By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Fourteen-year Shrewsbury Quaranta Post 397 American Legion Baseball manager Frank Vaccaro needed no crystal ball, clairvoyant powers or psychic intuition to know that on paper the 2016 team he was about to unleash on Zone 4 opponents was going places. Just how far depended on execution, commitment and perhaps more importantly, how much his players would believe in one another.
Fast forward to late July and Vaccaro’s squad has gone where no other Shrewsbury team has been since 1977. Post 397 put it all together to perfection capturing zone and state titles before an overwhelming constituency of fans who backed the team since day one. The next step is regional play versus even tougher northeastern champions in Bristol, Conn. starting this week.
“Before the season, I knew I had six college guys coming back and they came back in shape and hungry. Then I have the nucleus of the top five guys in Shrewsbury High’s lineup and then St. John’s wanted to come and be a part of Shrewsbury Legion,” Vaccaro said. “So, yes, I knew we would have a lot of talent. Most importantly, we have a special bunch of guys who stay together and work together but these guys know that one guy doesn’t win it for you. It’s the whole team.”
“We were fortunate to have a good team,” echoed centerfielder Adam Twitchell. “Even at tryouts, there were a lot of good kids that came out. This isn’t an easy team to make. We all had to work hard. No one was guaranteed a spot. Our coach always says to have fun and stay relaxed and I think that’s a big reason as to why we were successful.”
“I knew early on that this team would just click,” added second baseman Matt Jackson. “We had no problem getting together as a team even though we had some Shrewsbury and some St. John’s kids. We started off a little uneven because we’re playing with our opponents but we became friends fast and worked hard together all summer long.”
The regular season began in June and the Post ran off to a fast early start that evolved into an overall 20-4 record. From there it was District competition against tough Zone 4 teams that eventually resulted in a winner take-all game on July 19. The team defeated visiting second-seed Northbridge, 7-3, to capture the championship with five wins and a pair of losses. It was top-seeded Shrewsbury’s first Zone title since 2011.
From there it was the ultimate pre-season goal within reach when the team moved on to double-elimination State competition in Norwood beginning on July 23.
Emotions were running high when players and coaches took to their biggest stage yet. There were admittedly early-game jitters but those soon gave way to the confident and poised team that had made it this far.
“I think there were a few nerves when we began,” acknowledged third baseman Matt Bonollo. “But once we settled in and got back where we were and started playing our game again, we knew we could play with any competition put in front of us. We put in so much work during the season and to see it all come together at the end when we all had the same goal in mind through the season and to win a state championship was awesome.”
“I think we were actually pretty loose in the state championship once we got started,” added fiery starting catcher Nick Martin. “We were more confident of our ability, especially with the bats. I felt like we were a little tense in the District round but at the state championship round, people just trusted their talent more and let the bats do the talking.
“We just need to be us. That’s what we’ve been doing all year. In Legion, you go through so much in so little time. You play so many games that you become brothers real quickly.”
That bond continued as Shrewsbury leapfrogged multiple teams across the state to earn a berth in the winner’s bracket and ultimately the title game versus defending champion Pittsfield. Each team forged leads before Post 397 seized it for keeps to secure a 9-5 victory and the euphoric celebration was underway for players, coaches and team supporters, even some who could share some historical perspective on the accomplishment.
“I’ve been getting a lot of calls, e-mails and texts from people belonging to the 1977 team and how proud they are of this group of guys,” said Vaccaro. “It brought them back tremendous memories. This Legion program has evolved over time. There was a tough period of time when the program was dropped for 10 years before it came back. The last seven years we made the playoffs every year except one so I think it’s safe to say that the program is back.
“These guys defend each other, they stick up for each other and they don’t get rattled. This team has the character and determination to take to the highest level but it’s not easy. It takes a special group to be resilient.
“When we get to the regionals, we definitely won’t be scared. We feel like we can compete with anybody. If we play our game, pitch and the runs will come, we’re going to be there.”
Members of the 2016 Shrewsbury Quaranta Post 397 American Legion state championship team along with comments on each by coach and players are the following:
Charles Batchelder – Suffolk University / P – starting pitcher opening day, lights-out pitcher, quiet, reserved, always wants the ball
Alex Black – St. Lawrence University / P, 1B – loves the game, clutch hitter, great teammate, great arm
Matt Bonollo – Denison University / 3B – quiet leader, many big hits, committed to the game, super defense
Casey Boudreau – Shrewsbury / OF – great team guy, keeps the dugout loose with great sense of humor, came up big in key spots
Parker Browne – St. John’s HS / P – a gamer, would do what it takes to help the team, keeps the team loose
Connor Gaudette – St. John’s HS / P – may be best closer in the league, great breaking ball, wants the ball in key situations
Luke Gorham – Shrewsbury HS / OF – quiet, reserved, plays the game hard, can bat anywhere in the lineup, has power
Matt Jackson – Castleton University / 2B – three year starter, no better glove in the league, many clutch hits, drives the ball hard, can bat anywhere in the lineup
Christian Jordan – St. John’s HS / OF – big clutch hits in playoffs, tremendous speed, can run down balls hit to the outfield
Nick Martin – Shrewsbury HS / C – calls almost all pitches, plays with intensity, MVP in state tournament, special guy, great future
Matt Mattero – St. John’s HS — great situational player, multiple positions, extremely versatile
Tyler McKeon – St. Anselm College / SS – clutch player, takes game seriously, defensive skills very good, gets on base consistently, quiet leader
Pat Shaugnessy – Shrewsbury High / P – played in JV in 2016, has all the skills of a varsity player, won five games, mature beyond his age.
Sam Shaw – St. John’s HS / OF – cannon arm, strong defense, quiet, reserved leader, many clutch hits
Jack Snyder – Lesley University / P – nobody better when pitches down low, great competitor, keeps team loose
Matt Stansky – St. John’s HS / P – a horse, eats up innings and not afraid to go high pitch count, can get stronger as game goes on
Adam Twitchell / Shrewsbury HS / OF/P – a total gamer, resilient, best centerfielder in the league, great speed, tracks down balls into gaps that would otherwise be hits
Dillon Zona – Shrewsbury HS / 1B/ DH – great person to have on team, had 11 straight hits at one point in the season, can play multiple positions effectively