Post 59 competed with class until the end

By Chris Villani

After 20 straight regular season wins, Milford Legion’s playoff run came to a premature end with a pair of losses to East Springfield in the sectional tournament. But Milford manager Steve DiVitto said he was happy with the way his team carried itself all summer.

“It was an outstanding season,” DiVitto said. “The kids have a lot to be proud of. They competed their butts off and they showed up every single day.”

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing ending,” he added. “But that’s baseball and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish the job completely.”

The season came to an ignoble end when Milford’s penultimate game was halted after a fan and several East Springfield players fought along the third base line. Video of the incident quickly went viral and resulted in criminal charges for two people, but no Milford players were involved. 

“I think the entire thing was disgusting, but I am proud that our team had absolutely nothing to do with that, we represented everything that’s good in legion baseball,” DiVitto said. “The rest of the situation was abhorrent. That was a night that I was not happy to be associated with, that team and the actions of their adults, that’s the part that got me the most.”

East Springfield was allowed to continue on in the tournament and eliminated Milford two nights later with a walk-off home run. Milford ended its campaign 24-3, including a mid-season tournament.

DiVitto described his team as a tight-knit group. Players like Sean McGee, Nick Koch, Jack Kraus and Keith Lee were all among Post 59s top hitters and have been with the program for several years.

“It was important to them,” DiVitto said. “You could see that.”

Milford was also buoyed by newer players like Braden Lewis, who hit an eye-popping .570 with five home runs. Dylan Ruff, Gavin Metcalf, Nick Pedroli, and Nick Gouveia were all newer players who DiVitto said “bought in right away.” Sam Schoenberg quickly became a mainstay for Milford at shortstop. On the mound, Dan Heisler, Anthony LaPierre, Tyler Ballard, Derek Hatherley, and Josh Giancola all played big roles as Milford rattled off an unbeaten regular season.

“They captured the surrounding communities, not just because they were winning, but with how they carried themselves and how dedicated they were to their craft,” DiVitto said. “They are first-class individuals, and I was proud to be their coach.”