Post 383 wraps up 1994 baseball season
By Joe Blenkle/Sports Editor
(This article originally appeared in the Aug. 3, 1994 edition of The Orangevale News)
The team went a lot farther than anyone thought they would, but when push came to shove, the factor that haunted the Fair Oaks Post 383 American Legion team all season was their ultimate downfall.
"It was our lack of pitching," said Fair Oaks coach Don Barney.
The team was frequently forced to use non-pitchers on the mound, making for some interesting games throughout the season. Despite, this, Post 383 was in the chase for the American Division crown right until the final week of the season and finished in third place - good enough to advance to post-season play.
There, Fair Oaks defeated heavily favored Yolo in its opening game and went on to defeat Citrus Heights - the American Division champ - in its second game. Post 383 lost its next two games, however, to end its season.
Fair Oaks had several bright spots throughout the year, one of which was catcher Shawn Lucchesi, who won the Legion batting title with a .395 average - raising his mark to .409 by the end of Fair Oaks' visit to the playoffs.
Three Post 383 players were selected to the all-star team, including Chris Read (winning pitcher), B.J. Green and Brandon Muskopf.
The good news is that those three players, along with first baseman Trevor Surratt will be the only players Fair Oaks should lose for next season - returning most of the team to the 1995 campaign. "None of our players had any playoff experience this year," said Barney. That will change next year, however, as Post 383 should field another strong team in 1995.
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