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08/24/2017 12:00 AMRoss Meglin displays the type of leadership that every baseball team needs, particularly with how he helps younger players mesh with their teammates and produce at a high level. Ross recently completed his summer season playing for the Shoreline Cougars, who feature players from Chester, Essex, Deep River, Haddam, and Old Saybrook, as well as his hometown of Killingworth. This came on the heels of Ross’s junior campaign with the Haddam-Killingworth Cougars baseball squad in which he earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors. Away from the baseball field, Ross recently worked with the ECHO Program in Hartford, where he helped reinforce good sportsmanship at a summer basketball camp.
Ross was one of the elder statesmen for a young Cougars’ bunch this summer, providing direction at both practices and games that proved a huge help to Head Coach Dennis Annicelli. Even though Ross won’t be a captain for H-K next spring, he still plans on being a leader like he was with Shoreline this year.
“I plan on playing a large captain-like role. I consider myself a leader regardless of the title. Hopefully, people look up to me as a leader. I hope to bring the team to another winning season and a state championship win,” Ross says. “I think that’s already started with the summer team. We had a lot of young kids come in that I plan to see on the varsity team. I want to make sure that they aren’t stressed, and that comes with comfort.”
Ross honed his leadership skills while working with ECHO, which stands for empathy, character, hope, and opportunity. The experience of working at a summer basketball camp was a positive one for Ross, and he hopes it was just as positive for the kids he coached. Ross believes that working with ECHO helped prepare him for his goal of becoming a baseball coach one day.
“The experience was fantastic, working with the inner-city kids and the coaches,” says Ross. “Coaching is my next goal in sports regardless of the level. I think this is a good starting place. I hope I taught the kids enough, so they can become the best people and players that they can be, but I know they taught me a lot, as well.”
Coach Annicelli was the one who set up Ross with the opportunity to work with ECHO. Annicelli did that because he knows that Ross is a good leader and a great person who displays maturity beyond his years.
“I’ve coached him since he was a freshman. He’s one of the more mature players I’ve ever had. He’s a counselor for ECHO. It’s a camp that’s free for kids and it’s designed to keep them out of trouble and off the street during the summer. I knew he would do well. He’s been great with the kids up there,” Annicelli says. “He’s a great leader. He’s the guy I go to to get a gauge on the team if I have to make a change and, baseball-wise, he’s always very consistent. You know what you’re going to get from him. He’s a guy that when I’m done coaching, I’ll be friends with him forever.”
Ross doesn’t just lead with his demeanor; he also leads with his bat and his glove when he’s on the diamond. Last season, he had a heavy hand in H-K recording 19 victories and advancing to the Class M State Tournament semifinals. Playing first base and batting fifth, Ross hit .316 with six doubles, 15 runs scored, and 24 RBI for the Cougars.
Longtime H-K Head Coach Mark Brookes says that Ross was invaluable to his club with what he brought to both the field and the dugout.
“He’s a big tall first baseman, and he’s a very good fielder. He saved a lot of errors at first base that turned into outs. A lot of his RBIs were big hits or game-winning RBIs,” says Brookes. “He’s a very mature young guy, very easy to talk to. He understands everything you’re trying to teach him. He’s a pleasure. He’s one of the guys in the locker room that kids talk to. He presents himself that way to other kids, especially younger players. He’s somebody that we really appreciate having around.”
Ross thanks Brookes and Annicelli, his parents Pete and Beth Meglin, and all his teammates and friends for the support and guidance they’ve given him. Looking ahead, Ross is preparing for his final year on the ballfield, along with his academic future as he plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Wherever he ends up, Ross feels pleased with where his journey has taken him thus far.
“I’m happy about the player I’ve become. I can’t say that I regret much about my past,” says Ross. “Working with coaches, teachers, and parents, who are friends now, being that person and player that I want to be has given me success in my career.”