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07/26/2021 12:00 AMThe Madison 8-10 All-Stars baseball team had a season to remember under the guidance of Head Coach Elliot Kaiman this summer. After winning the District 9 title with an undefeated run, Madison competed in the Section 3 Tournament and advanced to the championship game.
Madison won all six of its pool play games on its way to reaching the best-of-3 championship series in the District 9 Tournament. Madison notched victories over Clinton (10-0), East Hampton (21-0), Guilford (10-3), Middletown (16-6), Deep River-Essex (10-0), and Haddam-Killingworth (15-1) to set up its showdown versus Middletown in the final.
Madison won both of its games handily against Middletown in the championship. Coach Kaiman’s squad posted a 4-0 shutout over Middletown on July 13 and then followed that up with a 13-1 win the next day to take home the District 9 title. Anthony Pesce, Thomas Cahill, and Connor Zaneski all had doubles with multiple RBI in the final game to help Madison clinch the crown at Baroni Field in Middletown.
The athletes on Madison’s roster are Thomas Cahill, Malcolm Kaiman, Eoghan Kimball, Luca Mingione, Will Pappas, Sean Perrelli, Anthony Pesce, Gabe Seehusen, Bryce Simmons, Ryan Speerli, Connor Warnke, Ryan Warnke, and Connor Zaneski. Coach Kaiman was assisted by Dan Zaneski and Chris Pesce.
“I enjoy seeing the players come together as a team not just on the field, but in terms of sportsmanship and supporting one another,” Coach Kaiman said. “Baseball is a game of highs and lows. You’re going to have days where you don’t perform as well as you want, but you have to learn to be resilient. I feel like we showed our resilience throughout tournament play.”
Following the District 9 Tournament, Madison moved on to the Section 3 Tournament in Newington, where the team won one of its three games. Madison took a 6-1 loss to East Lyme on July 22, but bounced back with a 5-4 win over West Hartford the following day to stay in contention. Perrelli made a pivotal decision on the base paths that led to him scoring the game-winning run against West Hartford.
Madison went on to face East Lyme in the final of the Section 3 Tournament on July 24. With a spot in the state’s Final Four on the line, Madison took a 10-0 loss against East Lyme at Volunteer Field in Newington.
Pappas and Kimball pitched more than half of Madison’s innings during the two tournaments, combining for 41 strikeouts in 28 innings. The first four hitters in Madison’s order—Cahill, Kaiman, Pesce, and Zaneski—posted 63 hits in 124 at-bats. Kaiman and Zaneski both had 18 hits with a .545 batting average, while Kaiman also recorded a .643 on-base percentage.
Coach Kaiman was pleased with the play on of everyone on his roster during Madison’s postseason run.
“Anthony Pesce has been a steady hand and leader on the infield at shortstop. Malcolm Kaiman and Ryan Warnke are the team’s standout catchers and have come up with big plays throwing out runners and blocking tough pitches in key situations,” said Coach Kaiman. “I believe our outfield play differentiated us from the competition. There were many key catches and plays being made by Bryce Simmons, Thomas Cahill, Connor Zaneski, Connor Warnke, and Gabe Seehusen.”
Coaches Kaiman, Pesce, and Zaneski have all volunteered with Madison baseball since their children started playing the sport in town. Prior to the All-Stars season, Kaiman and Zaneski coached together during the regular season and guided Lenny & Joe’s Fish Tale to the Madison Little League AAA championship. Kaiman says that the support of his assistant coaches played a key role in what the Madison 10-U All Stars accomplished on the ballfield this year.
“We’ve spent countless hours on and off the field in support of the league and its players,” Kaiman said. “In addition to focusing on teaching the fundamentals of baseball and about the importance of being good and supportive teammates, the coaches work to create a safe, positive, and rewarding experience for the ballplayers.”