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07/16/2014 12:00 AMThe Madison 16-U baseball squad has gotten out to a 6-6-1 start this summer. While Head Coach Pat Talbot says his club may need to iron out some of the finer points, he feels the boys are on track to unlock an even better caliber of play as the year progresses.
"Right now we are 6-6-1 and are playing good baseball," said Talbot, who is in his first year as skipper of this squad.
The majority of the Tigers' roster is still 15 years of age, playing against 16-U American Legion or AAU teams. The cast includes Aaron Rubin, CJ Licari, Colin Reed, EJ Mastronardi, James Kim, Johnny Girardi, Kyle Kuhn, Matt Sampson, Michael Scoopo, Pat Nelson, Robert Bordiere, Ryan McAneany, and Sam Herwig.
"It's pretty evident the teams we compete against are 16 years old. At this age, the contrast stings clear with the one-year gap in age," said Talbot, who's assisted by pitching coach Brian Levy, along with Tim McAneany. "It is so commendable how they come out and play 28 innings of baseball every weekend in the mid-summer heat. It's a ton a baseball for these fellas, not to mention consistent practices and live scrimmages during the week."
The Tigers started things off back in June and have rattled off some impressive victories. Madison entered the win column on June 8 with a doubleheader sweep of the Trumbull Junior Legion team by 10-4 and 7-3 finals. After a pair of losses to the Connecticut Nationals, the Tigers bounced back thanks to an 8-7 triumph versus the Team Connecticut Blue Jays on June 21.
The weekend of June 27-28 was also a successful string of games as the Tigers first took two against the Westport Wreckers (4-3 and 2-1) before routing the Meriden Heat 18-3 the next day to open another double dip and then tying the Heat 3-3 in the second contest. Madison then notched its sixth win on July 2 in a 7-5 final facing Westbrook Junior Legion.
"This summer is different. I have so much empathy for this special group. This is where the mental aspect that is truly 90 percent comes into play, hence how we won against the Meriden Heat and then tied them 3-3 on the second game of a doubleheader," said Talbot. "Brian Levy and I continually tell the team how it is a game of failure and finesse. This is why you fail 70 percent of the time and are still a great player. This is why guys in the league play 162 games a year and have to come back to the park the next morning after a game the night before."
Talbot added that the Tigers aren't seeing solely the high heat at the dish and feels that everyone is adjusting to the wide variety of pitches.
"Offensively, not only are they seeing velocity; they are seeing an arsenal of off-speed pitches. To throw out a figurative curveball, we swing wood. The game is true with wood," said Talbot. "It's not an impossible feat to stick out an aluminum bat and land a double in the alley. With wood, you have to have a complete full stroke unless the bat will break. It corrects swings and we have had minimal broken bats this year, which shows we are getting the barrel of the bat through the baseball. This great group has been playing together for a while. The chemistry is apparent around the boards."