SPRINGFIELD – Down 4-0 after two innings in the season opener on the road wasn’t quite the start that American Legion Post 124 baseball head coach Don Irzyk had in mind.
Add a little bit of rust and some defensive miscues and the visitors find themselves in a big hole.
Then, a comeback. Three runs in the third, one in the fifth, then a two-run double from Nate Barnes—one of eight eligible post-graduates—put the road team on top and they would remain on top for a 7-4 win over Springfield Post 21.
This is resiliency.
Resiliency also could be starting pitcher Matt Irzyk throwing a complete game while allowing just five hits and saving the bullpen during the initial stretch of five games in six days. Resiliency is letting go of the rust and bouncing back to a road win.
Resiliency is going to be a theme for the 2014 summer edition of American Legion Post 124 baseball in Westfield.
So far, so good after one game.
“Ultimately, I’m really optimistic about this team,” said Irzyk. “I think we’ll be a really high-quality team. We’ll be solid defensively. We’ll be very strong with the bats. I’m really optimistic in that respect.”
There’s certainly a lot to be optimistic about in Westfield this summer. After losing in the quarterfinals of the high school tournament on home soil, several Westfield High School players return to the diamond, along with several other local players from St. Mary and Westfield Voc-Tech, among other schools.
Eight other players on the roster haven’t donned the red and black, green and gold or purple and gold in a year, but are still eligible this summer. At age 19, the maximum eligibility age, Post 124 sports a group of postgraduates who attend area colleges.
“The guys that I have returning are guys that were really into baseball in high school,” said Irzyk. “The bottom line is I know that they’re going to do everything they can to make themselves playable. It’s not like I’m going to have to wait three weeks for them to come around, which is a positive.”
There is one concern for the coaching staff.
“Our biggest problem right now is the depth of pitching,” said Irzyk. “We play four days straight, so it gets to be a very intense schedule. Basically, what you’re looking at is an 18-game schedule that has to be played from June 10 to July 12. The deeper the teams are in pitching, the better off they’ll be for the most part.
“In our case, we have experienced ballplayers, decent batters, decent fielders,” said Irzyk. “We have depth all the way through. I just wish we had more depth in the pitching. That to me is our only concern.”
Post 124 continues its initial five-games in six day stretch with its first two home games Wednesday and Thursday evening at Westfield State University. Northampton visits the Whip City, followed by a visit from neighboring Agawam.
