Legion Baseball’s Playoff Run Comes to an End
Story Updated 10:59AM Saturday, August 11, 2012
Medford High’s John Lavoie had a solid season on the mound for the Legion team.
– Allison Goldsberry
The Medford American Legion Post 45 baseball team’s playoff run ended on Thursday night with a 7-4 loss to Weston in the semifinals of the Chairman’s Cup.
Coach Ryan Kozul praised John Lavoie (Medford High School) for his performance on the mound. Lavoie gave up no earned runs in the loss.
Despite the loss, Coach Kozul is proud of the season his team had.
“While the ending was disappointing, my players have a lot to be proud of. Our ten wins are the most for a Medford Legion team since 2001, and we advanced to the Final Four of the Chairman’s Cup for the first time ever,” said Kozul. “The commitment level this year was great, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. In terms of attitude and effort, this was the best group of players I’ve ever coached, and we proved we had the talent to compete with the best the state had to offer.”
Coach Kozul acknowledged two talented players who are moving on to college next year, Malden Catholic’s Paul Covelle and Medford High School’s Mike Pizzi.
“I’d like to wish Paul Covelle and Mike Pizzi the best as they move on to college,” said Kozul. “Paul has been the rock of this team for three seasons, and he has really come into his own as a pitcher over the last year. Franklin Pierce is getting a great player and an even better teammate in the fall. Mike has been a pleasure to watch over the last two years. He turned himself into an outstanding defensive center fielder, and he brought his best effort every day. He’s someone who will be sorely missed at Medford High next year.”
Coach Kozul also had praise for Covelle’s younger brother Ryan.
“Ryan was the most pleasant surprise of all. He led the team in wins, and his twelve strikeout, two hit performance against Natick was one of the highlights of the season,” said Kozul.
Kozul, an assistant varsity baseball coach at Medford High, is looking forward already to a promising spring season.
“After the successful summer season that we had, I’m excited for the future of MHS baseball. Returning seniors John Lavoie and Jake Porrazzo had terrific summers, and they were leaders on and off the field. Mike Koury, Dave Center, and Kevin Andrew also had solid seasons and improved their all around games,” said Coach Kozul. “Even young players Andrew Cronin and Dom Ramasci got the chance to contribute, and they held their own against much older competition. My hope is that these players build on the strides they made this summer and work hard in the off-season to make sure that we have a state tournament contender at MHS once again in 2013.”