NASHUA, N.H. – John Ryan’s formula in building a quality American Legion baseball program in Salem is as old as the hit-and-run.
And, it’s pretty simple, too. Find kids who love the game, who are dedicated and are selfless.
The results the past couple years for Salem Post 63 are pretty staggering. And the amazing success couldn’t be blunted, even with Tuesday’s, tough, 5-4, state championship loss to Bedford.
“The kids fought very hard. These kids got us to the semifinals last year, they really, really worked hard, too. They changed the dynamic here. They did,” said Ryan, whose Post 63 crew finished up the long weekend here at states, 4-2, and the summer season at 16-8.
“As a coach, the biggest thing is to bond the players. They have to love one another and respect one another. The next thing is try to teach them how to play baseball, and the next thing is to try and teach them how to win. They’ve learned how to win.”
We live in an era where “surviving” at the legion level has grown almost as difficult as “winning.”
The travel game and AAU ball, with tournaments all over the country, have become the shiny, new toy.
Legion has gone the way of the “Slinky” in a lot of towns. It’s old, antiquated and at best a time-eater.
Post 63 used that to its advantage and prospered where others have failed mightily.
It’s not just Salem guys anymore, or a team full of Blue Devils and a stray or two from Central Catholic who live in town.
Dirt dogs from neighboring Windham High and Pinkerton Academy sought out summer homes where the game and the team mattered. Post 63 was there for them.
“It’s a great program. The first game of summer I showed up and didn’t play,” said outfielder Jake Adrien, a Pinkerton product who just finished his freshman year at Plymouth State. “The second game, I showed up and played and I’ve been playing every game since.
“It’s fun. There’s a brotherhood that we have on this team. It’s the love of baseball. Everyone on this team plays to the very end. You can see it. It’s a team effort from everyone. Ten guys, one bench player, everyone is working. The motivation is here. We wanted to see how far we could go. I’m just very glad I decided to play here for the summer. It was an awesome time.”
By the time the final swing was taken on Tuesday evening, Ryan’s guys were beat. Six games in five days in the relentless heat with only 10 men on the roster is no walk in the park.
Of course, Post 63 went down fighting hard.
“What’s hurt baseball is the AAU programs. If the kid isn’t playing in one, the mother or father just finds them another. We can’t do that here,” said Ryan proudly. “Sure, we lose players, but everybody else who sticks around here is highly committed. A lot of kids give up today because of AAU. You can see the difference here, they fight.”
One of the top seniors in our region this past spring, infielder Jake Sullo hit .364 with 17 steals for Windham High.
He wasn’t sure what to think when he joined Post 63 part-way through the summer sprint. He encountered an experience he won’t soon forget.
“I was five or six games late, but it worked out pretty good. It’s a solid group of guys, a fun team to play for, great coaches,” said Sullo, who will likely attempt to walk-on this fall for Division 2 college powerhouse Southern New Hampshire University. “They were very welcoming here. I just think, combining the towns it’s a very talented group of kids. John Ryan is one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.
“This is a very gritty team. We know we still have chance at any point in any game. We did very well as a team, and for sure, I’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”
Ultimately, Post 63 came up just short of the state title goal.
But for sure, for the second straight summer, guys like Adrien, the Sullo brothers (Jake and Jason), Dom Toscano, Aaron Masson, Owen Doherty, Cooper Deschene, Aiden Theriault, Jack Quinby, Josh Martino and Kevin Hardy have left their mark.
And thanks to the Post 63 program, they had a pretty good time doing it.