Announcement
Westford Over 30 softball has entered the playoff rounds and that signals the end to another great season. With little rain, there were few cancellations, and the year ended with games played on a dry, brown outfield and a rock-solid infield. Conditions aside, nine teams filled with everything from ex-high school and college athletes to one-time intramural sports stars, each met weekly to re-live the glory days. Win or lose, players come back each year for the competition, the camaraderie, and the hopes of making a great defensive play or knocking in the winning run. Anything worthy to boast about after the game in the parking lot, at work, or later at home, to their family.
Traditionally, we only celebrate the home run hitters in this season ending capsulation. While those are well worth the recognition and are the envy of the rank and file player, we’re adding some additional worthy recognition points this year. The league looks forward to new players entering the draft and joining teams each year, so we’ve added rookie(s) of the year nods for each team. And lastly, we’ll mention our unsung heroes. These are the guys who don’t traditionally hit a bunch of home runs, nor are they new to the league. Players make the list due to either effort, consistency, longevity, statistics, or…all of the above. We spoke to each team and found plenty of player’s worthy of this recognition but could only highlight a few.
Home run leaders are easy to find, how many were hit and how far did they go? Keeping in mind that the single game home run maximum is seven per team, some of these guys, and their teams, hit a bunch. In other cases, teams only have a couple of home run derby contenders and these guys are relied upon every game for their power.
- First place Nashoba Valley Mustangs hit an unbelievable 135 home runs as a team this regular season. Often times playing just five innings versus seven due to the game-ending run rule. Lefty Bill Knute has one of the best swings in the league and contributed 35 to the Mustangs total. Don Cusano powered another 27 followed by Paul Selfrige with 21, Mike Kennedy 20, Mark Cusano, 17 and Jack Erickson, who with 15, would be the home run leader on several other teams.
- Short Cut Landscaping wasn’t too far behind with a team total of 99 on the year. Mike Gross led the squad with 19 on the season.
- Floral Arts home run leaders were Simon Tripp with 22, followed by Rob Beaudette with 18 and Ryan Dunn with a respectable 14.
- Willis Tent, with 88 home runs on the year was led by Dennis Kane with 16, long-ball lefty Rob Swinamer with 13 and Brian Gallardo with 12. Willis had 13 different players who each hit home runs which is a tremendous line-up.
- Burton’s Grill home run front-runners with 12 a piece were rookie Charlie Chungo and veteran leader Dave Batchelder.
- CSA Graphics had one player with a double-digit home run total in Matt Sepe. More impressive, Matt hit those 13 home runs in only 39 at bats! On a side-note, Matt led the team in RBI’s for CSA playing in only eleven games with 36.
- Healy Oil had a nice draft and first year player Matt Dowling hit 14 as did Wayne Meadows followed by Bruce Wilhelm with 13.
- PST had two players in double figures for homers, rookie Donald Slate with 12 and Ben Armstrong with 11. This is the first time in over 10 years where PST has had a player in double digits.
- The Drew Farms home runs parade was led by veteran left fielder Todd Shepherd. Drew’s also had significant home run contributions from rookies Jason Welch, Jim Scanlon and Kirk Cambrian.
The league relies on new players joining each year to keep the rosters filled and to supply an injection of new talent and energy. 2016 was a banner year for rookies and we highlight some of them here.
- Burton’s boasted two candidates for rookie of the year with Charlie Chungo and Eric Cataline. Charlie was a home run leader, batted .714 and finished second in team average. Chungo also took over at shortstop and showed off his cannon of an arm several times. Cataline, new to Westford from Arizona, finished third in average, brought a new level of energy and played a stellar left field. Cataline ran the bases aggressively, with 16 doubles. Cataline and Chungo also finished one and two in runs scored for Burtons. Together these two accounted for 47% of the team’s run scored in 2016.
- Healy Oil had a great rookie roster led by Matt Dowling, tied for their team lead in home runs. Unfortunately, their first pick was out on IR all year and their second pick could only make a few games. Halfway through the year they picked up Keith Mager who proved himself at the plate with consistent hitting.
- Short Cut nominated two for their rookie category. John Ablondi, batting .675 along with seven home runs. John had an amazing second half and showed why he led WA in home runs back in the day. Batting anywhere between third and fifth in the lineup he mastered his softball swing. John is a smooth outfielder and has a cannon for an arm. John Proulx also had a great first year. Batting .488, John only knew a few guys but quickly became the respected staple at second base. Forming a great double play combo with veteran John Humphrey, John’s defense was a primary reason for the second place finish for SCL.
- Floral Arts rookie Ryan Dunn was the standout and stepped in to the lineup of an already very good team. Ryan hit 14 home runs, knocked in 37, and batted .578 on the year.
- CSA Graphics was in the highly unusual position of having nine rookies on the roster for 2016. The standout among them was Billy Ryan. Billy played in every game this year, 24 for 24. He became a mainstay in center field, often times finding himself only one of three as CSA often fielded nine rather than the ten allowed. Ryan had multiple Willie Mays-like over the shoulder grabs to help on defense. He became the lead-off hitter with a solid average, 20 runs scored and 15 RBI. Billy was both reliable and a fun addition to the league and CSA.
- Pro Sports Therapy quickly pointed to Donald Slate as their runaway rookie of the year, and MVP if there was such a category. Slate hit 12 homeruns in 14 games played, shined at the short stop position, hit in the third spot, and boasted solid numbers. Slate batted .702 with 12 home runs, 37 RBI and 27 runs scored. As close to a five tool player as the league has, the PST brass stated, “the dude can flat out play, and he knows the game.”
- Drew’s rookie nominations go to the aforementioned Jason Welch, Jim Scanlon and Kirk Cambrian. All were home run leaders for the team and played key roles in Drew’s late season drive to the fifth seed playoff spot. Willis Tent rookie of the year goes to Justin Swanson. Justin was a driving force for Willis in a couple of key wins, once with a grand slam to secure the victory. Good under pressure, Justin played in 18 games, where he hit eight home runs, 19 singles, three doubles and one triple. Closing out his first season with an average of .484, Justin’s bat and overall playing capabilities was a much needed positive addition to Willis this season.
And finally, the unsung heroes. Not a lot of homeruns, not rookies, just guys who quietly do their thing, contribute at the plate and in the field, and deserve some notice. Several players were highlighted by their team as meeting these characteristics.
- On a team of stars, Paul Liguori quietly stands out for the Mustangs. Paul alternates pitching duties and hasn’t lost a game while on the mound in three years. An excellent fielder, Paul can play several positions well. He averages .600 at the plate and is known for his timely hitting and walks. And, as a doctor in “real life,” Paul also tends to minor wounds as needed.
- CSA Graphics unsung include Mike Cioffi, Bill Cullen and Jim DeMarco. Cioffi, playing in his first year, has solid stats including five home runs. Hitting behind Matt Sepe for protection, Cioffi once made a team pay with a grand slam when they intentionally walked the batter in front of him. Cullen, also an offensive leader, was a consistent presence on the mound. Playing in 18 games, Cullen, pitching in all of them, and was a huge asset to CSA. DeMarco, appearing in 21 of the 24 contests, is a reliable force at the plate and always consistent whether at short or third. Managing the team, absorbing nine rookies, hitting over .600 and scoring 25 of the teams less than 200 runs puts DeMarco deservedly on this CSA unsung list.
- Willis’ Pitcher Bobby Fluery in their undeniable unsung hero. Bob is Willis’ oldest player and signed up for one more year as a fully paid reserve player. Bob turned out playing in 15 games and wound up having one of his best years in his heralded 26-year career with Westford Over 30. Bob hit his first ever double this season and often filled the void as the needed tenth player. Bob was instrumental in several Willis’ wins with stellar pitching performances along with a contribution of 25 singles and one double for a season average of 605. Unsung hero, retired Air Force and “Over 30 Slow pitch” veteran Bob Fluery….
- Burton’s wins and run production totals grew significantly this year. Runs scored, as an example, grew 60% from 205 to 328. Burton’s unsung hero nods go to Greg Fitzgerald, Tim Scott and Peter Morano. Fitzgerald took over third base and played the corner well. Greg had the sixth most at bats and batted over .500. Tim Scott, likely the fastest player in the league, embodies the quiet demeanor of an unsung hero. Scott leads off and is in the top group of nearly every statistical category, Scott has a solid .600 average and scored 33 runs. Tim catches everything near him in the outfield, has a powerful arm, and would win nicest guy in the league if we open up that category. Lastly, Burton’s senior veteran Peter Morano always plays hard, swings the bat with power, and alternated at the first base spot. Peter made some nice grabs and knocked in key runs in the important closing games of the campaign.
- Pro Sports Therapy unsung goes to two easy choices. The first, John Bodi, elder statesman and 20-year member of the league. John is on the league board and manages the schedule, reschedules, complaints, and helps run his team along with Gary Royal. Rarely missing a game, John hits nearly .600 every year, to every field. Bodi was the long time PST shortstop and a very good one. Ceding the spot to a young player, John can play anywhere, and does, covering every spot in 2016. John could be the league’s unsung hero. Also for PST is Derek Donegan. Derek has played for over ten years and hits a consistent .500, this year he hit over .600. A versatile fielder, Derek plays all infield spots. Most importantly, Derek is known as a great team player, always positive and supportive to his own team as well as the opponent.
- Healy Oil’s Wayne Meadows, has their unsung title sewn up. Meadows home run title and stellar pitching performance kept hitters off balance and kept Healy in many games. Meadows could always be heard encouraging guys for a hit.
- Short Cut Landscaping is a big team with big hitters. First up for unsung, Bill Doherty, pitching in 80% of the games this year. Outstanding defensively, Doherty covers first base as well as anyone. Chipping in at the plate as well, Doherty hit .500 and hit his first home run since high school. Donny, “White Shoes” Morash gets the other mention for SCL. Stepping in as the primary third baseman, Donny has a great arm and can turn a double play. Batting .500 for the year, he also hit 12 home runs including several walk-offs.
Westford Over 30 softball is in the midst of the playoffs. The level of play is as impressive as are the post-game celebrations. Healy Oil proudly, and accurately, boasts that they are undeniably the best fed team in the league with a commonplace BBQ of entire hams, eight-pound beef roasts and pork/beef ribs. Teams often keep in touch year-round from card games to touch football, fantasy leagues to golf tournaments. Soon it will be spring again and the season opening barbeque will be in full swing and hopes of a playoff run will again be on tap.
