Baseball: American Legion Shrub Oak Post 1080 Juniors Team Enjoys Successful Season

The American Legion Shrub Oak Post 1080 Juniors Team is having a season to remember. Most recently, the were the runner-ups in the 3th Annual Firecracker Invitational Tournament held in Providence, Rhode Island over Fourth of July weekend -- a tournament that hosts many of the best American Legion teams in the Northeast.

Heading into the American Legion District Championships, their record stands at 17-4-1. They were the champions at the 4th Annual Artie Pisano Memorial Tournament, held in New City last month. They were also named the champions of the Burdell Bailey Coopers Cave Tournament, held in Saratoga Springs, NY from June 23 through June 25.  

The team is comprised primarily of players from the Yorktown High School and Lakeland High School baseball programs, but there are also players on the team from Mahopac, Somers, Valhalla and Verplanck. The team is coached by Sal Gallinelli and Rich Silver and managed by Sonny Graci. They are sponsored by American Legion Post 1080 in Mahopac.

American Legion Baseball enjoys a reputation as one of the most successful and tradition–rich amateur athletic leagues. Today, the program registers more than 5,400 teams in all 50 states, including Canada and Puerto Rico. Almost 100,000 youths, ages 15-19, participate annually. Since its inception, the league has had 10 million players, and nearly 75 percent of current college players are program graduates. 

The team is as follows: 

• Michael McLynn, Valhalla
• Dan Rooney, Shrub Oak
• Nick Mariani, Shrub Oak
• Anthony Fava, Yorktown
• Jay Salvatierra, Yorktown
• Matthew Wright, Yorktown 
• Vinnie Finelli, Yorktown 
• Ray Bozek, Cortlandt Manor
• Mike Nash, Shrub Oak
• Joe Pietropaolo, Yorktown
• Zach Bocian, Yorktown 
• Frankie Mele, Croton
• Joe Dizon, Mohegan Lake
• John Battista, Yorktown
• Chris Arita, Somers
• Chris Romano, Mahopac
• Chris Conklin, Yorktown
• Scott Russo, Yorktown