BELCHERTOWN — When the Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion coaching staff put together its roster for the 2024 summer season, head coach Todd McDonald couldn’t stop thinking about the potential his group had. The talent was undeniably there to repeat as Western Mass. champions after winning in 2023.

But with players coming from a variety of different schools and towns, the question was, as is the case with every Legion team, how would they all come together?

McDonald had his answer in the blink of an eye.

“I knew when we looked at the roster at the beginning of the year that it was going to be a very good team,” McDonald said. “We didn’t quite know how good, because you never know how long it takes to gel with players coming from different high schools and towns. But they did right away.”

It became apparent very quickly that there were no individual egos or agendas from any player on Belchertown’s roster. Everyone felt they deserved the chance to start and play significant innings, and rightfully so considering they were all on the field for the entirety of every game at their respective high schools.

To give everyone the same time on the diamond they got during the spring wasn’t possible, though.

Sacrifice had to be made.

And each member of Post 239 knew they’d get their chance at some point. They had to stay ready when needed, whether it be a pinch-hit opportunity or being prepared to make plays in the field. The selflessness paid off, and it led Belchertown to a 17-2-1 overall record, a second consecutive Western Mass. title and two wins in the state tournament.

“I knew I had options regardless of the situation,” McDonald said. “That made my job a lot easier. So if for some reason a player had to miss a game, whether it was work or vacation, we knew we had others that we could roll in and not lose a beat… And as we got deeper into the season, the mindset was like, ‘Let’s just keep winning.’ They all had such a high baseball IQ that they knew where and when certain players fit better in certain situations. They believed in each other just as much as they did in themselves, and that really helped us.”

During last year’s state tournament, Belchertown won just one game before being eliminated. Post 239’s goal was to improve on that this summer, and they did that right away – winning their first two games to bring themselves within one game of the championship in a double-elimination-style bracket.

They beat Hingham 6-5 in their opening game before edging out another close win over Lowell, 5-3, in round two. After going 9-0-1 in games decided by two runs or less throughout the regular season, including wins in the Western Mass. semifinals (2-0) and finals (6-5), Belchertown was plenty ready for tight games in the postseason.

“At this point, every team is good,” McDonald said of the state tournament. “Once we played Hingham and beat them, we started believing ourselves a little bit more. And then we played Lowell, and they were an outstanding team, then we really started to believe. I think the district tournament helped us prepare for that. It prepared us for tough baseball and tough situations.”

The next two games didn’t go according to plan for Post 239. They ran into a red-hot Shrewsbury team – which went on to win the tournament – in a game that punched a ticket to the state finals, then lost 9-8 to Hudson after taking a commanding 8-0 lead in the first inning. That eight-run advantage stuck all the way until the fifth before Hudson scored nine runs over the last three frames to storm from behind and win.

Despite the heartbreak for Belchertown, being one game short of the state finals is the deepest a Hampshire County team has made it in recent history (an official date was not found).

“The bottom line is, I couldn’t be more proud of this team and this coaching staff,” McDonald said. “I’m grateful for the time and commitment that everybody gave to this organization and to themselves. When we got to the state tournament, we knew it was our duty and responsibility to represent District 3. I think all the players understood that and carried that with pride.”

There was no shortage of offensive firepower for Post 239. The bats of Beau Elson, Patrick Fitzgibbons, Brady Perkins, Cody West, Ian McDonald, Cooper Beckwith and really everybody else in the lineup helped give the pitching staff run support to play with in most games.

And that rotation of arms was already dangerous as is, so pitching with a lead only made them scarier. West, Perkins and Thatcher Rudnik emerged as the three regular starters, and Jake Waller, Ryan Gould and Evan Ferguson headlined a bullpen that was as deep as they come in the state.

The influx of pitching served as Belchertown’s leg-up on its opponents.

“We identified who our starting core was, and we knew we had reliable relievers,” McDonald said. “We were able to manage all of their innings because we were so deep on the mound, and I think that was helpful over the course of the summer.”

McDonald’s favorite part about Post 239’s success wasn’t solely results-based. The fact that each player held an important role on the team, and the fact that they all did it together was special for him – especially since he coached nearly each player on the roster during their youth baseball days.

“It’s hard to find a team that was as deep and as connected as this one,” McDonald said. “And a lot of them played together growing up and I had the pleasure of coaching them. You can look up and down our roster and find a particular instance where throughout the summer, each one made a contribution. They should feel good and feel proud that they were a part of every single win we had this year.”