ERIC GREEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
“Recognizing Outstanding Attitude, Sportsmanship and Team Spirit”
In 2012, Southborough Little League established an award in memory of the late Eric Green to be presented to a 12 year old player at the conclusion of each Spring season. This award is based on qualities exhibited by Eric during his baseball career and throughout his life - good sportsmanship, perseverance and overall commitment to family, team, and friends.
To learn more about Eric and his family, read this story from Wicked Local Southborough (link opens new window)
Congratulations to James Griffin - the 2024 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner (Baseball)!
NOMINEES: Nathan Raymond, Colin Moore, James Griffin, Zac Diesenhaus
Nominated by Coach Brian Gray
I have had the great pleasure of coaching James Griffin for two out of the last three years. My first time meeting James was in AAA in the season that Northborough and Southborough merged to form ABSA. Very few of the kids knew each other, but as we were stretching and going around the circle with introductions, James made a huge impression on me. He was very attentive as the other kids sharing their information, so he could get to know his new teammates. There was a quieter kid sharing his information, and a couple of the kids were distracted and started talking to each other. James stated very firmly but in a friendly manner that we should all be respectful and listen to their teammate share his information. James very clearly loves the game of baseball, but it was his understanding that his teammates were kids that deserved everyone's respect that first stood out to me in that first AAA practice.
Now as a 12 year old, I have the privilege of coaching James in his second year of Majors. His positive attitude for his teammates has not wavered, even in the more competitive environment. He is the first one to encourage his team to forget a bad play or inning, and not to worry about a mistake that was made or an at-bat that did not have a great outcome.
James has struggled at the plate at certain points this season, but you would never know it based on how positive he remains to his teammates and coaches. When coaches give him some extra attention in the cages, he listens with the respect of someone trying to get better. When many kids would shut down and feel defeated, James is never discouraged about this for more than a second, and he gets right back to work with the coaches to fine tune things in his swing and approach to try to find success. I have seen James multiple times working with his father, Brian, in the batting cages or in the bullpen. It may be the weekend, or an hour before practice starts, but James loves spending time bonding with his father over this game of baseball.
James is the type of kid that every coach loves having on the team, and he is extremely deserving of having the honor and recognition of receiving the Eric Green Sportsmanship award.
Congratulations to Maeve Lyons - the 2024 Sportsmanship Award winner (Softball)!
NOMINEES: Katrina Heisler (2023 winner), Maeve Lyons (winner), Maya Ghilabaf, Jordan Wencis, Mallory Frutman
Nominated by Coach Rob Young
I would like to nominate Maeve Lyons for the sportsmanship award. I have had the pleasure to coach her in softball and basketball the past few years.
Maeve is a great kid to coach, she works hard, never complains and is an incredible teammate. Maeve always has a smile on her face and helps all her teammates.
I believe Maeve makes everyone around her better by her work ethic and attitude. Any team or program would only get better with Maeve on it.
Congratulations to Lucca Fioretti - the 2023 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner (Baseball)!
Watch the reply of the presentation HERE (coming soon)
NOMINEES: Chris McGinty, Teagan Roy, Alex Laflam, Lucca Fioretti (winner), Jack Wysocki
The Eric Green award has always been an award I've paid attention to since I joined the Southboro/Algonquin Little Leagues. Any award that is about Sportsmanship, positive attitude and being a leader on and off the field is describing some special traits in any person, never mind a 12 year old. With these characteristics in mind, it's an honor to nominate Lucca Fioretti.
I know a few of you on this board have coached Lucca over the years, and know that although he is extremely hard on himself, he is nothing but an empathetic and enthusiastic teammate and leader. It's been especially enjoyable to watch this season as Lucca - having been a 10 year old in majors and had a great 12 year old to guide him, has taken a special interest in helping our two 10s adjust and is always there to pick them up after a mistake or pat them on the back after a good play.
In a recent playoff game, one of Lucca's friends and summer ball teammate, was pulled from pitching mid inning after giving up a handful of runs. As the new pitcher was warming up, Lucca went over to the other player to shake his hand and tell him to keep his head up. It was a great moment to see.
Not just as a baseball player, but in his everyday life, Lucca exemplifies the qualities that we have some to recognize with the Eric Green award. It's with this in mind, I nominate Lucca for the 2023 Eric Green award.
Congratulations to Katrina Heisler - the 2023 Sportsmanship Award winner (Softball)!
NOMINEES:Sydney Pitcavage, Katrina Heisler (winner), Nadia Sustache, Isabella Dallas
Nominated by Coach Adam Frutman
I had the pleasure of coaching Katrina for the first time this season. I knew she was a converted baseball player and took a bit to convince her to give softball a try. Being the only 7th grader and oldest person on a much younger team, I knew she might be a little hesitant. The first few practices/games she didn’t say much and could tell she was probably questioning her decision to play.
She was one of the better players but never got upset, annoyed, or frustrated when others couldn’t keep up with her ability. She led by example, showing up to every practice and game, always trying hard, and never complaining about anything asked of her. The others on the team saw this and took to her as a leader and captain.
It didn’t take long for her to quickly realize this and came out of her shell laughing, joking, and being proud to being part of the team. It didn’t matter about wins or losses. She enjoyed it so much, she even recruited one of her friends to join the team.
Katrina is a model teammate with positive attitude, joking manner, hard work, and constant effort and I was thrilled to have her as part of our team this season.
Congratulations to Ian Tregger - the 2022 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner!
Watch the reply of the presentation HERE - courtesy of Live Barn
WINNER: Ian Tregger with ABSA President David Fialkow
NOMINEES: Nate Citro, Gianni Dirienzo, Kyle Frutman, Ian Tregger, and Stephen Earls
As a Southborough coach, I have never coached Ian before. In the first year in a combined league between the two towns, Ian was very outgoing in getting to know his new teammates from Southborough and helped to set a good example of good sportsmanship and a positive attitude with everyone on my team at the start of the season. At the first practice of the season, Ian volunteered to catch even though he’d never done it before, as we were short on catchers at the time. His attitude of doing what it took to help the team was a memorable part of the season from start to finish.
Throughout the year, Ian always had a positive attitude. If he was pitching on the mound and struggling, I’d go out to talk to settle him down. The first thing he’d ask me is “what’s up coach, everything good?”. We’d chat and he’d do more to calm me down than I would to calm him down. Whatever the results of the game or his performance, he always had a smile on his face and kept his teammates positive about the next opportunity or the next game. He always showed good sportsmanship and was one of the few kids that never got upset at themselves or at the situations during or after a game. And we had plenty of tears shed throughout the year across the team.
Ian started the year telling me he played second base. Once he volunteered to catch, he was passionate about it and became one of our better catchers throughout the year. He struggled at the start, but every time I told him he was catching he was excited to continue to learn the position. Having kids on your team that will do what it takes to help the team, regardless of whether they like to do what you’re asking of them, is hard to find. Ian never complained about where he played throughout the year, and I don’t think I played him at second base all year. He played all around the diamond and never asked me to play a specific position. “Whatever you need coach” was how he approached this year, and having that kind of kid in the dugout really rubbed off on other kids on my team. He set a great example throughout the year.
Congratulations to Courtney Shifrin - the 2021 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner!
(Watch the replay of the presentation HERE - courtesy of Live Barn)
NOMINEES: Jimmy Provencal, Courtney Shifrin, AJ Phaneuf, August McGonagle
It is my great honor to nominate Courtney Shifrin as a candidate for the Eric Green award. In all my years of coaching little league baseball, I cannot think of a candidate that better exemplifies each of the characteristics of the award - great sportsmanship, superior attitude and relentless team spirit. I have had the honor and privilege of coaching Courtney this spring, but also in past years on district teams. I know her quite well. She is the ultimate teammate, the epitome of a good sport, and leads by example.
When it comes to sportsmanship, or in this case sportswomanship, Courtney is as good as it gets. She is even keel. When you watch her play you would not know if she was winning or losing, having her best day or having a rough day. She plays the game the same way every time - with dignity, passion and class. She never questions a call, an assignment, a lineup or position decision, and she is always a positive force for her teammates. When things go crazy on the field, she is the source of control and calm. She is a winner, but understands and knows how to lose. She is a tremendous example for younger players.
Courtney’s baseball attitude is also outstanding. She approaches the game with controlled intensity, but she possesses something that most 10-12 year olds do not have. She understands that there are ups and downs and she never gets too high or too low. She never lets the last play effect the next play. She is great and easy to coach. She takes instructions. She leads by example. She makes others around her better. She is also a phenomenal player.
Lastly, Courtney brings exceptional team spirit to our games and practices. While not the loudest player on the field, her demeanor and approach to the game are deafening. Other players see her hustle, her drive, and her performance and have little choice but to emulate her. Younger players are so lucky to have her as a teammate.
In short, I cannot think of a better candidate for the Eric Green award than Courtney Shifrin. It has been my great honor and privilege to coach her. It is now my great honor and privilege to nominate her and recommend her candidacy for the 2021 Eric Green Award.
Dave Fialkow
Congratulations to Ryan Sechko and Bennet Dence - the 2020 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award co-winners!
This is my first year coaching Bennett and I can say it has been nothing but a pleasure. Bennett comes to every practice and game with a smile on his face and a mission to have fun. I remember our very first practice putting Bennett in lots of different positions to see what he could do. He would happily move around as instructed and make plays with a wide grin on his face. He has by far exceeded my expectations on the field but his ability to connect with his teammates is why I have nominated him. If you look at our covid approved dugout at any given time I’m willing to bet you will see Bennett with a group of kids hanging on his every word. He talks with all his teammates and has been the main reason our team has fun. I want to share one story about Bennett that illustrates his love of the game and his team. One night after a game that Bennett hit very well in my son Ben came to me with a new batting lineup suggested by Bennett. It had statistics of his choosing next to everyone’s name highlighting a strength of theirs not a weakness and how it translated to the new batting order. Now I have coached Southborough Little League for 8 years and have never had any player come to me with a lineup. The real kicker to the story is lineup was good and it had Bennett hitting cleanup! In short we have used the lineup ever since and only lost one game since we switched. I truly believe Bennett exemplifies the true spirt of our Eric Green award. -David Klein
I have been lucky to coach Ryan Sechko over the last five years or so. I can always count on him to be positive even in the most dire circumstances on the field.
Ryan is always looking to improve and works hard not just during games but even more so in practices.
More than anything else is his ability to remain positive and pick his fellow team players up when they are down.
Recently while on third base he asked if he should Go on a passed ball. “I said Ryan we’re up by 8. What do you think?”
“Naw Coach we don’t need to run the score up... that’s not us”
When facing a struggling picture - I stressed that we were not up there to walk... another player asked why not? It was Ryan who explained - “We don’t want to win that way. We’re here to play ball.”
Five years ago not many would predict him as a starting picture and a threat at the plate. So he has improved - but it is team spirit and sportsmanship that makes him a great candidate for the EG award. -Chris Shea
Congratulations to other 2020 nominees: Kyle Yusikones, Anthony D'Angelo
Congratulations to Nathan Davie - the 2019 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner!
I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Nathan for the past two Spring seasons and last Summer. Nathan started baseball later than many of his classmates, skipping tee ball, but he never lacked for enthusiasm. He loves being on a team and has eagerly jumped at any chance he has been offered to play baseball. According to his Mother Betsy, Nathan has always loved the game and has practiced countless hours in the yard. At his home there’s a worn dirt patch for home plate and the whole neighborhood knows that any stray baseballs and whiffle balls found are from the Davies. Nathan is one of four 6th graders on the Chestnut Dental team this season and has provided a lot of much needed leadership to our young team. Nathan is not the loud, boisterous, cheerleader-type of kid but instead goes about leading quietly by example. He enjoys every position and has particularly enjoyed pitching over the years, stepping up in some tough situations to get us out of a sticky inning. Baseball is a family activity for Nathan, too. He is in his element giving younger kids tips, including his sister and her teammates. He attends all of her games and is a supportive big brother. Nathan and his mom have enjoyed playing together for years. From “monster” pop ups to grounders that make him move, he is insatiable when practicing his fielding. Nathan’s dad, Chris, loved playing with him over the years, too, patiently throwing batting practice and having fun stepping into the batter’s box himself to try to hit Nathan’s pitching – which many of the kids in this League can attest…is not easy. When his dad became more ill with cancer and it affected his mobility and throwing, Nathan thoughtfully adapted their play to be sure to continue playing with Dad. Nathan’s kindness meant a great deal to Chris, who spoke of it often. Since Chris’s passing earlier this year, Nathan, as you would expect, has greatly missed his father but has worked hard to keep moving forward, never playing victim or feeling sorry for himself. Under circumstances where many kids might just give up and pack it in, Nathan has kept a steady center, never forgetting but also understanding that life goes on. As his coach, and a father of three young boys myself, I have the upmost respect and admiration for Nathan and the way he has handled this unimaginable tragedy. According to Betsy, Nathan recently said that his Dad instilled in him that the most important thing in life is to be a good person, and Nathan tries hard to be just that. In my opinion, Nathan does more than try hard, he embodies that believe in everything he does. His father Chris would be proud. -Paul Secrist
Congratulations to all 2019 nominees: Nicholas Klein, Jacob Lipkin, Emilio Manz
Congratulations to Ellie Westphal - the 2018 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner!
Congratulations to Michael Morrissey - the 2017 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner
Congratulations to all 2017 nominees: Noah Labelle, Oliver Christina, & Owen Morse
Congratulations to Jared Lipkin - the 2016 Eric Green Sportsmanship Award winner!
Congratulations to all 2016 nominees: Matt Kolenda, Tucker Paquette, Robbie Stewart
Congratulations to past award winners 2012-2016 (pictured left to right)!
2013 - Neil Mauskar
2015 - Andrew Hadden
2016 - Jared Lipkin
2014 - Jeffrey Secrist
2012 -James Walsh
