He was on the roster for Southern Maryland's first official year in the CRSCBL. 

 

"I've known Scott Middleton since I was ten and played for this team two years ago. So anytime I get to play for him again, I take the opportunity to play," said Miller.

 

During Quade's Chopticon baseball career, he mostly found himself behind the plate or on the rubber for Chopticon. During his senior year, he committed to Mount Aloysius College and pitched a total of 15 2/3 innings in his first year. Quade has also come up through the Senators' youth organization, playing with them for five years.

 

“Being able to play close to home and at a competitive level has been huge. Not having to travel hours at a time has been a lifesaver,” said Quade.

 

From Charles County, the Senators currently have three players, all of whom come from various high schools across the area. 

 

Pitcher Dawson Wetherald, a native of Newburg, attended St. Mary's Ryken from 2019 to 2023. Wetherald not only pitched for Ryken, but he also batted. After high school, Wetherald began attending Mount Aloysius College as a right-handed pitcher. This is Wetherald's second year playing with the Southern Maryland Senators after playing last summer. 

 

"I decided to come back and play for Scott because he is the type of coach I want to play for," said Wetherald. "He is an excellent coach that has his players' backs, and as players, we see that type of stuff, and it gives me that reassurance knowing that my coach has the utmost confidence in the player he puts out there."

 

Utility player Ky Queen lives the closest to the Senators' home ballpark, coming from Waldorf, Maryland. Queen attended St. Charles High School and played varsity baseball all four years of his high school career. Once he finished his time at St. Charles, Queen began attending Norfolk State University, and in his two years thus far, he has a .281 batting average with forty-three hits. 

 

Queen played with the Senators' youth organization for a few games before playing with the Senators collegiate team in 2024, and he returned to the roster in 2025. He said that Middleton believed in him and gave him opportunities when he was younger. Queen also expressed that he loved CRSCBL because it reminded him of playing travel ball where he had some of the most fun in his baseball career. 

 

Earlier this season, he sustained an injury and will be out for the remainder of the season.

 

Catcher Chet Bowling is from Faulkner, Maryland. While attending La Plata High School, Bowling had a notable high school baseball career. He made varsity as a freshman, and he was also part of the team that won the 2A State Championship. Then in Bowling's junior year, the team made it to the 2A State championship once more, and he hit the walk-off hit that scored the winning run, securing the win for the Warriors, tallying their fourth-ever state championship.

 

After graduating from high school, Bowling attended Brunswick Community College. He played baseball there for two years, and during his time there, Brunswick finished as the runner-up in the NJCAA Division II World Series. In his first year, Bowling had a .327 batting average, and then in his sophomore year, he increased his average to .331, hitting eight home runs. Also, in his sophomore year, he was named a Second Team All-Region catcher.

 

Once he completed his time at Brunswick, Bowling committed to Winthrop University, where in his first year, he batted .289 and had six RBIs in sixteen games played. 

 

In his sixteen games played for Scott Middleton this season, Bowling has recorded a .289 batting average, along with ten RBIs. Bowling sustained an injury against the Thunderbolts on June 30th and has not played since.

 

Rounding out the Southern Maryland players, we have Luke Emory from Calvert County. Emory attended Northern High School and then went on to Anne Arundel Community College for two years before committing to Fairmont State University. 

 

When asked about what playing locally meant to him, he stated, "Playing locally makes me play harder, not just for pride but maybe for the people that I grew up with."

 

All six players have expressed a love for playing locally at home, and they find it meaningful to be able to do so. The players stated that they love being able to live at home, spend time with their family, while getting the chance to play baseball competitively. 

 

Both Emory and Miller mentioned that eating home-cooked meals is a definite bonus when staying at home.

 

"Having the time at home and the added competitive baseball is definitely a win-win in anybody's book, especially when you and your mom get to cook every meal together," said Emory.

 

Some players mentioned that they feel more stress-free at home, while others said being at home can add extra pressure when playing.

 

"I don't feel any sort of added pressure when I play at home. It feels comfortable for me because I've played at our home field plenty of times when I was younger, and it feels like a second home to me," said Wetherald.

 

Either way, the consensus among the six players was: if they'd had the opportunity, they'd rather play closer to home.