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07/30/2015 12:00 AMWins never solely define the character of a team and, for Madison Senior Legion baseball this summer, the squad displayed tons of integrity on the field and gave opponents all they could handle in a top-notch Zone 3.
Led by first-year Head Coach and program alum Jeff Buck, Post 79 played to a 6-18 mark and finished eighth in the zone. However, despite his club’s final record, Madison’s skipper felt a sense of accomplishment in that his boys hit their mark by playing to the best of their abilities while never submitting to big deficits.
“I felt we met our season goals rather well. Our goal was to teach them how to play the game the right way and I thought at the end of the season, they learned how to do that day in and day out, pitch by pitch,” said Buck. “Compared to the other teams in the zone, we were younger, so we were about getting mentally focused for each game. The close games we had were a correlation to the guys wanting to win, which is what you want to see as a coach. We had games where it looked like we were heading for a blowout early on, but then we were going to the last inning down by one. Win or lose, I was proud because they didn’t roll over and die. They played hard-nosed baseball until the last out.”
Post 79 featured had a solid quartet of leaders in dueling pitchers Joe Hill and Ryan McAneany, along with Ray Miklos at the hot corner and catcher/first baseman Blake Egan—all of whom stepped up to show Madison’s youth what’s entailed in taking one’s talents to the next threshold.
“Joe Hill always showed up wanting to play and always pitched as many innings as he could. Ray Miklos at third was a great leader that was one of our go-to kids when something needed to get done or a message needed to be relayed to the rest of the team,” Buck said. “Blake Egan [returning after a year at Colby College] brought that next-level mentality to the younger kids. Ryan McAneany was someone I could count on whenever I needed him. He was always cheering on his teammates to be at their best.”
Madison went up against some heavy hitters of Zone 3 in zone winner Cheshire, as well as Meriden, Middletown, and East Haddam. Each of those teams garnered 15 victories or more on the summer, although Post 79 showed little intimidation when facing those foes and gained respect from them, as well.
“Being my first year as coach, it felt like almost everything was a big accomplishment because it was a new experience for both me and the players, yet competing against those teams, which were always the powerhouses when I played Legion here, was an accomplishment,” said Buck. “Even though we didn’t win any of those series, we came to play in each game, plus we had coaches and players telling us that we had a bright future.”
The future does look bright for Madison with much of its cast returning for 2016, in addition to some likely call-ups from the Junior Legion circuit. In final reflection upon this season, Buck said that his 2015 squad really stood out.
“I’m looking forward to next season. With the exception of maybe one or two guys, everyone is coming back, along with three or four kids coming over from Junior Legion. We also have kids that will play fall ball and at Hand in the spring so, as of right now, it’s nothing but up for us,” said Buck. “This summer was amazing. I’ve been on so many different teams over the years, but this was one of the better experiences I had. You need to prepare mentally to succeed and watching them do that was one of my better experiences.”
Finishing off Post 79’s roster for 2015 are pitcher/second baseman/right fielder Magnus Grigor, pitcher Brian Anderson, catcher/third baseman/pitcher Matt Sampson, outfielder/pitcher Rob Bordiere, pitcher/third baseman/shortstop Michael Elias, outfielder/pitcher Jonathan Girardi, outfielder/catcher Sam Herwig, outfielder/hurler Cashen Keeler, outfielder James Kim, infielder/pitcher Evan Lohn, infielder/outfielder/pitcher Pat Nelson, infielder/pitcher David Nuzzo, right fielder/pitcher Aaron Rubin, and outfielder/second baseman/pitcher Ian Tolis.
From the Sidelines
Ten of Post 79’s 18 losses in 2015 came by three runs or less.
Madison swept the season series 3-0 from rival Guilford with 7-6 and 2-1 victories on June 7 before a 9-0 home shutout on July 6.
Post 79’s remaining victories came against East Haddam (3-1 on June 28 as part of a doubleheader), Shoreline (3-1 on July 8), and Meriden (7-2 in the season finale on July 16).