Martha’s Vineyard Babe Ruth Teams Achieve Championship Sweep

VINEYARD HAVEN, Massachusetts – Earlier this month, the Martha’s Vineyard Herd, a junior Babe Ruth baseball team for players aged 12 to 15, celebrated their league championship amid a rainy welcome home. They returned on a ferry to Vineyard Haven, greeted by the sounds of sirens and flashing lights from local police and firefighters.

This championship victory for the Vineyard youth team marks a rare achievement for the island, as both the junior and senior Babe Ruth teams secured league titles within a week of each other. The senior Herd team, consisting of players aged 15 to 18, claimed their championship on Nov. 2, defeating Barnstable 7-1 in the Fall Gateway League Championship game.

The juniors followed suit by clinching their title with a solid 9-1 victory over Fairhaven Pharmacy on Sunday, Nov. 9. “I am very proud of all their hard work,” said Jeff Day, head coach of both Babe Ruth teams. “It was awesome; it was the first time the junior team had experienced that, and they were very excited about it.”

The unique name “The Herd” originated from a nickname and logo created by the team’s sponsor, John Keene of John Keene Excavation. The seniors dominated their league with a 10-2 record, remaining undefeated at home while slipping up only twice on the road.

Despite finishing their season at .500 with a 6-6 record, the juniors saved their best performance for the championship. Coach Day noted that the juniors faced challenges with roster consistency due to scheduling conflicts with other fall sports. “I had a core of about seven kids that were practicing last week before the final game, and all of them improved over that one week of practice together,” he said. “They played the best I’ve seen them play all season.”

For Day, it is crucial to maintain a consistent youth pipeline for athletes on the island to prepare them for the competition at the high school level. “In order for any high school to have a successful competitive team, it has to be supported by a feeder program from 10 years old all the way through, and it has to be consistent every year where there’s no drop-off,” he said. “We are lucky because we get a lot of advice and influence from high school coaches.”

The Fall youth baseball season, which runs from early September through November, features two leagues. The American League includes teams from the Cape and Islands, while the National League covers teams west of the Bourne Bridge to New Bedford. The Babe Ruth league is the crucial step before varsity teams, introducing young athletes to full-sized fields used by high school, college, and Major League Baseball.

<p“Baseball is a game of confidence, and if they are confident in their skills, they will perform better and compete at a higher level,” Day added. “It’s mainly about building confidence for kids in their skills.”

With two league championships, the youth baseball program now looks ahead to the spring baseball season, aiming to build on their success. “The prospects look good for our spring season,” said Day. “We are going to do winter baseball workouts at the Falmouth Sports Center to prepare the kids for spring high school baseball.”