Mendon/Upton crew helps Post 59 rise in zone standings

After rattling off 20 straight wins during the regular season last year, Milford Legion won 12 of its first 14 games to start 2026, buoyed by a strong group from both Nipmuc and Blackstone Valley Tech.

“My hope is just to get better during the season, I don’t want to be playing our best at the beginning of the year,” head coach Steve DiVitto said. “We have bigger goals than gathering a lot of regular season wins.”

Milford was knocked out early in the playoffs last year, but is guaranteed a spot in the state tournament this year as the event’s host. DiVitto said he wants his team to continue to gel as the tourney approaches at the end of July.

“That’s our goal, to continue to get closer as a team,” he said. “In the summer months, a lot of the guys have never played with each other and are still understanding how one another operates.”

Playing a longer season means asking more from the team’s depth, both on the mound and at the plate.

Recent Nipmuc graduate Cole McGovern has been a steady presence on the mound for Milford during the first half of the year. Josh Giancola, another Nipmic graduate, is one of the team’s top pitchers despite having battled an arm injury.

DiVitto noted that the injury bug has hit the team quite a bit, which is not uncommon after a lengthy high school season and amid the grueling night-in, night-out legion campaign.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, DiVitto said he is hoping Nipmuc’s Gavin Metcalf returns after an injury suffered during the spring.

“We are really excited about having Gavin back in the fold,” DiVitto said. 

Milford is also hoping that first baseman Sean Burchard continues what has been an upward trajectory.

“He struggled a little bit at the start of the season, but he is turning it on now,” his coach said. “It’s going to be big for us if he stays hot during the second half of the season.”

Nipmuc rising senior Adam Dubowik and BVT graduate Jordan Martorano are two more players who have added to Post 59’s depth and helped fill out what DiVitto hopes will be a team poised for a strong showing in the states.

“We are excited about the state tournament,” he said. “It’ll be a great thing for not just Milford, but for the surrounding towns as well. We have to do our best to be playing our best baseball.”