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08/17/2022 12:26 PMIt means everything to Chris Hager that he had the opportunity to play baseball for both the North Haven Nighthawks and the Post 76 Senior American Legion team. The experiences and friendships that Chris is taking away from both programs are invaluable. Chris recently completed a memorable summer season with Post 76 that saw him make immense improvements across the board for his ballclub.
Chris’s favorite aspect of playing baseball for both programs in North Haven is that he’s able to stay connected with friends while competing alongside his teammates in the spring and summer seasons. Chris cherishes spending time with people who have been by his side since they started playing tee-ball together in Max Sinoway Little League.
“The whole team, Legion and high school, I’ve played with those guys since tee-ball. It’s been great to play with them now. Most teams have a lot of kids transfer and go to private schools,” says Chris. “It’s all just been fun playing with the guys in high school a year or two and then playing on the Legion team with the same guys. It’s all been great playing with them, making them better, and making me better.”
Chris began playing with the Post 76 Legion program just prior to his freshman year at North Haven High School. He competed for the high school team for all four years, making his presence felt on the varsity club during his final two seasons.
One of the most notable performances of Chris’s career came when he helped the Nighthawks claim a 10-4 victory against Masuk in the second round of the Class L State Tournament as a junior. Chris got a big hit with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and finished the game with 3 RBI to help Bob DeMayo’s squad come away with the win.
“Coach DeMayo brought me up to him and he said, ‘Do you think you can get this hit? I can call somebody else.’ I told him, ‘Don’t worry coach, I got it,’” Chris says. “Next pitch, I got a hit, runs scored, and we ended up making it to the [quarterfinals] that year.”
Chris’s clutch hit gave him a big lift entering his senior season. This year, Chris helped guide the Nighthawks to the Oronoque Division title to go along with berths in both the SCC and State tournaments. Chris set his goals for the high school and Legion seasons and made sure that he took both of them seriously, while enjoying the experience as much as he could.
“My senior year came around, and I really just wanted to get out there, play, and actually have fun. When I came up to Legion, it was just the same thing,” says Chris. “It’s really important for the kids to realize it’s a kid’s game. It’s all about having fun.”
Chris went on to make significant contributions as a center fielder and pitcher for the Senior Legion team this summer, helping Post 76 improve from winning 2 games last year to finishing at 11-9 in 2022. Chris recorded a .347 batting average with 10 RBI for North Haven on the season. Head Coach Mike Busillo relied on Chris to be consistent at the bat and in the field as he led the team with his no-nonsense attitude.
“As a teammate, he was really willing to do anything we asked him to. He really did it all for us. Chris just leads by example,” Busillo says. “He understands he has a job to do. He’s going to give whatever the team needs that day. He plays will great intensity, mostly quiet intensity.”
Chris felt that one of the biggest moments of Post 76’s season came when the team took a loss against West Haven on July 11. Although North Haven dropped an 11-8 decision, Chris was proud of his team for rallying from a big deficit to give a solid West Haven squad a competitive contest. Chris says that game changed his team’s perspective on the entire season.
“We went in there knowing that West Haven was a good team, but we also knew we were one of the best teams in that league. We’ve been playing with each other for so long that if we just kept our head in the game, no one could beat us,” says Chris. “Even though we lost that game, I felt we all came together as a team to get closer and bonded a lot more than what it was before.”
On the heels of solid summer season, Chris feels excited about what his future holds. Chris has aspirations of becoming an electrician and also would also like to continue playing baseball in some shape or form.
Chris has learned a lot about himself while playing baseball with his lifelong friends in North Haven. As a member of the Legion team, Chris learned that his supporters believed in him to become the best baseball player he could be during a fun-filled summer.
“The Legion team taught me that I could actually be a pitcher. They always believed in me to be a pitcher and be the person I am,” Chris says. “They always taught me be the teammate you can be and always support your teammates.”