Amity Teacher Among Diamond Club Hall Of Fame Inductees

HAMDEN, CT — (Contributed): The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club, Inc., will hold its 18th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 22, at The Woodwinds in Branford. Among the honorees is Hamden native Christopher Borelli.

The SCDC, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose stated mission is to foster and promote the game of baseball in the southern Connecticut region, will recognize seven individuals and one team in the Class of 2026. SCDC Hall of Fame members are selected by the group's Executive Board.

Tickets to the 2026 SCDC Hall of Fame dinner are $65 per person and will only be sold in advance. Tickets can be purchased online here or by contacting Matt Mentone, Executive Director, at info@southernctdiamondclub.org.

Borelli was the head coach of Hamden High School, his alma mater, from 2012-2021. During that time, his teams won 98 games and reached four Southern Connecticut Conference Tournaments and six state tournaments. He is a two-time SCC Coach of the Year and is a two-time recipient of the SCDC Sam Burrell Coach of the Year Award.

Prior to taking over the Green Dragons he was the head coach of Daniel Hand High School for two seasons, and had been an assistant at Guilford High and Amity Regional of Woodbridge.

After graduating from Hamden High in 1994, Borelli enjoyed a standout baseball career at Southern Connecticut State University.

A three-time all-New England Collegiate Conference honoree, he was selected as a Division-II All-American following his final season of 1999. A .382 career hitter, he is still Southern’s all-time leader with 174 runs scored.

Borelli resides in Guilford and is a social studies teacher at Amity Regional High. He is an active member of the SCDC Executive Board.

Also being honored by the SCDC this year are the 2026 Team Connecticut Special Olympics Unified Softball Team, which won a silver medal at nationals, longtime North Branford High coach Billy Mitchell, former Wilbur Cross High standout and Annex Little League president Andrew “Chip” Porto, and state player development and travel baseball pioneer Robert Turcio. Jay Midolo of North Haven is the winner of the Andrew Gassira Memorial Umpire Award, Mike Madera of West Haven will be presented the Tony & Rose Mentone Distinguished Service Award, and Joe Tonelli Sr. of Milford is the Dan Gooley Legends Awards honoree.