Guppies capture men’s over-30 softball crown

(Back row, l-r) Jim Green, Mike O’Brien, Jim Hanson, Derek Hadley, Paul Mederios, Ryan Shaughnessy, Paul McAuliffe, Joe MacDonald, KD Shaughnessy, Neal Shaughnessy, Cinc Shaughnessy and Pat McCloud with future Guppies Lily and James Green, Reagan McCloud, Abigail O’Brien, Emma MacDonald, Paul, Russell and Jose-phine McAuliffe, Riley McCloud, Stevie and Joey Shaugnessy and Dylan MacDonald. (Missing from photo) Nick Lance, Matt Galvin, Matt Wedge, Greg Burger, Chris Sykes, Dennis Brodigan and William Daly

The 2024 Canton Men’s Over 30 softball season ended on Sunday, September 29, in front of a capacity crowd at Messinger Field with the Waterfall Bar & Grille Guppies repeating as league champions.

After starting the season 0-2, the Guppies powered back, winning their next 12 regular season games and earning the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament behind only Super Hits Party (SHP). “This season was different,” said team manager and third base coach Cinc Shaughnessy. “Any team could have won this thing. The league was locked and loaded. This was the most competitive season to date.”

After defeating Hylen CPA and D&E in the opening rounds of the playoffs, the top seeds met to see who would advance to Canton’s Fall Classic. The three prior meetings between the Guppies and SHP ended in walk-off fashion, and this one was no different.

The Guppies faced an uphill battle, having to win three games in a row on Championship Sunday. First up was a rematch against D&E, who they split with in the regular season. “Playoff softball is just a different animal, and this game was a battle from the start,” pitcher Jim Green said before the game. The Guppies would squeak by D&E 15-14, setting up a rematch with Super Hits Party.

The Guppies’ bats came alive in game one as they went on to win 26-9. Game two was a defensive battle with the Guppies taking the clincher 10-7.

Pat McCloud of the Guppies said with injuries all year, they rarely had the same team on the field. “It seemed eve-ryone stepped up at some point and delivered a big hit or had a big catch,” he said.

One constant was the play of league rookie Derek Hadley, who hit for power and average, played gold glove infield, and was a great clubhouse guy and an easy pick for team MVP.

The team would like to thank Waterfall Bar & Grille for their support as well as the Canton Parks & Recreation Department for their hard work on the fields.

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