Canton Legion Baseball Starts Playoff Run

The following is by Yoni Monat:

The American Legion Canton Post 24 baseball team’s excellent late-season starting pitching performances and offensive production up and down the batting order enabled the squad to earn a berth in the state playoffs.

Canton finished the regular season 13-11, good for the #4-seed in District 6 East. After a rocky opening to the season, Head Coach Greg Lyons is very pleased with the squad’s progression over the course of the summer.

“I really did not know what to expect from the squad, and after the slow start we had, I thought it could potentially be a long summer,” Lyons said. “But whenever we hit a roadblock, we always seemed to overcome it and find a way to win ballgames.”

The summer baseball team consists of high school players residing in Canton and Sharon. Captaining the squad are Canton residents Drew Blake (Milton Acad.) and Steve Mullaney (Canton High) and recent Sharon High graduates Jake Fishman and Nathan Pedersen.

This summer was Post 24’s first in District 6 East; the squad previously was a member of the district’s West side. Canton was widely predicted to be one of the division’s weaklings this season.

“Nobody believed we could come close to making the playoffs,” said captain Drew Blake. “So I feel that we really proved ourselves to the new league and showed the other teams we can play with them now and years to come.”

Lyons has been impressed with how the team came together after he and Post 24 manager Al Jackson had sensed that the squad wasn’t clicking early in the season.

“We have a good mix of young guys and 2nd and 3rd year veterans, and once everyone got to know each other and gelled together, we started to play great baseball that translated to wins,” Lyons said.

Blake has led an offense that found its groove towards the end of the season. Post 24 plated 30 runs over its most crucial stretch, a four-game winning streak July 14-17.

During the 23-game regular season, Blake hit.375, mashed six home runs (the team’s total), and drove in 27 runs – leading to a .736 slugging percentage. The left-handed-hitting third baseman also stole a team-high 14 bases. Outfielder Matt Shaffer led the team in batting average (.410).

One other regular is above .300 (Fishman, .329), and several other regulars are batted in the high .200s. The offense has clicked when players throughout the lineup have hit to their potentials, contributing to a well-rounded attack.

“I think pretty much everyone has played a role at some point this year in helping us finish 4th and win 13 games,” Lyons said. “We couldn't have done it without every single guy stepping up at one point or another.”

Pitching was generally a strength for Post 24 throughout the summer. Fishman, a lefthander, dominated over his 34 innings to the tune of a 4-1 record, a 1.03 ERA, and 38 strikeouts. Righthander Kevin Powers posted three victories, and five other pitchers won single games.

“Fishman, all year, has been our ace,” Lyons said. “He’s unreal. Anytime I hand him the ball, I am shocked if we lose. He doesn’t walk anyone. He has eight different pitches and keeps the game moving. He’s my type of pitcher.”

Lyons sent Fishman to the hill to open Post 24’s postseason on Wednesday night, while Pedersen will pitch the following outing. Games 1 and 2 of the series versus rival Foxboro Post 93, the #2-seed in District 6 West (18-6), will be Wednesday (5 p.m. at Foxboro High) and Thursday (5 p.m. at Canton High).

Lyons says the squad is excited to begin postseason play. “The district playoffs is exactly why we battled all summer through the heat, rain, and tough scheduling,” he said. “It makes all of those long games, days, weeks worth the fight.

“I expect our boys to come out strong, give it 110% effort from the first pitch to the last out of the game. The results of the games will take care of themselves. But I have all the confidence in the world that if we play our game, we have a great shot of making it past Foxboro and into sectionals,” Lyons added.

Blake says that Post 24 is confident that they will repeat their strong all-around performances of several late-regular-season games. “My expectations are high for the postseason.

“I truly believe we can advance past Foxboro because when we play our game - when the entire lineup is contributing offensively and defensively - we can play with and beat any team.

Should the teams split the first two games, the rubber match of the best-of-three series would be on Friday night at Foxboro High at 5 p.m. The winner of the series will advance to the South Sectional Bracket Tournaments, which begin on Sunday.

Blake said, “I am looking forward to the playoff series against Foxboro, and hope we can make a run in the tournament.” Lyons added, “If/when we’re in sectionals, anything can happen from there.”