By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – With a stellar track record of advancement to post-season play seven out of the past eight years, the 2015 Shrewsbury American Legion baseball team, comprised of players from Shrewsbury and St. John’s High School, looks to keep that tradition moving forward.
There’s much to like about this team. Shrewsbury, 16-7, earned a berth in the central Mass. Division 1 finals while St. John’s, 16-8, was a central Mass. representative in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Super 8 tournament. Each school’s success, however, pushed back Legion schedules resulting in doubleheaders, games each day and a challenge to keep players fresh and ready with so much baseball in such a short time.
“It’s a challenge getting off to a fast start when a team goes to the district finals,” said Shrewsbury Legion Manager Frank Vaccaro who is assisted by Chris DeSantis, Frank Vaccaro Jr. and Matt Tittle. “The kids get mentally drained. They had great teams and they did a great job. But it made us condense a five-week schedule into four weeks. I love the chemistry of this team. They’re good young men that care. I think in the end we’ll be in the playoffs which is our goal.”
“We play 30 games in 30 days and we can’t be overreacting to anything,” said pitcher Jeff Svendsen, who attended Westfield State University after graduating in 2014. “It’s baseball and you have to come out and play your game every day. You have to focus but relax at the same time.
“I really like the guys on this team,” he continued. “This is a new mix this year. All the guys like each other. It’s a good group of guys that we have here. I feel like I’ve been playing with them all for a long time.”
Svendsen, Matt Howard and Steve D’Agostino are all players who attended college this past year, but are back to compete in their final season of Legion eligibility. All like what they have seen of this squad to date.
“We’re a pretty tight knit group so far and we’re working pretty well together,” Howard said. “I think it’s just a matter of time until we start bringing it together and playing really good baseball.”
“We need to use momentum going into the season,” added D’Agostino, who along with Howard attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute. “We have plenty of talent here so we just need to get it done on the field the way we know we can.”
The starting six look strong with D’Agostino, Svendsen, Jack Snyder, Charles Batchelder, Kevin Hummer and Mike West a solid bunch that will see ample mound time. Matt Jackson, Parker Browne and Alex Black will chip in bolstering the starters with bullpen help when needed.
Around the horn, it will be Matt Bonollo at third base backed up by Matt Stansky, Tyler McKeon and Casey Boudreau at shortstop, Jackson at second base and Howard and Black at first. Dan Quinlivan will anchor the backstop position.
The outfield is set with Kevin Quinlivan, Anthony Froio, Sam Shaw, Boudreau and Black all prepared to be called upon.
While Vaccaro values the winning tradition of Shrewsbury Legion baseball, the manager, in his 14th season guiding the team, also extols the value of team-building, enjoyment of the game and respect.
“I want these kids to enjoy their memories of playing baseball,” Vaccaro said. “I see guys now with their own kids in their 30s and they talk about good memories. In life, I’ve learned that when it comes down to it, it’s only a game. We want to win for sure but I truly believe that the kids will get a better life experience from this and that’s what I’m looking for. It’s supposed to be fun and we can’t lose sight of that.”
Admission to Shrewsbury Legion games is always free. The team plays its home games at Shrewsbury High School. For more information, including schedule, visit the District 4 website at www.district4baseball.com.
