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08/26/2018 12:00 AMNorth Haven’s Senior American and Junior American Legion baseball teams recently handed out their awards for the 2018 campaign when Post 76 held its annual season-ending dinner. The event took place on Aug. 17 at the American Legion hall, where North Haven recognized some of the top performers who helped its Senior and Junior Legion squads enjoy another successful summer on the ballfield.
North Haven’s 19-U Senior Legion team posted a record of 16-5 in the Zone 2 during the regular season to finish second in the zone standings, just one game behind Hamden for first place. In the State Tournament, Post 76 earned a 4-3 walk-off victory versus Middletown, before taking a 2-0 loss versus Oakville and a 1-0 defeat against Middletown. Head Coach Tim Binkoski’s club then won the Dan Riccio Memorial Tournament for the second straight year by earning a 3-1 win over Connecticut Hurricanes A in the championship game. North Haven finished the year with an overall record of 26-8 in its second season with Binkoski as head coach.
Brendan Clark was named North Haven’s Most Valuable Player, and he also won the team’s Silver Slugger Award. Kevin Lucey was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year for Post 76, in addition to receiving the Dan Riccio Memorial Scholarship. Griffin Bottomley and Tom Myjak shared the Pitcher of the Year Award with Bottomley also receiving the American Legion Player Award. Zach Pincince and Nate Zalegowski were co-recipients of both the Sportsmanship of the Year Award and the Greg Zurlis Memorial Scholarship. Danny Cannavaciolo was named North Haven’s Most Improved Player, while Christian Somma took home the Wise Guy Award.
The North Haven 17-U Junior Legion team took the field with first-year Head Coach Joe Lizza this summer. Post 76 notched a mark of 17-4 in Zone 2 play during the regular season, finishing with the same record as Hamden for first place and ultimately coming in second place on a tiebreaker. North Haven started off the State Tournament by blanking Greenwich Blue 6-0, after which Post 76 took an 8-1 loss to Stamford. Coach Lizza’s squad responded by claiming a 4-1 victory against Greenwich Blue, before dropping a 5-3 decision versus Stamford. North Haven posted an overall record of 19-16 for the year.
Colby Cusano and Owen Silk were selected as the co-Most Valuable Players for Post 76 this year. Cusano also won the club’s Silver Slugger Award. Mason Balmer won North Haven’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. Anthony Cincola, Ryan Sullivan, and Dan Meyers were the co-recipients of Post 76’s Pitcher of the Year Award, and Sullivan also received the Sportsmanship of the Year Award. Nick Rossi was presented with the Wise Guy Award for North Haven.
—Chris Piccirillo