Mayor Kahn presented Kevin Waterson, president of the Keene SwampBats baseball team, with a proclamation to congratulate and honor the SwampBats on their historic 2025 NECBL Championship victory and their unwavering commitment to excellence and community service and encouraged all residents to join in celebrating the achievements of this outstanding team. The Keene SwampBats Baseball Team concluded their 28th season in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) with a remarkable 38-12 record, setting a new all-time league best and clinching their sixth championship title. Swampbats President Kevin Waterson’s love for AMerica’s past time led to his participation in forming the NECBL and founding the Keene team 28 years ago. Each season, Kevin and his team have recruited up to 40 collegiate players, sports management students, volunteer staff, and host families, all of which are instrumental to the team’s success, the spectator’s experience, and the community’s pride. Led by manager Shawn McKenna, the 2025 team showcased their talent with nine players named to the league’s All-Star Team, including Most Valuable Player Jack Herring, Batting Champion Ty Mainolfi, and fan favorite Ripken Reese. The roster also featured local Monadnock Regional High School graduate Ben Dean, who will continue his baseball career at Duke University. The SwampBats attracted nearly 50,000 attendees, who in addition to enjoying beautiful summer evenings at Alumni Field, also were introduced to Monadnock Region businesses and non-profit organizations through special events held over the season. The team’s renowned literacy program “Reading with Ribby”, completed its 22nd year with a record 2,284 students, fostering a lifelong love of reading. As a volunteer-based nonprofit, the SwampBats organization thrives on the dedication of over 50 volunteers per night, who collectively donated more than 5,000 hours during the ten-week season.
