Lyndon ace shines in the summer sun

But for Lyndon junior Shane O'Donnell-Leach, his summer was quite different. His was filled with 50-hour work weeks in the daylight, followed by evening pursuing his passion for the game of playing baseball. 

After compiling a win-loss record of 4-5 with an earned-run-average of 4.56 in his sophomore season with the Hornet baseball program, O'Donnell-Leach suddenly found himself on a summer odyssey that not only benefited him professionally, but on the baseball diamond as well.

"The funny thing is that I wasn't planning on playing baseball this summer, but I was talking to (Lyndon Assistant Baseball Coach) Mark Hilton at the end of the year and he asked me what I was doing for the summer," said O'Donnell-Leach. "I told him I was going to be a physical education teacher at a summer camp. When he asked me what I was doing for baseball, I told him I didn't have any plans. He immediately got on the phone and within five minutes he had me a tryout in the Cranberry League and things just took off from there."

 Within a few short weeks, O'Donnell-Leach had earned himself a roster spot with the Plymouth Pirates, an expansion team competing in its first year in the CBL.

Since its inception in 1960, the Cranberry Baseball League has provided a venue for the New England's best amateur, collegiate and former professional players. The CBL is a wooden bat league and a member of the American Amateur Baseball Congress. It competes in the Stan Musial Division and the 2010 campaign marked the 51st season for the league.

The Cranberry League currently consists of 11 teams in a geographical area of Massachusetts that stretches from Boston in the north, to Cape Cod in the south and from Weymouth in the east to Foxboro in the west.

The CBL regular season schedule runs from Memorial Day through mid-July. The top- teams qualify for and compete in the AABC Stan Musial Tournament State Tournament.

Since early June, O'Donnell-Leach's days were filled with hours of teaching physical education at Bay Farm Montessori Academy while his evenings were devoted to bettering himself athletically as a member of the Pirate pitching staff.

"I met a lot of great kids and I had a lot of fun playing sports with them all day," he said. "And having the chance to play baseball at night was just awesome. We played just about every other day and had doubleheaders on weekends. There weren't many days off to practice, but it was a lot of baseball, much like a (American) Legion season."

In his first year in the CBL, O'Donnell-Leach turned in a solid performance. He amassed a win-loss record of 2-4 with an ERA of 2.63. In 32 innings pitched, he allowed 18 hits, 12 runs – all earned – while striking out 36 and walking only 18.

On Thursday, June 24, O'Donnell-Leach went the distance in Plymouth's 1-0 victory over the Middleboro Bolts. He allowed only three hits while fanning six and walking two. For his efforts, he was named Cranberry League Pitcher of the Week.

Plymouth's (11-13) regular season came to an end on Sunday, July 11 with a 7-0 win over the Brockton Dirtdogs. The game may have marked the ending of O'Donnell-Leach first season in the CBL, but the experience he gained is something he will carry with him as he enters his junior year at Lyndon.

"I played with many Divisions I athletes and I learned a lot about their work ethic and approach to the game," he said. "I saw many great pitchers over the summer and worked with several outstanding coaches. It was certainly great experience learning from them."