TOWNSHEND — It was a big deal in 2008 when the Leland & Gray Rebels won their first-ever Division III state baseball championship.
It was an even bigger deal in 2009 when the Rebels repeated as state champions.
This year, the Rebels made it three in a row as they shut out No. 6 Oxbow, 8-0, at Montpelier Recreational Field on June 15.
The title game victory gave the Rebels an impressive 18-2 record on the season and cemented Leland & Gray's reputation as having one of the best high school baseball programs in Vermont.
To put this feat in perspective, three years ago the Rebels won their school's first state championship under Keith Lyman (who is currently athletic director), before that they had never even won a Marble Valley League title. And since then, they have added two more titles to the Rebel trophy case under the direction of coach Tom Russell, who is now 8-0 in tournament play over the last two seasons.
No titles for decades, then three in a row? That is simply a remarkable feat for Leland & Gray.
“Through this playoff run, it has really been a team effort and we have gotten contributions from everyone,” Russell said in a recent interview. “Early in the playoffs, the bottom of our batting order really came through for us. Then, as the games got bigger, the top of our order really came through in the clutch. It really was a total team effort.”
Even without his best stuff, senior hurler Gabe Pozzi was masterful in his last game as a Rebel, firing a three-hit shut out while striking out five and walking three along the way. He got himself into a couple of jams along the way, but found his way out of them each time.
The Rebels got their offense going from the get-go, as Pozzi helped his own cause with a run-scoring double in the first inning, before scoring five more in the third on a passed ball, a run-scoring double from Tyler Russell, a bases-loaded walk to Trevor Howe and a two-run infield error.
Leland & Gray put it out of reach with two more runs in the fourth when after Brandon Reilly drew a walk, the captain Russell launched a home run to left field to give his team a comfortable 8-0 lead. Oxbow could not muster any offense the rest of the way as solid pitching and defense propelled the Rebels to another title.
“To win three championships in a row? It's tough to do much better than that,” said Coach Russell, “unless you win four in a row, I guess.”
The Rebels made it to the championship game after a 19-15 win over Northfield in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, Leland & Gray bested Green Mountain 4-1 after defeating Hazen 10-9 in the first round with a squeeze bunt despite committing a slew of errors earlier in the game.
Coach Russell was not up for making any predictions, but you can bet that this team will have one thing on their minds going into next season. That is because the Leland & Gray baseball program has created a winning culture. That is what happens when you win three straight championships. Congratulations to coach Russell and all the Rebel players who contributed to those titles.
Legion baseball season begins
The 2010 American Legion Baseball season began June 19 with a special ceremony at Tenney Field in Brattleboro.
Regina Meckle, Gold Star mother and wife of Sgt. Herb Meckle - who is serving with the Vermont National Guard in Afghanistan - threw out the first pitch before the start of Brattleboro Post 5's doubleheader with South Royalton Post 51.
Her son, Brattleboro native and Army Pfc. Kyle Gilbert was killed in action in Iraq in August 2003. Post 5 has dedicated the entire season to all Vermont National Guard personnel deployed overseas and it is the only Legion team in the state bearing the Green Mountain Boys' flag on their caps in addition to the American flag.
Post 5 swept South Royalton, winning the first game, 12-0 in five innings due to the mercy rule. Post 5 then took the nightcap, 6-0.
Brattleboro continued its winning ways the next day with a 15-4 road victory over Woodstock. Post 5's next game is an away matchup against Chester Post 67 at noon on June 26.
Bellows Falls Post 37 also started off its season victorious, with a 9-3 win over Woodstock at Hadley Field in Westminster on June 19. Post 37 pitcher Ben Hewitt gave up just two hits and one run in six innings of work to get the win.
Upcoming home games for Post 5 at Tenney Field include Rutland on Tuesday, June 29; Woodstock on Saturday, July 10; Fair Haven on Sunday, July 11; Chester on Tuesday, July 13; Bennington on Thursday, July 15; Hartford on Friday, July 16 and Windsor on Sunday, July 18.
Post 37's home games at Hadley Field include Fair Haven on Thursday, July 1; Chester on Monday, July 5; South Royalton on Saturday, July 10; Windsor on Tuesday, July 13; Hartford on Thursday, July 15 and Brattleboro Post 5 (doubleheader) on Saturday, July 17.