Pro Pitcher With Family Roots In Enfield Plays In State For First Time
HARTFORD, CT — Chase Solesky has lived in Florida his entire life, save for the various locations he has called home during his college and professional baseball travels. His assignments have ranged from metropolises like New Orleans and Charlotte, N.C., to smaller cities such as Birmingham, Ala., Winston-Salem, N.C. and Glendale, Ariz., to virtual outposts including Great Falls, Mont., Kannapolis, N.C. and Hagerstown, Md.
With the exception of a six-week stint with the Plymouth Pilgrims of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 2018, Solesky had never plied his trade anywhere near Connecticut or western Massachusetts, where his family has deep roots and an extensive athletic background.
His dad, Dave Solesky, was born in Springfield and became a professional jai alai player. On the maternal side, his grandfather, Larry Tracey, spent more than three decades as a football and basketball official, served as president of the Central Connecticut Association of Football Officials (CCAFO), and was inducted into that organization’s Hall of Fame in 2008. That same year, he was presented the George Daly Jr. Special Recognition Award by the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame.
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Solesky’s mom, Theresa, was a cheerleader at Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, and was a member of the 1984-85 Falcon squad that was ranked 13th in the nation, and was inducted into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame last fall. Her sisters, Andrea Gately and Melissa Egan, followed in her footsteps by becoming cheerleaders at Fermi. Theresa eventually became the Falcons’ coach in the early 1990s, while Andrea assumed that role a few years later.
All three siblings were excitedly in attendance Thursday night at Dunkin’ Park in Hartford, when Chase took the mound as starting pitcher for the Harrisburg Senators against the Hartford Yard Goats. Harrisburg is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, who signed Solesky on June 10 after he collected three victories in nine appearances, including six starts, for the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
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Playing just 19 miles south of Enfield and two miles from the former Hartford Jai Alai fronton, Solesky turned in a good performance, allowing six hits and three runs in five innings. He got a no-decision in the Senators’ 5-3 come-from-behind victory, but getting the chance to perform in front of his extended family, as well as a regional audience on the New England Sports Network, meant a great deal to the 26-year-old right-hander.
“Never thought I would see him play where I was born and raised, where family and friends could be there to cheer him on,” his mom wrote on social media.
During a pregame dugout interview Saturday with Patch, Solesky said, “I feel I have the best mom in the world, and my aunts are like two moms away from my mom. It was emotional for me, a special night. I’ve never really had the opportunity to play in my “backyard” in professional baseball, so being able to come to Hartford, close to Enfield and Springfield, was like a dream come true.”
Despite having an entourage of family and friends in the ballpark Thursday, Solesky said there was one thing missing. Larry Tracey passed away in 2022, and never got to see his grandson pitch professionally.
“It really felt like he was able to be here with us, and that was the most important thing for me,” he said. “My mom always says, ‘You’ve got your angels in the outfield,’ but it genuinely felt like he was here with me. I hear great things people say about him and my parents, and I think it makes me hold myself to a higher standard.”
It has been quite a ride for the Fort Pierce, Fla. resident since graduating from John Carroll Catholic High School in 2016. He played three years at Tulane University in New Orleans, compiling a 12-9 record in 49 games, including 25 starts, and striking out 123 batters in 163 innings.
Following his college career, Solesky was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 21st round of the 2019 MLB draft. He started out with the organization’s rookie league affiliate in Great Falls, Montana, then sat out as the entire 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He spent 2021 with a pair of Class-A clubs, striking out 88 hitters in 68 innings, then started 2022 with Class A Winston-Salem before being promoted to Double-A Birmingham in September. After six weeks in the Arizona Fall League, he began 2023 with Birmingham, posting a 3-2 record and 3.23 earned-run average in nine starts.
In June 2023, those impressive numbers earned him a ticket to the Charlotte Knights of the Triple-A International League. Just one run below the major league level, Charlotte’s fluctuating roster that season had more than 40 players with big league experience, including veteran stars like Billy Hamilton, Liam Hendricks and Stephen Piscotty.
Competition in Triple-A was much tougher than Solesky had ever faced before, collecting just two victories in 16 starts. On March 20, 2024, the White Sox released him, and he signed with Hagerstown. After six weeks in the independent circuit, he inked a contract with the Nationals, and was on his way to the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
“It’s been a really long year for me, but I’m extremely grateful to be with the Nationals,” he said. “They are a first-class organization, and my teammates and coaches here are great. I’m very excited and very lucky to be here.”
His manager in Harrisburg is Delino DeShields, a 13-year MLB veteran who in 1993 was traded by the Montreal Expos to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a young prospect – future Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez.
“Delino has been awesome to me,” Solesky said. “I look up to him; he’s got so much wisdom. His presence on the field every day is incredible, and he treats us like his own kids.”
Though he has yet to record his first victory with the Senators, Solesky has pitched well, posting a 2.90 ERA in his first eight appearances, including six starts. His next appearance is slated at home Wednesday against the Akron RubberDucks, affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.
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