This Week in Somerset Baseball…

It was great week for baseball in Somerset Baseball League so let’s get right to it - here are our players of the week!

Tee-Ball Division – players of the week From the tee-ball D’Backs:

On 6/15/21 the DBACKS played the Dodgers: The Hustle award went to Haylee Teves – Congratulations Haylee!

Listening to the coach award went to Benjamin Pereira – Way to go Benjamin!

Honorable mention went to Savannah Henry and Owen DuBois for great fielding!

Instructional Division – players of the week Instructional Phillies players of the week are Brenden Vieira and Jaxon Pelletier. Brenden is a really great hitter and is starting to pay attention in the field. We all love Brenden’s personality, it’s sometimes hard for him to pay attention to the game but when he is paying attention, he is a great baseball player. Brenden is a funny kid, he will change into his cleats mid game and when he does, he runs like the wind!! We all enjoyed Brenden this season and he will be greatly missed. Jaxon has worked really hard at baseball this season and has really gotten his bat on the ball these last few weeks. When Jaxon hits the ball his face lights up the sky and you can see how proud he is of himself. We are all so proud of you Jaxon and it’s been a pleasure watching him progress over the season. Instructional Phillies coaches are extremely proud of all their players as they all played their hearts out and all had amazing improvement over the season. Congratulations Phillies on a wonderful season. We will miss you all and can’t wait to see you all next season.

The Instructional White Sox co-players of the week for June 21 are AJ Laurence and Robbie Gaw. Being the youngest and smallest player in the league, AJ faced some distinct challenges. He worked hard and improved as the season progressed. This week, AJ was able to a pitched ball and score some runs. Robbie was also a very inexperienced player. Although older than AJ, he faced similar challenges. His skill level and understanding of the game, were minimal at the beginning of the season, but improved by the end of the season. He too, was able to hit some pitched balls in the last few games. We very much enjoyed working with both boys and would look forward to doing so again.

Instructional A’s player of the week is Nathan Corsini. This past week Nathan had some hits from coach pitch. He’s come a long way from the first practice. He’s always smiling and having fun. He’s made friends with his teammates, and they all love to play with him. We can all see that Nathan loves baseball, Nathan is a great kid and we enjoyed coaching him this year.

Instructional Red Sox player of the week is Damon Forcier. Damon had his best game of the season the last game with some nice hits! He enjoys the game and the company of his teammates. Always trying his hardest! Great job Damon!

Rookie Division – player of the week From the Rookie Division Red Sox - Christian Baptista

Christian joined Somerset Baseball League 3 years ago and continues to show improvement and passion for the game! He continues to work hard and wanting to learn. His love for baseball shows on and off the field. He’s been a great teammate and respects his coaches and peers. He has been a consistent threat at the plate with his bat and only struck out once all season! Christian has played many positions in the field, but pitching has become his favorite and he has been working hard to learn. This week, he was the starting for the team’s first playoff game, pitching the first two innings, allowing only one hit, and striking out 4! A job well done young man! With his drive and passion for the game, Christian has a bright future on the field!!!

Minor Division – players of the week From the Minor Division Royals – The Royals won their first playoff game in a tough game against the Braves. We actually have co-players of the week as it was a complete team effort. Our first player of the week is Carter Richardson who was our starting pitcher and gave up just 1 run in the first 2 innings. He also led off for us in the bottom of the first inning with a single and eventually came around to score the first run of the game for us as we scored 4 runs that inning. Carter did struggle a little in the 3rd inning after some good hitting from our opponent, the Braves. However before leaving in the third, he still managed to get 2 outs that inning with a total of 6 strikeouts in the game.

Our second player of the week was Luke DeMoura who capped off the first inning with an inside the park to left field that went all the way to the fence. Luke also played excellent defense at 1B, 2B and in the outfield. Congratulations to both Carter and Luke and to the entire Royals team on getting the win in a great playoff game!

From the Minor Division Red Sox - In a pitcher's duel, Jackson Levesque threw two and one-third innings of scoreless ball, with 5 K’s and only one earned run. Aiden Bell took the hill with two outs in the third and closed the game out, with 11 K’s, one hit and just one earned run. At the plate, Ben Dumont went 2-for-3, with a . Aiden bell also went 2-for- 3 with an Inside the Park homer and a triple. Connor Dorsey, who started the 6th inning rally for the Red Sox, went 2-for-3, with a clutch, two-strike hit to right field.

Connor Dorsey was awarded the team's Heart and Hustle award. Connor displayed the leadership, effort and attitude that has made him an integral part of every team he's been a part of.

Congratulations to Aiden Bell who won the league's Minor Division Silver Slugger award for the season's best hitter. Aiden Bell stroked several inside the park home runs this season.

Congratulations also to Lucas St. Laurent who won the league’s Minor Division Cy Young award for the season’s best pitcher. Lucas was consistently effective on the mound this season for the Phillies amassing many K’s to help his team. So those are the players that “wowed” us this past week. Camp Bow Wow located in Swansea is our sponsor for players of the week. Don’t see your name? Remind your coach to submit your accomplishments for next week’s player of the week and you may see your name listed next time. Players of the week are selected not only for their playing skills but also for displaying good sportsmanship, teamwork, good listening skills and resilience.

Don’t Miss Our Summer Baseball League Raider Clinic! Register now for our 3rd annual Somerset Baseball League Raider Clinic. The clinic will be conducted by SBRHS Head Coach Dennis Almeida and staff and will be held at the SBRHS, July 19 to 23 from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Cost is $200 a player for current Somerset Baseball League players and $250 a player for Non-Somerset Baseball League players. (Sibling Discounts Applicable).

This popular clinic is great way to further develop skills, knowledge of the game, teamwork, and friendship.

*Check in starts daily @8:30am.

Click here to Register!

Get to know our Board of Directors, In this segment, we interview a member of our volunteer Board. This week, we interview board member, Frank Baptista:

How did you get involved with Somerset Baseball League and when did you join the board? My first involvement with Somerset baseball was as a player for then Somerset Little League over 30 years ago. Most recently, my son joined the league in 2017 and I’ve been coaching and volunteering since then. I joined the board this year.

What do you do in your role as a board member? I’m the Rookie Division Director.

What are some accomplishments you have seen since being a part of the board? I think the biggest accomplishment since being a part of the board is that amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve been able to provide a safe playing experience for school-aged children.

What has been your best experience or favorite memory since being involved with the league? It’s a been an absolute pleasure serving as part of the board and the experience working with the other members has been great! All the board members truly love what they do, and it shows in every board meeting. Each and every one of us have the children’s best interest and truly care about our baseball community and that has been the best experience thus far!

Frank - Thank you for your volunteerism and if any of our readers would like to join Somerset Baseball League’s volunteer Board of Directors to be part of a local nonprofit that provides for a rewarding experience and that truly gives back to the community to make it a better place for our youth, please e-mail us at [email protected] All are welcome!

Calendar Fundraiser Winners Each week we will be announcing the daily calendar winners. Winners are being contacted and will receive their prizes over the coming days. Here are the winners thus far:

June 1 – Pam Plant – Target gift card June 2 – Stacey Viveiros – Chili’s gift card June 3 – Jeffrey Morais – Agoro’s gift card June 4 – Paul Carvalho – Firestone Oil Change & O’Reilly Autoparts Car Wash set June 5 – Erica Brito – Shaw’s Supermarket gift card June 6 – Jennifer Stott – Fiesta Restaurant Gift Card June 7 – Alexia Bouchard – Applebee’s Gift Card June 8 – Sandy Beaudoin – Exxon/Mobil Gas Card June 9 – Kaitlyn Gregoire – Target Gift Card June 10 – Sue Faria – Barrett’s Ale House Gift Card June 11 – Owen Rego – Farm Coast Market Gift Certificate June 12 – Joyce Alexander – Cardi’s Gift Card June 13 – Kristen Serpa – Walmart Gift Card June 14 – Laurie Laliberte – Dunkin’ Gift Card June 15 – Sara Farias – Piri Piri Gift Certificate June 16 – Patty Dorsey – Gift Card Bonanza! June 17 – Adam Burnieika – Longhorn Steakhouse Gift Card June 18 – Deodata daSilva – Applebee’s Gift Certificate June 19 – Jessica Brown – Stop & Shop Gift Card June 20 – Brittany Comfrey – Market Basket Gift Card June 21 – Heather Monoson – Target Gift Card June 22 – Tamara Areias – Agoro’s Gift Card June 23 – Natalie Tavares – Dunkin’ Gift Card June 24 – Cory McDougal – Sonic Gift Card June 25 – Vincent Mis – Longhorn Steakhouse Gift Card June 26 – Carol Miranda - $100!

Keep your calendars handy because there are still plenty of prizes left in our June calendar raffle!

Thank you to all for making our annual calendar fundraiser a success!

Never Give Up! In the 2011 wildcard game, the were losing to the 7-0 in the 8th inning. Losing by seven runs that late in the game, many would have given up. But the Rays did not stop trying. Evan Longoria helped his team in the 8th inning with a home run to drive in 3 runs and after Dan Johnson, with 2 outs and 2 strikes against him in the 9th inning hit a home run to tie the game, this game is anything but over. Evan Longoria was at the plate again in the 12th but what are the odds he could hit another home run in the same game? Well, watch this video and see what happens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GebYKAlUIQ

Dan Johnson, Evan Longoria, and the Tampa Bay Rays remind us yet again, that no matter the odds, as long as there is still a chance, we should…Never Give Up!

Coach’s Counsel In this segment, Coach gives his advice to your questions. Here’s this week’s Q&A with Coach.

Question: What’s the best way to prepare to hit when I’m in the on-deck circle?

Coach’s Answer: Develop an on-deck routine. Copy and paste the link below to watch this video from Dick’s Sporting Goods to see how you should prepare for your next at-bat: https://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and- activities/baseball/developing-your-on-deck-routine-baseball-hitting-tips Have a Question for Coach? Submit your question and we may include it in next week’s edition.

Trivia Question?? The answer to last week’s trivia question: Which field(s) are named in memory of Officer Roy Stout?

Answer: c) The T-Ball Complex

This week’s trivia question: Where can you find this Somerset Baseball League sign?

a) Pottersville Baseball Field b) The South Complex c) The T-Ball Complex d) Chace School Baseball Field

Answer in next week’s edition!

Sponsor Spotlight We really appreciate the support our sponsors give for the benefit of everyone’s players. This week’s local business that has given back to the community by sponsoring Somerset Baseball League is…Car Connections! Need to buy a car? Car Connections’ mission is to provide the ultimate automobile buying experience by purchasing quality automobiles at the best prices and passing the savings on to their customers. They are conveniently located at 1821 County St., Somerset, MA. Stop by and see their great selection of cars or give them a call today at 508- 675-3750 and when you do, tell them: “Thank you for supporting Somerset Baseball League!”

Last chance to get your highlights and team news in TWISB– Team Managers and Coaches – yes, we decided to add one more edition due to the numerous requests we received for more “This week in Somerset Baseball.” But next week really will be our last edition of the season so reply to this email to include your team news in next week’s final 2021 spring season edition of This Week in Somerset Baseball!

Until Next Week…Play Ball!