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08/04/2016 12:00 AMAfter graduating from North Branford High School last year, Will Coleman decided that he wanted to continue his baseball career at Eastern Connecticut State University. With a season of collegiate baseball under his belt, Will brought back tons of knowledge to the Branford Senior Legion baseball squad and helped his teammates improve throughout the season.
“Coming back from college to Legion made me realize how much I miss the team, field, and coaches. Branford Legion has been my favorite to play on and it was only better this last year I came back,” says Will. “I’m always all laughs and smiles as I go from being tense and dialed in at school. When I come back to Legion, I can relax. I know I’m going to have a great day and have fun. It’s always the best of times.”
Will’s attitude really stood out to Branford Head Coach Rich Balzano this summer. Balzano says that Will brought great energy to the diamond each and every day for Post 83, which won 16 games and qualified for the State Tournament.
“The one thing that Will does better than anybody is his attitude. He comes to the field happy every day. He smiles, says hello to everybody, is never tired or angry, and has a great attitude,” says Balzano. “It’s infectious. Aside from the skill set that he has, his attitude is his No. 1 attribute.”
Will bounced around from position to position throughout his high school career, but found a home at second base for both the Legion team and at Eastern Connecticut.
“I’ve always been a utility guy, but when coach saw me as a second baseman for my team, I’ve stood there and it carried into college,” Will says. “It’s good because now I’m always training and trying to better myself at one position. It allows me to be more focused there.”
The experience of playing Legion ball was a little different for Will this summer than in past seasons. The fact that Will had faced such a high-caliber of pitching in the college ranks helped make for a smoother transition to Legion, where Will went up against hurlers that he was used to facing.
“When you’re playing Legion and with the same kids, you’re laid back and used to the speed of the pitching, knowing you’re not going to see anything crazy. In college, you don’t know the kids well, the opposing coaches don’t know you well, and you need to have that mindset to prove yourself,” says Will. “You need the mindset that you can compete because, if you don’t, you’re going to fall behind. That’s been the biggest jump for me—making sure to stay my best and get better every day.”
One of the most important things Will did for Post 83 this summer was take some of the squad’s younger players under his wing to help them improve their skills.
“Instead of pushing to win no matter what, when I saw the direction that this season was going, I tried to focus in on helping the younger kids get better on what they wanted to do, while building bonds with the kids going through the college recruiting process,” Will says. “It was important to me to let them know what to do and not do, so I can help them both on and off the field. I used this time to help my teammates and friends better their future.”
Will also worked on improving a few of his weaknesses in order to make him an even better player when he competes for Eastern next season.
“I use this time to work out certain parts of my game that need help,” says Will. “I was focused more on driving the ball and staying down through ground balls. Legion is always a time to relax, but I dial it in and get better where I need to. It’s always been a great way to help me stay on my game.”
Will hopes the work he’s put in with Post 83 this summer will help him land a starting role with the Warriors in 2017.
“The goals for next year are to battle for a starter’s spot. I want more playing time. The goal as a whole is to contribute to the team however I can, but I’d like to start,” says Will. “I want to continue to work my butt off and earn what I deserve. If I do that, I can see the field.”