2015 Black Sox Put Together Great Year in Lehigh Valley 16+ American

Lehigh Valley (PA) MSBL 16+ American Division

‘All-Stars Lewis, Traino and Giumento Lead the Way’

Submitted by Dan Snyder, Black Sox manager

This was our seventh season in the Lehigh Valley MSBL and the first time we had a winning record, 11-9. We were also led by co-managers Andy Hein and Joe Dematto and assembled a terrific group of guys who all played high school ball but nothing past that. We went through a bunch of seasons with tough defeats and blowouts, but kept plugging away. This season we made it to the championship for the first time, which felt absolutely incredible after being in the league so long. Even though we didn’t win it, it was a huge accomplishment for us after many tough seasons.

Billy Lewis led the way for us with a .400 average, followed by John Wagner at .392 while Matt Traino hit .367. Kyle Giumento was our ‘ace’ at 4-1 while striking out 66 in 40 innings and ending with a 2.48 ERA.

My favorite memory this year was in our first playoff game at home with a nice crowd, coming back from a 7-2 deficit in the seventh, and walking off in the ninth, winning 9-8. My advice for any new managers is to have fun, keep the guys who are team players and get rid of the guys that are poisoning the team chemistry. Make it easy on yourself and make everyone pay before the season starts. We really take pride in scoping out who we add to the roster, regardless of the player’s talent level. It can make for a rough season if you add someone to the team who may be very talented, but has the wrong attitude. We all love the game and each season, regardless of our record, have a great time and plan to do so for many years to come. A big thanks to the MSBL for giving us this opportunity!