This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/25/2023 11:17 PMThe competition pool and level of talent and interest have been on a recent rise with regards to the Branford Little League, with one of its squads having a very successful regular season before having some of its members being selected to a district tournament team that made a deep run.
Led by Head Coach John Limone, who also is the head coach of the Branford High School football team, the Branford Little League’s Anderson & Krause club (comprised of kids aged 10-12 years old) finished off an impressive and perfect 18-game regular season in the Majors Division prior to claiming their league’s Round Robin Tournament title to post an overall mark of 20-1. From there, players from that squad were selected to the town’s Majors All-Stars team to compete in the District 4 Tournament and went 4-4 for their efforts in the draw to reach the semifinals.
“We had a great year, and the undefeated regular season was very cool,” said Limone. “It was a great team; the kids treated each other well. There was a lot of good team chemistry and camaraderie. Aside from wins and losses, this was one of the best teams I’ve been a part of. We got contributions from everyone, either with the bat or in the field. The kids listened and worked hard, and our results were due to their attitude.”
Limone added that the biggest feat from this summer was not a signature play or victory, but rather the palpable pulse of teamwork well prevalent in the dugout. Still, Branford represented the town quite well on the district circuit by giving some of the top programs all they could handle.
“We had games, whether they were walk-off wins or where the kids came through late, where they really came through and handled the pressure well,” Limone said. “The biggest accomplishment, though, was the atmosphere within the team. They picked each other up, and we always had a game where everyone did something to help us win. In the district tournament, we beat Cheshire 4-1 in the first game. Then, we lost to eventual champion Orange, but it was a game that was scoreless through six innings. We pitched well and played good defense. Against Hamden, we went ahead 5-0 in the third, but then they loaded the bases in the sixth, yet we had two big defensive plays to end the game and get us to the playoff round.”
The ride concluded with an 11-1 loss to Orange later in that District 4 draw, but Branford can boast with a great deal of pride due in part to its squad and gamesmanship while the youngsters got a satiable taste of the next level and bigger stage of the game.
“Orange is a very deep and talented team, but our kids competed, and I am proud of them,” said Limone, whose team compiled three victories in seven contests for the tournament’s play-in games. “It was a great chance to be in a more competition-focused setting rather than a developmental one. It was great for the kids to see what is out there, because after Little League, the competition level and priorities within the game changes. Yet they took it all in stride and competed.”
In looking at the bigger scope of events within the town and the state of the Little League union, Limone sees the direction of things trending upward with an overall optimism, as the boys of summer look to grow up and become the young men who will aim to add to the lengthy lineage and productive pedigree of Branford baseball.
“For our league this year, we took strides; we had a lot of kids trying to get better out there,” said Limone. “The league overall was much improved this year and was a lot deeper. We hope to see the trend continue and to keep promoting baseball within the town. It is a great sport, and Branford has a great history of success with baseball. It also provides the kids a great chance to compete.”
For the Anderson & Krause club in the regular season, Limone was assisted by coaches Steve Bray and Stosh Konesky. The team was comprised of Destin Miller, Braedon Freiss, Peyton Swanson (named league MVP), Eli Johnson, Anthony Serio, John Cottle, Luciano Cassanova, Camden Bray, Daniel Sullivan, Chase Konesky, Grady Johnson, Steve Bray, and bat girl Peyton Bray.
With the All-Stars squad, he had Konesky and Kurt Warner at his disposal for assistant coaches. The roster was made up of Mason Lougal, Mason Pagliaro, Braedon Freiss, Destin Miller, Fernando Tobar, Chase Konesky, Peyton Swanson, Blake Barnikow, Matt Gilman, Austin Warner, John Cottle, and Grady Johnson.