West Haven Resident, 2 Notre Dame Grads Among Diamond Club Hall Of Fame Inductees

WEST HAVEN, CT — (Contributed): The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club, Inc., will hold its 18th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at The Woodwinds in Branford.

Among the honorees are West Haven resident Mike Madera and Notre Dame High School of West Haven graduates Joe Tonelli Sr. and Bob Turcio.

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.

Madera, who is the winner of the 2026 SCDC Tony & Rose Mentone Distinguished Service Award, is a prominent figure in West Haven sports. From 2012-2025, he ran the WestieBlue.com website that covered West Haven High athletics. He was also a longtime sports writer with the former West Haven News and Elm City Newspapers.

He is a longtime member of the West Haven Hall of Fame Committee and a former board member of both West Haven Little League and West Haven Youth Hockey. Madera is currently the president of the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Tonelli will receive the Dan Gooley Legends Award. A 1962 NDHS graduate and the school’s first all-state basketball player, he was later the Green Knights’ athletic director for 30 years, overseeing 21 state championships. He also spent 14 seasons as an assistant baseball coach at the University of New Haven. Tonelli, who later served as the director of the CIAC Officials Association, is a member of 10 halls of fame.

Turcio, a 1975 graduate of Notre Dame, played at UNH and internationally for Italy, including at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He founded The Batters Box, the oldest indoor baseball facility in Connecticut (located in Hamden), and the Connecticut Bombers travel program.

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, former Southern Connecticut State University All-American and Hamden High coach Chris Borelli, longtime North Branford High coach Billy Mitchell, and former Wilbur Cross High standout and current Annex Little League president Andrew “Chip” Porto. Jay Midolo of North Haven will be presented with the Andrew Gassira Memorial Umpire Award.