Gaithersburg Junior American Legion Team Heads to National Tournament

American Legion youth baseball team’s 22-9 record earned it a berth in this year’s National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) High School Division World Series, in the Under-17 division.

The tournament begins Thursday in Knoxville, Tenn. The Junior Legion team — comprised of athletes from Northwest, Seneca Valley, Quince Orchard and Poolesville high schools —competes during the regular season in the Potomac Junior Legion East Division.

Coach Seve Cononie said he is hoping for big things from his players and said they have the talent to deliver.

"I believe our strength is our hitting this year,” Cononie said. “We don't hit for great power but we can put the bat on the ball and make you make plays. After watching this team mature and work as teammates, I believe they can give most teams a run for their money. These guys are fighters and do not give up easily. They proved time and time again this summer that they will do whatever it takes to win."

Cononie has some reason to be confident in his team's chances this week.  They enter the tournament with a .379 team batting average and have scored 239 runs.

Among the players Cononie said to keep an eye on this week are Northwest's Tony Cianci, who is batting .446 with two homeruns as well as Northwest's Nick Seigel (.559), "who is swinging a very hot bat for us."

Northwest's Joey Moeltner, Max Banks and Scott Ardoin, as well as Seneca Valley's Chris Heckhaus and Sean Baccus are other Germantown players Cononie expects big things from.

The Junior Legion team qualified for tournament last year. Cononie said that his team was a little awe-struck just to be there. It didn't really matter that the team went 1-3 while there. They were proud to just compete with the best teams from around the country.

This year is another story. While Cononie said he is once again excited for his kids, his expectations — and theirs — are a little higher.

"I saw the high level of competition that we faced last year so I am excited to participate again this year," Moeltner said. "We have a strong team and my teammates have a lot of heart."

With those higher expectations comes another: Cononie's wish that his athletes savor the moment.

"Just knowing our players are going to get a chance to compete against some of the best talent from all over US and Canada is a big deal for me," Cononie said. "You can only hope they play up to their ability and give it 110-percent just like they have all summer. We work these guys very hard from last days of cuts to last day of season. So having an opportunity to go to the World Series is icing on the cake for them and all their hard work."

Shortstop Johnny Jan echoed the same feelings as his teammates and his coach.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to see where we stack up against our competition," he said. "We hope to be competitive, play hard, and win a few games, at least enough to get into the finals."

"If we can accomplish that, anything can happen, possibly bring home the hardware.  Most of all are the memories and friendship that we cultivate with our teammates, families and opposing players that will last us a lifetime."