The Italian American Baseball Foundation was the lone organization recognized on a star-studded evening with induction into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday in Troy, N.Y.
IABF, a 501c3 that works to grow the game of baseball in Italy, was inducted alongside Don Mattingly, Yogi Berra, Buck Showalter, Jesse Barfield, and several other local and regional candidates.
“This honor is a testament to the work and growth of our board, which has remained laser-focused on our mission of growing baseball in Italy and honoring Italian Americans domestically,” IABF wrote on its website. “If this induction is a nod to the cross-cultural work we’ve done so far, it also inspires us to keep going and fighting for our heritage group and the game we love. Our work has only just begun.”
IABF board trustee Chris R. Vaccaro accepted the honor and gave the induction speech on behalf of IABF. He referred to founders Joe Quagliano, Carmine Gangone, and Frank Catalanotto for having the vision to found the organization and fellow board members Joe DiMartino and Natalie Spedaliere for their work in taking this organization to new heights.
