This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/23/2020 12:00 AMEddie Bethke was on a recruiting trip in Binghamton, New York when he received a phone call from Victor Amatori, Jr., a 2015 Branford Sports Hall of Fame inductee. Although Eddie didn’t immediately realize what the call was for, Amatori told Eddie, a former standout pitcher at Branford High School and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), that he would be joining him in the Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2019.
“The phone call was very late, so I wasn’t sure what was going on, but he broke the news to me. It was very nice coming from someone I’m very close with,” Eddie says. “It was a huge honor. It was a very surreal accomplishment to receive. I’d like to think that I gave a lot back to the community, and to get an award like this signifies the importance of athletics as an individual and as a team.”
Eddie moved to Branford when he was eight years old. He had been playing baseball in Hamden’s Little League and felt at home right away in Branford’s league upon arrival. The connections that Eddie formed in Branford, along with his relationship with his father Ed, played a big part in fostering his love for baseball.
Eddie transitioned into a pitcher during his last year of Little League. He says that his first forays on the mound were “a rollercoaster ride.” However, once Eddie turned 13, the left-hander started to find his groove.
“Once I got to the big diamond that fall, it took a big turn in a positive way,” says Eddie. “I started working with some other people and learning a little more about pitching. I really started to begin making a name for myself as a pitcher.”
Eddie earned his spot as a starting pitcher for Branford in his freshman season. That year, Eddie took the ball against Notre Dame-West Haven and brought a perfect game into the sixth inning. He ended up pitching a one-hit shutout for his first high school victory.
Eddie says something clicked for him in that game. He realized that pitching was something at which he excelled and that he wanted to pursue for his future.
“Getting to high school was definitely exciting. I had a very good relationship with the then-head coach my freshman and sophomore year, Walt Novak,” Eddie says. “He gave me an opportunity as a freshman, and I took advantage of it. It was a definite learning curve, but it was great. [The late George Dummar, Jr.] became the coach my junior year, and I learned a lot from him, as well. I was able to play for two extremely great coaches throughout high school.”
Eddie won 22 games during his time with the Hornets, breaking the school record held by fellow 2019 Hall of Fame inductee Steve Bray. In his senior year, Eddie posted eight victories while helping Branford advance to the semifinals of the Class L State Tournament.
During the summer of 2005, Eddie was a member of Branford’s Senior American Legion baseball team that won the state championship on its way to competing in the World Series in South Dakota. He finished with a 13-2 record that year and was named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the State Tournament. Branford completed its season as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation.
“We came in with some expectations. We had some guys who were playing in college. We started rattling off some wins early on, and we just went on a tear. Honestly, we scored a lot of runs on offense, so it made pitching a lot easier,” says Eddie. “There’s not many experiences to really compare that year to. It was great and, to be able to end my high school experience playing with the kids you grew up with, it’s an unforgettable feeling.”
Eddie graduated from Branford in 2005 and went on to attend Southern Connecticut State University. Eddie says that he quickly “gained the faith” of Head Coach Tim Shea, who gave him an opportunity to pitch as a freshman. After Eddie’s four years at SCSU, he left the program ranked second all-time with 288 innings pitched and was just one of 10 pitchers to earn at least 20 wins. Eddie was also a two-time All-Conference honoree for the Owls.
“You go in with goals. Obviously, everyone’s goal is to play professionally, but I was pretty content with my career and how everything went. When my career ended, I knew there wasn’t life playing baseball after college,” Eddie says. “I got to play for four years with one of my best friends, Karl Derbacher. The people I’m still closest with are the people I played high school and college baseball with. It’s a lot bigger than just playing baseball. It was a pretty great career for myself.”
After Eddie graduated from high school, Dummar, Jr., reached out to him about becoming an assistant coach for the Hornets who would work with the team’s pitchers. Eddie called his return to Branford a “homecoming” and says that he loved having an opportunity to work with his former coach at his alma mater. Eddie became the Hornets’ head coach in 2013 before leaving to become the pitching coach at SCSU in 2015.
In Eddie’s tenure as a coach for the Owls, seven freshmen have been named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie Team. He’s also coached three All-Conference pitchers and one Conference Rookie of the Year.
“It was a surreal experience. After having a conversation with Coach Shea, after he offered me the role, it was one of those things you couldn’t say no to,” says Eddie. “It was an opportunity that was too good to pass up. Being able to go back to where I really made a name for myself after high school and give back those lessons and different things over the years was a big reason to take the position.”
Baseball has been an essential piece of Eddie’s life since he was a child. Eddie says that playing baseball “makes you want to be a better person,” and that it helped him build relationships with people who became some of his closest friends.
After moving to Branford as a youngster, the town has become Eddie’s home both on and off the diamond. Now a member of the Branford Sports Hall of Fame, Eddie feels proud of what he’s accomplished and will always appreciate the people who’ve been beside him throughout his journey.
“It was a tremendous honor. I consider Branford to be my home. I’ve been here 95 percent of my life. It’s definitely home for me,” Eddie says. “My wife and I and our new baby boy, we currently reside here still. I always knew this is where I wanted to be.”