LYNN — As Lynn’s Babe Ruth 15-year-old Manager Leon Elwell is on the brink of taking another team to the World Series, he says the key to the program’s success now and in the past has always been everyone involved.
Elwell, a firefighter of almost 30 years, has seen a lot of success as a baseball coach, taking two Lynn teams to the Babe Ruth World Series.
He got his start coaching young.
“It started, I was like 15 years old, and my brother was a lot younger than me, like 8-years-old, and I used to take him down the park, and the coach did not show up one day, and I just stepped in, and that is kind of how I got started,” said Elwell.
As years went by, he learned from some great coaches like Dick Newton as well as Chris Tgettis, whom he calls one of his best friends, biggest influences, and his biggest mentor.
“Without those two guys, I probably would not be where I am right now,” said Elwell.
However, even with two Babe Ruth World Series appearances under his belt and so many victories, Elwell says the success is not about him.
“It is not just about me. It is the players; it is the parents; it is the coaches. It is all the volunteers that no one talks about until this time of year when you do something like this because those guys are down there every single day,” said Elwell.
He added, “This does not happen without all those people, and it is everyone. It is not just me.”
Elwell also mentioned his colleagues in the fire department, who are gracious with their time to ensure he has been available to coach some talented teams over the years.
Speaking of talented teams, this year’s 15s have been spectacular and could be poised for a deep run. Regarding the team, Elwell said, “We are a good team, we got a good group of kids, and we made a lot of additions. I think the biggest thing we did was we got stronger at catcher, and our bench got stronger.”
He added, “Confidence level is high as well as it should be, but we are just going to do what we do. We just play one game at a time, I know it is a cliché, but it is true. We just play one game at a time, and we try to win each inning; that is how we play and what we are going to keep on doing.”
With Regionals rapidly approaching, Elwell’s wealth of experience will undoubtedly help this year’s World Series hopefuls.
“Experience is a big part of anything you do. The more experience you have and the more that you have seen and the more that you have been through, the better prepared you are as a leader to deal with that adversity,” said Elwell.
In the end, Elwell made it clear that Lynn’s Babe Ruth program has seen the success it has due to everyone involved.
“You do not get to four Regionals and two World Series without the help of everyone that is involved in Greater Lynn Babe Ruth,” said Elwell.
Lynn opens its New England regional tournament Friday in Keene, N.H, against Vermont.
