As the 2009 American Legion Baseball season comes to a close, I am very proud of our team’s performance and the way that we competed. This year’s team returned 9 players. We scouted, recruited, and added 8 players, played hard, stayed focused, and finished the regular season in sixth place. Despite our efforts, we couldn’t put together a streak of wins and lost some tough and really close ballgames. However, we knew that we hadn’t played our best baseball.

During the 17^th District Tournament, we won our play-in game defeating a tough, 3^rd seed, Alexandria Post 129, 7-1. Next, we faced Arlington Post 139 and lost to the #1 seed, falling to the loser’s bracket. We then, in dramatic fashion with a 9^th-inning homerun, defeated the #2 seed, Falls Church Post 130, 5-4. Next, we defeated Vienna Post 180, 13-6, and followed that with a thrilling win over Arlington Post 139, 12-6. This win forced a play-back championship game that we lost 6-3 to the #1 seed and 17^th District Champion, Arlington Post 139. The final out in the 9^th inning came with the bases loaded and a long fly ball to centerfield. We had another very, very hard fought and well played Legion baseball season, and our record of 16 wins and 13 losses reflects that solid performance and play.

Those who watched us, including the Department and District Commanders, and our Post Commander, Lew Lipscomb, saw a fabulous championship game. Many commented after the game that this team, like many past Springfield Post 176 teams, showed character, heart, and resourcefulness. These fine and talented baseball players also possessed a sense of purpose, and they made the commitment and sacrifice, throughout the summer, to play for our post team. Despite peer pressure and recruiting attempts from "travel baseball" and "pay-to-play" leagues, they stayed the course and, for the most part, over-achieved!

I want to recognize our departing players who, because of age limitation, played their last Legion baseball games:

Robby Barnard: 1^st year player, St. Stephens/St. Agnes graduate, who plays for the University of Rochester. Robby, a left-handed batter, was #4 in our lineup and was a Legion All-Star selection. He played solid defense at 3B and applied his offensive and defensive skills in a mature, college-like approach. Robby batted .341 with 29 hits and 9 rbi’s; he had a .412 slugging percentage, .434 on-base %, and a 93% fielding percentage. He was focused and consistent, and was a key left-handed bat in our lineup throughout the season. Robby had a very, very good Legion season;

Eddie Boddie: a 4-year player, 2-time Co-Captain and 2-time Legion All-Star. Eddie attended East Carolina and was Mr. Versatility and Mr. Consistency for our team. He played 2B, 3B, SS, OF, and pitched as needed. He batted left-handed, near the top of our lineup, and his batting averages during his 4 years of Legion were .271, .296, .289, and .284. He was responsible for assisting many of our defensive double-plays and his bat was always there when you needed that key hit. Over the years, Eddie had the lowest strike-out ratio for the number of times at bat; he had a keen eye and always seemed to put the ball in play. Eddie thrived on being at the ballpark and enjoyed the Legion competitive environment. Not having him in our lineup next season will be sorely missed;

Jeff Haeuptle: 1^st year player, who returned from school at Ohio State and joined our team two weeks into the season. Jeff was an All-Northern Region centerfielder while attending West Springfield H.S. He was an all-around leader, both offensively and defensively, and he lead our team in most categories. He was our #3 hitter and batted .403, had 25 hits, 21-rbis, 5-2Bs, 4-3Bs, 3-HRs, and had a .500 on-base percentage, and a .688 slugging %. In the playoffs, he hit a 2-run homerun in the 9^th inning with two outs, to steal a victory from Falls Church, Post 130. He covered a huge portion of the outfield area and made some great catches over the season. Jeff, whose brother Nickis a pitcher for our team, will be returning to Ohio State where he hopes to be able to play for the Buckeyes next season. Jeff had an unbelievable Legion season;

Mike Olerta: a 2nd-year player, Co-Captain and Legion All-Star, who pitched and was our designated hitter. Mike was eligible to play and returned to our team, having played a year of college baseball at Wilke-Barre University. A solid pitcher, with an array of pitches and a good mix speeds, Mike was often used against teams that hit the fast-ball well. This season on the mound in 8 appearances, he had 2 wins and 2 losses. At the plate as our designated hitter, he batted .263, had 20 hits, 7-2Bs, 9-rbis, a .355 slugging and a .364 on-base percentage. Mike had two superior seasons for our Post team, and was a focused an confident Legion player; and

Daniel Ronan: a 3rd-year player, was our catcher. Daniel was very consistent and a stabilizing force for our pitching staff. Despite the heat, number of 9-inning games, and the number of foul-tips and physical punishment that a catcher must endure, Dan was called on to do a lot because our back-up catchers were injured for most of the season. Dan caught almost every inning and never complained, despite being tired, sore, and injured at times. He knew we needed him behind the plate and he did an excellent job! Many times, he was called on to bunt and he did his best, despite knowing his limitations. Against Vienna Post 180, he hit 2 homeruns and his effort, stamina, and desire showed. Daniel was a solid 3-year Legion player.

On behalf of the Post and our team, I want to again express appreciation to those who were able to make a donation to support this year's baseball program. Their generosity helped to defray the operating costs and reduced the Post's financial burden in sponsoring our team. Many, many thanks go to: Bill Hurd, Jim Powell, Richard Mercer, Melvin Stahl, Maudie Price, William McCarron, Chip Byers and the SAL, Jack Carver, Tony Dzierski, Alan Boehm, Peter Pauli, Ted Rudd, Andrew Haeuptle, Carl Smith, Lesline Hintz, Bob Snyder, Nadine Barnard, Mark/Charlyne Miller, Brenda Harasin, Craig/Janet White and others that I may have overlooked.

I want to thank the leadership of the Post for their unyielding support and commitment to the baseball program, those members and fans who cheered us and provided the inspiration, our superb and very loyal and dedicated coaches, Len Yankosky (19^th season) and Rick Boddie (1st season), player parents, and lastly the players, "our boys of summer," for their fine play, dedication, character and unyielding commitment.