The Lynn Babe Ruth All-Star team continued to prepare for its trip to the Babe Ruth World Series with a fundraiser and meet-the-team event Monday at Old Tyme Italian Cuisine.
The City of Lynn is rallying around the New England regional champion Lynn team as it heads to the Virginia next week to compete in the tournament and hopefully bring home a world championship, a feat last accomplished by a Lynn team in 1983.
Italian Cuisine. Front row are Jaiden Driscoll and Seth Sullivan. Middle row are Coach Rich Avery, Richie
Avery, Matt Lewis, Shea Newhall, Josh Doney, Jake Peterson, Jared Paone, and Manager Leon Elwell. Back
row are Chris Marks, Nick Marks, Kyle Cummings, Alex Lara, Christian Figueroa, Gilly Galva, Brendan Sack,
Ryan Amirault, and Coach Kyle Cadilieri. Missing from Photo: Coach John Peterson
The Ace, Josh Doney, Is Ready To Take the Hill
Josh Doney, the ace of the Lynn staff, will get the nod as the opening game starter in the Babe Ruth World Series. Doney was 6-0 on the road to the New England championship.
“It’s exciting to think about it,” said Doney, who is a sophomore at St. Mary’s High School. “My fastball has been working. My coach, Rich Avery, has had me mixing the pitches, starting with the curveball, fastball, and slider, and then I just attack inside the zone and get the hitters swinging.”
Doney also lauded Lynn catcher, Kyle Cummings, for his excellent work behind the plate “Kyle’s been great. He catches everything and blocks everything. I played baseball with him before on my 13-year-old AAU Giants teams.”
Asked about the possibility being a world champion at the age of 15, Doney said, “I think that’s cool. That would be unbelievable.”
Doney said his family will be traveling to Virginia for the World Series.
Manager Elwell Excited About the World Series
Manager Leon Elwell will be making second trip to the Babe Ruth World Series. “Getting to the World Series has taken a lot of hard work by a lot of people, especially the boys,” said Elwell. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for them, so it feels great. This is a very exciting time.”
Elwell said the first goal is to get through pool play and advance to the single-elimination rounds.
Jason Newhall, a college pitching standout whose son, Shea, is a member of the Lynn team, said that the coaching has been exceptional.
“They’re really great with kids,” said Newhall. “Leon and Jeff {Earp] and all the guys in Babe Ruth do a great job getting everybody together and provide quite a product for the kids. With this trip to the World Series, they’re creating memories for the kids for the rest of their lives.”
Newhall said pitching will be a key factor in the Babe Ruth World Series. “Pitching win games. You need a good nucleus of pitchers, and this team has that.”