When he was the manager of the Allentown Railers in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Dylan Dando led the franchise to four titles in five seasons.
The last of those titles came in 2019, the last summer before the pandemic slowed or eliminated many things.
Dando is now in his second season coaching the Southside franchise in the East Coast Collegiate Baseball League and while everyone seems to use the Railers nickname to describe the team, he’s reluctant to do so.
“Everybody calls us the Southside Railers except me,” he said.
It’s a new franchise in a new league, and yet the winning has continued from Allentown’s Bicentennial Park, which has been reconfigured for use by the Muhlenberg College baseball program, to the Southside Little League complex nestled off the beaten path on Hellertown Road in Bethlehem.
Dando said, “The Railers always won a lot, and you know, I want to keep winning a lot.”
So far, so good in the ECCBL’s second season.
Southside defeated the longtime rival Quakertown Blazers 4-2 in a well-played, nine-inning game on Tuesday night to improve to 10-0.
Whitehall grad Owen Fischl had two hits and knocked in a run, and Shane Fillman, another former Zephyr, collected an RBI. Fischl, who has played in all 10 games, is batting .484 with RBIs.
This is a collegiate league, so the goal is always player development.
But Dando has always believed that the way you make players better is to get them to figure out how to win.
“We’re trying to make them better, but for them to do that, they have to figure out how to win, how to be a winning player,” Dando said. “You have to figure out ways to help your team win and figure out how to do things that create value for yourself. That’s one of the things we pride ourselves on here.
“It’s what we did with the Railers. We had guys who went on to play professional baseball, and I’m in contact with all of them now, and they got back to a lot of the stuff that we talked about when they were with us. There’s a lot of stuff that goes on over the course of a game that has a chance to separate you from other people when it comes to helping your team win.
“So, from a development standpoint, the winning is a real part of it,” Dando added.
Southside had a successful first season in the new league in 2024, going 22-13. The Railers lost to the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, which are in a single-elimination format after a 34-game regular season.
The league has nine teams.
“We’ve got a lot of guys back from last year,” Dando said. “It’s probably 60-40 [percent] returning guys to new guys. The league is well organized. There are some people in this league who have been doing it for a long time, and some other people who haven’t been doing it for a long time. Organizationally, I think it’s good.
“There are some players who played in this league last year who are playing professional baseball right now. Dennis Pierce played for us last year, and now he’s playing professional baseball.”
Pierce, a Quakertown High product, had a huge spring in leading East Stroudsburg University to the NCAA Division II World Series. He’s now playing for Evansville in an independent league.
Southside’s Shane Fillman, a Whitehall grad, makes a play Tuesday during an East Coast Collegiate Baseball League game in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell/The Morning Call)
“We probably have more than 30 guys who have played for us who have played professional baseball,” Dando said. “We’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Dando likes his current team.
“I think we’re good,” he said. “I like the way we compete. We’ve got some older guys that are our leaders, and we come out and do our work and do what we’re supposed to do. Obviously, the goal is to get better every single day. That’s my job — to make them better every day. I know my style is probably a little bit different from what they’re used to.
“I am happy we’re 10-0. I like the way we’ve played through 10 games. But it’s a long season, and 10-0 is nothing to get real excited about. But I like the guys and how they go about it.”
Brayden Rader, a Bethlehem Catholic product who is coming off his freshman season at Stonehill College in Massachusetts, is in his first year with Southside after spending last year with the Pocono Timber Rattlers in the ECCBL.
“We have a good mix of guys with some guys who were here last year and carried the winning culture over to this year, and some guys we brought in this year and we’ve always clicked super fast,” Rader said. “That has allowed us to grind out wins like tonight.
“Dylan expects us to play hard and the right way. For all of us guys who are coming here from a college program, a coach like Dylan keeps us on the right track and doesn’t let us get lax. He keeps the guys ready.”
Fischl, who graduated from Whitehall in 2021 and is a DeSales product, is a returnee who loves playing for Southside.
“This is the most talented group of kids I’ve ever played with from hitting-wise to pitching-wise; I know I have never been 10-0 in my life after 10 games,” Fischl said. “It’s very nice. I’ve got one more year left at DeSales and I can’t wait. We’ve got a bright future with some of the new freshmen coming in and I am excited.”
Fillman graduated from Whitehall in 2020. He played at Penn State-Abington, but is in the transfer portal.
“I love playing here for Dylan,” he said. “He’s a great coach, and we’ve played for Dylan forever with the Prospects [travel team]. We knew about the Railers. We have a lot of fun. We’d like to think we can go undefeated this year.”
Even on a night when most people would have preferred to be at the beach, in a pool, or sipping cool drinks on a patio, they were happy to be playing baseball.
“You know, playing in the heat is better than not playing when it’s raining out,” Fillman said.
Blue Mountain/Perky League All-Star Game
For the first time in many years, the Blue Mountain League and the Perkiomen Valley Twilight League are getting together for an all-star game. It’s set for 7 p.m. Friday at Weaver Field in Lansdale.
For those who can’t make the game, you can listen online at Penn Sports Radio: https://pennsportsradio.com.
The BML roster will feature:
Catchers: Brock Bollinger (Northern Yankees); Dan Blugis (Royals); Aaron Schneider (Dodgers)
1B: Logan Castellano (Falcons); Nate Kester (Creekers)
2B: Ian Csencsits (Orioles); David Martinez (Northern Yankees)
3B: Jack Rothenhausler (Bulls); Tyler LePage (Avengers)
Shortstops: Matt Rosace (Creekers); Ryan Stubblefield (Giants)
Outfielders: Zach Day (Braves); Sebastian Williamson (Northern Yankees); Carson Freeman (Creekers); Jacen Nalesnik (Northern Yankees); Lincoln Hower (Royals)
DH: Cole Serfass (Braves); Zach Delp (Orioles)
Pitchers: Evan McAndrew (Orioles); Adam Maini (Bulls); Rod Berger (Orioles); Hayden O’Neill (Royals); Adam Michaelesko, (Falcons);(Falcons); Carter Welch (Northern Yankees)
The Perkiomen Valley roster will feature:
Collegeville: Cody Clarke; Mike Kerns; Mark McCouch; Kyle Feaster; Mike Hutchinkson; Roman Reed.
Conshohocken: Mike Hutchinson; Roman Reed; Cole Kriger; Ian Diaz; Austin Kreyenhagen; Chase Fiske; Frank Pollock.
Lansdale: Anthony Bruno; Dylan Tice; Rob Zinsmeister; Tyler Leonard; Jason Mills; Jeff Murtha; DJ Briscoe; Joey Santoro.
Towamencin: Austin Frank; West Champlin; Greg Delgado.
Trooper: Cesar Rodriguez.
Valley Forge: Sam Plaugher; John Catchmark; Zach Smiley; Colin Kennedy; David Clay.