If you’re driving past Montgomery Blair High School on Friday or Saturday evening this weekend, you’ll see the glow of the lights over the baseball diamond and, possibly, hear the crack of a bat hitting a ball over the traffic noise.
The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts have returned for their 25th summer season.
The Tbolts are one of the founding members of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, a premier showcase of college baseball talent. The team’s first two home games are June 6 and June 7, kicking off a schedule that runs until late July.
It’s inexpensive, family-friendly entertainment, but with the competitive intensity of top college athletic talent. “For the players, it’s a chance to test themselves against big-time opponents, and not only show their college coaches what they can do, but maybe catch the eye of a pro scout,” says Richard O’Connor, team founder.
Games begin at 7 p.m. (and 6 p.m. on Sunday). With free parking, inexpensive snacks, and contests between innings, it’s an affordable and fun night out for couples and families. Adult tickets are $8, while children aged 6 to 18 are $3, and children five and under are admitted free.
To field a competitive team in a tough league, the Tbolts recruit nationwide. Host families provide housing for out-of-town players, who comprise about one-third of the roster. Much as the community embraces the players, they return the support. Players sign autographs for kids after the game, lead workouts at the Tbolts’ summer camp, march in Takoma Park’s Independence Day Parade, and participate in a food drive.
“It’s a give-and-give-back situation,” says Assistant Coach Max Eckert. “Players work hard and grind it out in the summer heat, but the feedback we always get is how much they enjoy the games and the community.”
On the field, Thunderbolts Head Coach Brock Hunter is optimistic that a larger pitching staff will pay dividends this season. “We have a lot of arms, and we also have diversity to throw at the opponent—righties and lefties, guys who can throw hard and get three outs at the end of the game, but also guys who can go five innings,” he says.
At the plate, the 2025 team can count on several returning players from last year. Veterans are highlighted by the second-leading hitter from last season, outfielder Ryan Cuadros, who had a stellar junior season at Marymount University, and outfielder Steve Thomas, who led Catholic University with a .381 average this spring. Also returning are infielder Brayden Foster (Youngstown State), who tied for the Tbolts’ lead in homers in 2024 with two, and two catchers who helped anchor the squad last year: Vince Bonior (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) and Jack McCarthy (Mt. St. Mary’s).
The team starts each season with two goals, says Hunter. “We want to make sure as a team we play hard and are locked in,” he says. “And we want to help each player be better than when he arrived.”
The complete schedule and team roster for the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts can be found online at tbolts.org.
Photo by David Stinson