The John Crawford Volunteerism Award
Our friend, John Crawford addresses the team in 2012
Our fourth honoree of our 2023 John Crawford Volunteerism award is Teigan Weissman. In 2023, Teigan embodied John’s spirit of volunteerism.
John Crawford did so much for this team in a such a short period of time. This Ames, Iowa resident put his life on hold to welcome a group of Renegades to his home town and he went above and beyond for our squad. Among just some of the stuff John did for us without ever meeting us included, picking up our water and paint before we got to Iowa, taking a week off from work to help us 8 hours a day in the hot sun (temps were in the high 90’s that week). He was everything that we needed and so much more. Heck, after the series, he helped redesign our marketing material and paid to print and ship it to Boston.
John lost a battle with Cancer in 2021 and we wanted to keep his memory alive by reminding everyone of his big heart and kind spirit. John is an Angel in our outfield and we are forever grateful for meeting this amazing man!
Being blown away and coming out of nowhere – that’s what this award is about. We want to celebrate volunteers who blew us away during the season and came out of nowhere to do things we needed and they may not have done before.
Teigan Weissman’s Journey
Teigan’s journey as a Renegade is unique on this team because he grew up with this sport. Teigan is a nephew to head coach Rob Weissman. In 2011. his mother, Lisa Klinkenberg reached out to Rob because she wanted to get involved with the team for a few reasons. One of her desires was to show her kids the value of volunteering and giving back.
Teigan volunteered when he was available from 2011-2013. He took off the 2014 season but came back in 2015. 2023 represented his 12th year as a volunteer. He actually grew up with many of these players and coaches. As a kid growing up, he had a full schedule. High School, High School sports, travel baseball, College and he even left the area in 2022 to take an internship for the summer on Cape Cod. Teigan’s heart has always been with the team. Rob Dias comments, “Despite his relatively young age, Teigan has become one of the most seasoned members of the Renegade staff, offering his assistance generously since the age of 12, over a decade ago. It’s no secret that the Renegades boast the best coaching/volunteer staff in the league, showcasing unmatched dedication and versatility. Throughout the 2023 season, Teigan embodied these qualities, stepping up to the challenge when we needed him the most.”
Indy or Bust
Heading into 2023, the Renegades knew they wanted to go to Indy. There were two things holding them back. Money and the availability of our defensive callers. We had three volunteers throw their hat into the ring to take the job of caller for Indy. Teigan was one of them. At that point, he knew he had to step up. He knew that calling was a demanding position after getting a chance to call for a few innings in the 2021 Beast of the East. Teigan knew the team would be on his back. He had to make his biggest time commitment to the team in his 12 year tenure.
Teigan started with the team in the cage during the winter. He helped kick off the season throwing batting practice and helping players with their swings during some of Coach Rob’s side session events (unofficial practices). But the real work started in April. Teigan had to learn his role, learn the calls, learn the defense and earn the trust of the players around him. He needed to strengthen is relationships and trust. Teigan had to learn the clipboard skills and how to mark the spots on the field. At times the job seemed daunting. As April rolled on, it was clear that Laura Ward (our most experienced option) was not going to join the team for the season. This put a lot of pressure on Teigan to be the man. The left side of the defense was all his.
Long Rides and Beached Whales
Teigan was often commuting from Fitchburg to practice, one of the longest commutes on the Renegade coaching staff. Leading up to the Indy tournament, he made 10 of the 12 practices, making the team a priority on his schedule. During that period, he made more practices than 19 of the 23 coaches during the worst weather of the year. He was a constant presence and continuously worked to hone his craft to call the left side.
Shortly before the team would leave for Indianapolis, Teigan got a job offer. This was his dream job and his first job offer to start his new career. The job was in Mystic Connecticut working with Marine Mammals. Teigan told the Mystic Aquarium that he needed to delay his start a few days to finish his volunteer commitment. He would start right after his trip to Indy. Though he had multiple internships with the Boston Aquarium and the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, we think his knowledge of marine animals started with the Renegades. For most of his childhood, he witnessed the Renegade coaching staff calling out all the beached whales on the Renegade defense. There has to be a correlation to that and his career choice, right?!?
Grooming a New Caller
Teigan Weissman showing off his Tape Measure skills – photo by John Walker
Teigan would join Gina Devenish on the field as the defensive callers for the Indy Tournament. He had a few innings of experience in his career and Gina had just a few games. The combo was often called “Tina” when they took the field. They worked their asses off.
Rob Dias adds, “While Teigan had some experience calling on the defensive side, taking on the left side during tournament play posed a significant challenge. Traditionally, the left side is anchored by our most experienced callers, but Teigan fearlessly embraced this new challenge. As a player, it’s exciting to witness one of our coaches grow in a new role, working just as hard as we are on the field.”
This would be Teigan’s first ever flight with the Renegades. When the team landed and arrived at the hotel, he was given a choice of painting fields at 5 am or 11:30 at night. A Weissman typically chooses the late hours and his weekend kicked off searching for fields in the pitch dark. With a headlight on his forehead and his uncle laughing at him, the two Weissman’s trekked off to mark the fields. For the first time in his 12 years as a volunteer, Teigan was in charge and Rob was the extra hand. Teigan instructed his uncle what was needed to mark the defense. With less than five hours sleep, he was ready to roll for his first four game tournament.
Calling in Indy
Teigan got the job done and had a blast doing it. He called each of the four games in this tournament. He also pulled double duty working to get video of the hitters while also assisting with the live feed at times. Each and every game, Teigan got better and the defense improved. Rob Dias claims, “Teigan’s hard work paid off, contributing to our victory over the tough Chicago Comets team. Not only that, but Teigan also helped me achieve a personal best for defensive stops in a single game [with 8]—a feat that apparently isn’t easy… Shots fired Grillo, Boop-Boop! What’s even more impressive is Teigan’s lack of hesitation in making a successful elusive 3 call, a move that even some of our most experienced callers fear. With such a narrow margin for success, few callers have the beep balls and the confidence to make such a bold call.
What’s even more impressive is that Teigan channeled his inner Babe Ruth, calling his shot before the play by placing me in the 3 zone, earning the moniker of Threegan!”
Though the Renegades went 1-3 in Indy, they would not have competed without Teigan. Boston played two of the most prolific offense in the sport when the Renegades played the Bayou City Heat and the 2023 Champion, Indy Edge. Teigan also helped keep the Renegades in the game against the Gateway Archers in a three run loss.
He Pitches as Well
Teigan looks in for the target – Photo by John Walker
To recognize his efforts for the weekend, Elana Regan and Guy Zuccarello each elected to have Teigan pitch to them. This made him just the third Renegade volunteer to pitch and call in the same tournament, a feat only matched by Peter Connolly and Jamie Dickerson in team history.
Guy Zuccarello, who has been with the team since Teigan started states, “Teigan truly did it all for us this year, especially in the first half of the season. Over the winter months, we worked hard to find a groove in the batting cages. I really appreciated the effort he was putting towards improving as a pitcher. I also greatly appreciated how he quite often would pick me up and drive me to the cage practices as we live in the same town when our first tournament of the year in Indianapolis rolled around, I was really excited to have the opportunity to hit off Teigan for the first time in live action. Coach Rob, suggested that I might repay all of his hard work by giving the ball a ride and scoring just as he had given me a ride to practice so often. Nothing would have pleased me more. We came close, but I could not quite get him a run for his records. Teigan, you will have to settle for my everlasting gratitude for all of your dedication as repayment… at least until our next at bat together. Thank you for all of your awesomeness this year.”
Goodbyes and Congrats!
Teigan and Rob pose at the airport as they await their flight back to Boston
When the team landed in Boston, all the players gave him a goodbye hug. In a few days, he was off to start his dream job in Mystic, Connecticut. Though he was only with us for half a season, he gave that half his full attention. Teigan Weissman gave more of himself to the team on the field in 2023 than he had collectively in years. He blew us away and his efforts did not go unnoticed by any member of the Renegades.
Nothing showed that appreciation more than when every player hugged him in the airport and said goodbye and good luck. Dias concludes this saying, “So, let’s all join me in thanking Threegan for going above and beyond for the Renegades in 2023! Thank you, Threegan… Babooga!”
Other Award Winners
2022 marked the inaugural season for this award. To learn more about the contributions of these four amazing volunteers, please check out the links below:
2023 Award Winners