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06/29/2016 12:00 AMThe Madison Junior Legion baseball team has shown glimpses of greatness through the first few weeks of the 2016 season. Now, Post 79 is ready to put it all pieces together and consistently play complete games during the campaign’s second half in its quest to reach the postseason.
First-year Head Coach Matt Sommo took over a team that went 12-16 to finish fifth in Zone 3 before winning two decisions in the double elimination portion of the State Tournament last summer. So far this season, Madison is 4-6 in Zone 3 and 6-1 outside of the zone to stand at 10-7 overall. Although Coach Sommo feels that his team has yet to come up with a dominant wire-to-wire effort, he certainly believes that the ingredients are there for Post 79 to do so.
“The team is definitely progressing. We started off hot with some scrimmages before we ran into Cheshire. We’ve had pretty good innings here and there, but we are waiting to put together that complete game,” said Sommo. “We are coming together, though, and we are bunting and playing some small ball. They are understanding the why of doing certain things and playing the game the right way. We’ve been pitching to contact and the team has been fielding pretty well and making the routine plays.”
Madison recent picked up a pair of zone victories with a doubleheader sweep of East Haddam on June 29. Post 79 won the opener 17-5 in a six-inning contest before taking the second game via forfeit. Third baseman Will McIntosh had a home run on his way to putting together a 4-for-4, four-RBI performance in the 17-5 blowout.
Returning standouts from last year’s squad include right-handed infielder/pitcher Michael Elias, who posted a .330 batting average in 2015; along with fellow infielder and hurler Michael Scoopo, who’s also a righty. Others leading the charge for Madison early on have been lefty shortstop Phoenix Billings, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI in the East Haddam win; right-handed outfielder/pitcher Ian Butler, who allowed only one hit in six innings of work in a 5-0 shutout of Middletown Red on June 22; plus Will Kleinhenz, a southpaw pitcher and outfielder.
“Phoenix hits the ball hard and he’s also solid on defense. He brings a lot of energy and is focused. We don’t have team captains, but if we did, he’d certainly be one,” said Sommo. “Ian is our No. 1 pitcher. He throws strikes, competes, and hustles. Will is always hustling for the ball out there in left field.”
The American Legion season features a Major League Baseball-type schedule where teams play series instead of single games. Post 79 was swept in an early four-game set with Cheshire, but came back to split four against Middletown Red last week. As his club gets ready to dive into the latter half of the campaign, Coach Sommo wants to see his boys take things seriously to have a strong surge and, hopefully, earn the right to play some postseason baseball.
“The goals on and off the field sort of correlate. I want them to be on time and really put in the work towards what it takes to win. We also want to make states, win some games in the zone, and get hot at the right time,” said Sommo. “Cheshire, Middletown Red, and ourselves are the top three teams in the zone for sure. We weren’t ready for Cheshire at that time [Madison was swept in a four-game set from June 11-13] and they have some good pitching, plus Middletown has been swinging the bat very well.”
Madison finishes up the regular season with 14 games that will take place between Friday, July 1 and Thursday, July 14. Coach Sommo knows that Post 79 will need to use some plentiful pitching and all-around diamond savvy to propel itself through that grueling stretch.
“We have 10 games in 10 days, so we will need our pitching to go deep in games. It really comes down to our pitchers throwing strikes, which will hopefully lead to only three- or four-inning outings from our starters and then we can go to the bullpen,” said Sommo. “We also have to be smart on the base paths with hitting, running, and bunting.”
From the Sidelines
Post 79 Head Coach Matt Sommo is assisted in the dugout by Adam Nuzzo and Kyle Anderson.
Madison’s first two Zone 3 wins came against Middletown Red by a 5-0 final on June 22 and a 13-7 victory on June 24. For its non-zone victories, Post 79 has defeated East Haddam (3-2 and 9-2), Branford (1-0), and South Windsor (11-1, 3-2, and 2-1).
Completing the 2016 roster for Post 79 are second baseman/pitcher Brad Cosgriff, catcher/pitcher/third baseman Austin Doyle, catcher/pitcher/first baseman Kevin Girardi and Clay Knibbs, catcher/pitcher/outfielder CJ Licari, pitcher/outfielder Graeme McGivern, third baseman/pitcher Will McIntosh, pitcher/first baseman Jake Salutari and Emmett Tolis, pitcher/shortstop/right fielder Ian Tolis, and shortstop/pitcher Kevin Tracy.