In Kearny and the surrounding area, the name “Thistle” elicits memories of soccer greatness dating back decades. Now, there’s a hope that Thistle will now be a name affiliated with baseball as well.
While still in its relative infancy, slowly but surely, Kearny Thistle is starting to make a name for itself on the diamond as well.
Thistle Baseball just completed its fourth and most successful spring/summer to date last week as the program seeks to further expand heading into the start of Fall Ball in a few weeks.
“It’s amazing that in three years this is where we’re at,” said Thistle President Billy Alvarez, noting that they hope to add a second and third team due to the demand. “We’re definitely on the map for how much we’ve played. Last year we played 62 games and this year we’re on pace for about the same amount.
“It is very, very exciting. We’re looking forward to the future and hopefully this continues to grow.”
A big reason for the growth has been the recent renovation of the Gunnell Oval complex. The complex features nine fields that can be used for baseball or softball.
Thanks to these facilities, which are run by the Kearny Recreation Department and Director Ralph Cattafi, Thistle Baseball has been able to host multiple USABL Tournaments this year, which not only showcases the state of the art facilities but is also vital at keeping the costs affordable for Thistle’s players. A sponsorship from VFW Post 1302 in Kearny, is also key in keeping the fees manageable.
“(At Gunnell Oval), everything’s in one spot and the parking is perfect. It’s pretty rare the setup that we have,” said coach Matt Smith, who starred at Kearny and Rutgers-Newark, before enjoying a long professional playing career. “We’re sitting on something really good and we’re starting to realize it.”
“(By hosting), I can keep the cost down to my parents for the registration. Where other teams are charging $3,500, I’m trying to make sure that we stay under the $1,000 mark., said Alvarez, who remembers growing up in Kearny and not being able to play Thistle soccer because his parents couldn’t afford the then-$50 fee. “Our real mission is and our principles are providing good soccer, providing good baseball, not pay for play.”
The idea of Thistle Baseball started during Covid as Alvarez and Kevin Kinsley were trying to come up with an affordable travel baseball option that also encourages playing multiple sports for their then 9-year-old sons Owen and Kevin Jr.
The first Thistle Baseball team, a 10U, was created the following summer with longtime Department of Public Works employee Craig Smith, a standout baseball and soccer player at Kearny, serving as the head coach with Alvarez and Kinsley as assistants.
That initial group of kids remained together as a 13U team. This spring and summer, the group, which includes kids from the surrounding area, as well as Kearny, have gone 19-11-1.
“Winning for us is secondary to developing and Craig has done an amazing job of developing these players,” said Alvarez. “Now that (his brother) Matt has come on this season to put the cherry on top.
“It’s about developing. That word is used a lot by a lot of programs, but I feel like eventually developing leads to winning. (Our success in these tournaments) shows our development.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)