Though our record was not as impressive as it has been in previous fall seasons, the GNHBL offered varsity-level competition week-in and week-out that provided a challenging test for our T-C team, which returned just one full-time player from a year ago. As evidenced by our victory over Cheshire, along with wins over three other teams that won more games (Colchester, Capitals and Glastonbury), we showed that we could play with anyone when we were at our best. Based on the GNHBL point system that rewards teams for playing its games, T-C actually finished tied with Colchester for the third-most playoff points in its 10-team division, but still finished well behind Groton and Cheshire, which qualified for the playoffs and were definitely two of the stronger teams we went up against. As a side note, it's also worth noting that we had another quality win early in the season over the West Hartford team that went on to win the SuperEast U18 tournament -- the league that T-C played in the last three falls.
 
Below are our team leaders in some key categories. While stats can be interesting to look at, keep in mind that during a short season like this, numbers can be skewed by one bad stretch, a couple of missed games, experimenting with your swing or delivery, playing out of position and numerous other factors. That said, many players showed great improvement as the season went on and we had some impressive statistical performances from a number of guys, including Brett Dootson (11 of 18 hits for extra bases) and Andy Doolittle (team-high .320 average) at the plate, Tyler Repoli (almost 13 Ks per 7 IP) on the mound, Jordan Hassett on the bases (perfect 12-for-12 on SB attempts) and the versatile Jeff Durso, who made just one error while being called upon to play six different defensive positions.

Of special note, however, is the season Jared Szuba put together on the mound. The Lyman Memorial junior gave up a run in the first inning he pitched -- against West Hartford on Sept. 3 -- and did not allow another earned run the rest of the fall, which covered 35 1/3 innings and resulted in a 0.19 ERA.

Pitching Leaders (min. 6 IP for calculated stats)
Wins: Szuba (4), Repoli (3), Kirkpatrick and Pandolfi (1)
Saves: Couture (2), Pandolfi, Repoli and Szuba (1)
Complete games: Szuba (2)
Shutouts: Szuba (1)
Strikeouts: Repoli (52), Szuba (42), Couture (15), P. Doolittle and Pandolfi (12)
K/7 IP: Repoli (12.9), Kirkpatrick (8.6), Szuba (8.1), Pandolfi (7.4)
BB/7 IP: Szuba (2.7), Repoli (4.9), P. Doolittle (5.9), Couture (6.4)
P/IP: Szuba (15.3), Repoli (18.5), Pandolfi (19.5), P. Doolittle (19.9)
BAA: Szuba (.139), Repoli (.144), Pandolfi (.216), Kirkpatrick (.263)
OBPA: Szuba (.228), Repoli (.305), P. Doolittle (.430), Pandolfi (.442)
ERA: Szuba (0.19), Repoli (1.73), Pandolfi (5.56), P. Doolittle (6.80)

Hitting Leaders (min. 20 PA for calculated stats)
Hits: Dootson (18), A. Doolittle (16), Szuba (14), Kirkpatrick (13)
Extra-base hits: Dootson (11), A. Doolittle (6), Szuba (4), Lampugnale (3)
Runs: Dootson (10), Hassett (9), Kirkpatrick (9), Durso and Szuba (8)
RBI: Dootson (11), A. Doolittle (8), Lampugnale, Repoli and Szuba (7)
Walks/HBP: Dootson (10), Repoli and Szuba (9), Durso and Lampugnale (8)
Stolen bases: Hassett (12-12), Underwood and Pandolfi (3-3), Durso and Kirkpatrick (3-4)
Sac hits: Couture and Lampugnale (2)
Slg. Pct.: Dootson (.576), A. Doolittle (.460), Szuba (.346), Repoli (.342)
OBP: Dootson (.406), Repoli (.383), Szuba (.377), Lampugnale (.373)
Avg.: A. Doolittle (.320), Dootson (.305), Szuba (.269), Lampugnale (.268)
K/PA: Underwood (.122), Szuba (.131), Couture (.135), Dootson (.159)

Defensive Leaders (min. 10 chances)
Fld. Pct: Dootson and Hassett (1.000), Durso (.968), Lampugnale (.963), A. Doolittle (.962)
CS Pct.: Lampugnale (.263), Pandolfi (.143).
OF assists: Repoli (2).

All stats and schedule are accessible by clicking on appropriate category from left navigation and going to dropdown for the season you want to view.

Five Tri-County players were selected for post-season honors and awards in the annual voting by Zone 7 coaches. Leading the way was Matt Fitton, who started in the outfield for the Zone 7 All-Stars for the second consecutive year when they faced the Zone 3 All-Stars on July 30 Palmer Field in Middletown. Three other players -- Mark DiTommaso, Tim Roesch and Sean Scanlon -- also were named to the Zone 7 team, which fell, 7-1. In addition, Jordan Tyler was selected to receive one of the Zone 7 Sportsmanship Awards and DiTommaso was a finalist in voting for the zone's Most Outstanding Pitcher Award, which went to Tom Coughlin of RCP.

The T-C honorees:
Matt Fitton: Zone 7 All-Star (outfield starter)
Mark DiTommaso: Zone 7 All-Star (first base reserve)
Tim Roesch: Zone 7 All-Star (outfield reserve)
Sean Scanlon: Zone 7 All-Star (pitcher)
Jordan Tyler: Zone 7 Sportsmanship Award

In addition, left-handed pitcher Tyler Repoli was the only rising junior selected to The Futures Game, a showcase for players who have remaining high school eligibility which took place on Aug. 9 at Memorial Field in Simsbury. The format for the event was changed slightly from last year, with players from Zone 7 teamed with players from other Central Connecticut teams (Berlin, Bristol, Unionville, Middletown, etc.) to form an 18-player "American Central" team. Repoli pitched two innings, played some at first base and had a hit in his only at-bat.

Tri-County finished third in Zone 7 with a 17-7 record, its .708 winning percentage the 13th best among 77 Senior Legion teams. T-C, which went 20-17 overall, advanced to the final 32 of the state tournament before being eliminated by Oxford, 4-0.

Tri-County's fall season ended with an 11-6 loss to Windsor Locks in the semifinals of the season-ending tournament. Despite the loss, T-C finished a successful campaign with a 16-7 overall record, including regular-season victories over both the tournament champion (New Britain) and runner-up (Windsor Locks).

Final team statistical leaders are listed below and complete fall stats are available in the "Stats" section dropdown labeled "2007 Fall Senior (U-19)".

When you're scanning the below list, check out how many different names show up. Sure, some guys are on there more than others, but there are many factors that can contribute to that, including playing time, positions, game situations, spots in the lineup, etc. The amazing thing is that virtually every member of our team -- all of our regulars and even a few U-17 call-ups and part-time guys who logged enough time -- show up in the top-5 in at least one statistical category. As much as anything, that should illustrate that those 16 wins really were a team effort.

Thanks to all for a great fall.

After dropping its first game in the Silk City Classic, 8-2 to the North Jersey Cardinals, Tri-County won three straight games over the next two days to finish 3-1 on the field in the August tournament in Manchester. Tyler Repoli (5 innings) and Sean Salinger (two innings) combined to defeat the Connecticut Dawgs 5-3 on Saturday night, before Stephen Streets went the distance as Tri-County scored a come-from-behind eight-inning victory over the Rhode Island Cardinals, 6-5. Tri-County then travelled across town and defeated an undermanned Connecticut Mustangs, 12-2. Based on tiebreakers and other factors, T-C ended up in third place. Stats from the tournament can be found in the "Stats" section dropdown labeled "2007 Silk City Classic".

Five Tri-County Senior players were honored following the '07 summer season:

-- Matt Fitton, Zone 7 All-Star starter in center-field (also nominated for Zone Player of the Year)
-- Liam Shea, Zone 7 All-Star starter in right-field
-- Sean Salinger, Zone 7 All-Star pitcher
-- Stephen Reiser, Zone 7 Sportsmanship Award recipient
-- Tim Roesch, Futures game outfielder