A special day arrived last week for four players on the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Baseball team, as well as the entire program.

Liam Shea-Gallagher ’24, Lucas Stogner ’24, John O’Connor ’24 and Josiah Martinez ’24 signed commitment letters to play college baseball during a well-attended ceremony in the Athletic Center Jan. 19.

“This is something we’ve been waiting for for the last couple of years, and then to add Josiah makes it that much sweeter,” WMA Baseball Coach Jamie Gouin said. “It shows this baseball program over the last two years has turned around and is in a great direction coming off of COVID. I’m very proud of these guys. It shows our program’s strong, these guys are all in, and we’re super proud of them that they’re going to leave their mark in college.”

Quotes from the players

Liam on Colby College: “I thought the coaching staff showed the most interest of the schools I talked to, and I thought it was a great fit. I like the size of the school and that it’s relatively close to where I live. It’s a good fit in that aspect.”

Liam regarding the signing day: “I thought it was good to do it with some of my teammates because if I were alone, I wouldn’t have been as confident in it. I thought we did a pretty good job, and I was happy with the turnout.”

John on Bard College: “From the day I met (Assistant) Coach (Andrew) Robage at the showcase at Yale, (he proved he was) dedicated to the game. He stuck with me through my knee surgery and that’s how I knew the Bard baseball program was the one for me.”

John regarding the signing day: “It made it feel more official than it had felt before. It was incredible to see my teammates going through the same euphoria that I did signing that paper.”

Lucas on Salve Regina University: “I toured during the late summer, and I fell in love with the campus. It was beautiful there, right on the water, with the cliff walk. I’ve always grown up going to Newport and I love the town, the area. It’s a great place to be.”

Lucas regarding the signing day: “I’ve been excited ever since the date came. We started preparing, and I helped my mom with the decorations. It was an exciting day for all of us.”

Josiah on Union College: “Definitely the academics and the great engineering program they have there. It’s a small school, about 2,500 students, and that’s where I can see myself doing my best and prospering. I like the small-school atmosphere. As a whole with the athletics and the academics it really just came together there.”

Josiah regarding the signing day: “It was awesome. Got to see my family, and my friends came out, and a lot of the students came out as well. Overall, it was a great day. I was looking forward to it and it was really awesome.”