Leominster's Connor Wironen (6) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during Thursday's win over Main South in Worcester. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / ASHLEY GREEN

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LEOMINSTER -- Year in and year out, the Leominster American Legion Post 151 baseball team is one of the top dogs in Zone 4.

Leominster may not always have the best pound-for-pound talent, but there's something about Post 151 baseball that leads to outstanding team chemistry and success on the diamond.

A group all getting along all summer and working for the same championship goals, that's what Leominster Legion baseball is all about.

"The chemistry has been great since Day 1," Leominster manager Jeff Dedeian said. "We have 12 returning players, which helps, but our leaders are our older kids. They are not here to screw around. They are here to have fun and win. That's a key. Our young guys, as the games have gone on, have been better and better.

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Historically, Leominster is always near the top of the ultra-tough Zone 4 standings and is considered one of the elite programs in the state.

"There's a long line of history through this Post," Leominster second baseman Brandon Lefebvre said. "It's great to be able to put (the uniform) on every day and come to the ballpark and be part of this long chain of history and adding onto the legacy.

"I think one through 18 can probably play three or four positions and it's good to have that versatility on the entire roster. We have a very deep bullpen with a lot of arms and a lot of fielders who can play anywhere."

Leominster's overall talent, depth and great team chemistry have been on display this summer.

Leominster's lone loss was a 5-2 defeat at Northboro on Wednesday.

"Our mentality is to just come to the ballpark every day and just have a blast," Leominster shortstop Cooper Bigelow said. "I think that's the biggest difference from last year to this year. We're all having fun and want to play baseball and play it well. Everything is falling into place."

It's certainly fun when you're winning.

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Luckily, Post 151 has the horses on the mound to compete in each and every game.

The mound mastery has been orchestrated by Lucas Amico (2-0, 0.00 ERA), Connor Palma (4-0, 1.68 ERA), David Neuhaus (2-0, 3.68 ERA), Richie Sharp (3-0, 0.47 ERA) and Tyler Brandt (2-1, 2.75 ERA).

"Each guy has a shutout," said Dedeian, whose team ERA was a mind-boggling 1.67 headed into the weekend.

When these pitchers serve up a pitch down the heart of the plate, you can bet someone in the field is going all out to try to register the out. Leominster's defense behind the plate, in the infield and in the outfield has been exceptional.

"It's good to know they can miss spots and we'll field the ball behind them," Lefebvre said.

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According to Dedeian, the deadly double-play combination of Bigelow and Lefebvre in the middle has been the true key to success on defense.

"They make all the plays, Cooper and Lefebvre," Dedeian said. "Twelve games in and Cooper hasn't made an error and B made two errors in the first game and he's been phenomenal since. Parker (Bigelow), when he's at third, has been huge for us. And our outfield has been good."

The chemistry in the middle has been developing for many years now, says Cooper Bigelow.

"We've been playing together since we were in the first year of Babe Ruth," he said. "Last year helped our chemistry and we kind of know what each other is going to do when the time comes."

Another bright spot has been the beastly hitting of St. Bernard's star Connor Wironen (2 HRs, 8 RBIs .310 BA). The smooth-swinging lefty hitter never gets cheated when he digs into the batters box and has had the knack of driving the ball out of the ballpark.

"Wironen's bat has been great," Dedeian said. "He's been a great addition. He brings a bit of energy to us."

Leominster was hitting a robust .314 as a team, while Lefebvre is putting together a monster summer with a .452 batting average and a team-high 19 RBIs.He also has six doubles, one triple and one dinger.

Cooper Bigelow is hitting .308 with a team-high 24 runs scored. Leominster outfielder Matt Baron has knocked in 10 runs and is hitting .297, while Sharp is hitting an impressive .462 with 9 RBIs. Catcher Rocco Pandiscio checks in with a .353 average, and Andrew Harrington is at .500 with 10 hits in 20 at-bats.

When you wear the orange and blue of Post 151, you are expected to act and play a certain way. It's called the right way to play baseball in Leominster.

"You have to carry yourself like you would at any place," Cooper Bigelow said. "Carry yourself with the mentality that you want to be the best, but also show people that we have class. Coach treats us all the same. If you don't run out of the box, he will sit you. That's how it is. You have to bust your butt all day long."

Everyone is expected to work hard and play hard. Everyone.

"Some people have shown up in different spots when we've needed them and picked someone up," Lefebvre said. "They come in and get the job done. It's great to have that in the lineup."

Added Dedeian: "We've got guys filling in voids and playing. We can only get better, if they want to get better."

Of course Leominster wants to get better. The players want to be the best team out there.

With this type of team chemistry, anything is possible for Post 151. Perhaps another appearance in the prestigious Elite 8 state tournament is attainable?

"It's definitely a goal and it's in our heads, but we're taking every game one step at a time, every pitch at a time and every single inning," Cooper Bigelow said.

Follow Chad Garner on Twitter @CGARNER23.

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