Stoughton Legion Baseball Looks for Turnaround in 2012

With the high school sports season winding down, it is now time to begin summer baseball and the American Legion District 6 League.

Again, coach Jim Derochea will take a very young and talented Stoughton team, made up of high school and college players (ages 15-19), and attempt to compete in a very strong East Division.

The Stoughton Post 89 Legion squad is coming off a down year in 2011, compiling a sub .500 record. The team hopes the added experience will lead to a turnaround and a postseason berth in 2012.

Stoughton will carry a very light 15-man roster and lost four key pitchers from last year’s team. But, Stoughton will feature youth, welcoming eight new players, six from the class of 2014 and one from the class of 2015.

“We have a very young, but talented and versatile team and I’m very excited about this season,” Derochea said. “Many of our players can play numerous positions and are playing for more than one team which makes this group very baseball hungry.”

Among the returning players are Myles Comeau, Alex Fernandes, Will McGrath, Kyle Phillips, Pat Jackman, Eric McPherson and Jamie Connors.

Comeau is in his fourth year on the team and is a 2012 graduate of Blue Hills. He is an outfielder and will see a lot of action in right. Fernandes is a Stoughton High School graduate who is versatile and will pitch, catch, play shortstop and utilize his speed.

McGrath is in the class of 2013 at and will be another valuable pitcher, who is also versatile enough to play infield and outfield. Phillips is a Randolph native and a member of the BC High class of 2013 that will see action at second and third base.

Jackman is a superb player and is in the Stoughton High School class of 2013. Jackman batting over .500 and having over 30 steals. He is a stellar shortstop (and can also pitch) and is among this year’s team leaders.

McPherson is a 2011 SHS graduate who has played some baseball at Massasoit. He will see a lot of action in center field. Connors is a 2012 SHS graduate at Stoughton High School and plays a solid second and third base.

The eight new players to the roster include: Kaleb Ballou, Mike Gallagher, Zach Gibb, Jovani Pires, Pat Raeke and Sam Werman, from the class of 2014, Jack Kane, class of 2013 from Thayer Academy, and Brian Crimmins from the class of 2015.

All the newcomers combine strong talent and versatility. Ballou can play all the infield positions. Crimmins, as the youngest on the roster, could play a very important role as a catcher and play any other position, as well. Werman, like Crimmins, can also catch, pitch and play both infield and outfield. Their versatility will be a great addition to the team.

Gallagher was the ace of this year’s Stoughton High School pitching staff as a sophomore, and will be looked to lead this young staff and also play infield. Gibb also could be another strong pitcher and fill in at third base, with a very strong throwing arm.

Kane can also pitch and play the infield. Pires will also see action on the mound and is also a very fine center fielder. Raeke is a varsity first baseman for SHS, who also possesses a strong arm for pitching and third base.

“We’ll be young, and our offense and defense will be solid, but we need to solidify our pitching,” said Derochea. “We have a lot of strong arms and pitchers that have pitched a few innings here and there, but we need to stretch them out so they can throw more innings and deeper into games.”

Teams will play an expanded 22-game schedule from June 6-July 22. District 6 has 19 teams, 17 from Norfolk County and two from Suffolk County, each representing an American Legion post. Stoughton (Post 89) will help comprise a 9-team East Division with Braintree, Cohasset, Holbrook, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Milton, Quincy and Weymouth. Stoughton will play these other eight teams either twice or three times, with its home field at the high school.

Stoughton will begin the season with two home games, against Holbrook on Friday, June 8 and Milton on Sunday, June 10, before traveling the next night to Jamaica Plain.

The top five teams, after regular season play, will compete against the top-five finishers from the ten-team West Division. Those five winners then go on to the South Sectional playoffs with the next stop the state tournament.

The Stoughton Post 89 Legion team will compete against a strong division with a longer and tougher schedule, with a very young team, a smaller roster and an untested pitching staff. It will be an uphill climb, but with a versatile group of very coachable and baseball-hungry players, Stoughton could be a surprise in 2012 in the District 6 Eastern Division.