By Michael Letendre

It’s no secret that CCC South All-Conference performer Ben D’Amato has been a successful player for the Bristol Eastern baseball team over the past three seasons.

His dad Chris, his brother Matt and sister Grace have all played ball for the Lancers and Ben has done his part in keeping up with all his siblings on the diamond.

And this past year as a junior competitor, the outfielder continued to show ability at the plate and in the field.

Leading the squad in plate appearances (69), D’Amato batted .362 – well above the .280 mark the Lancers hit this season as a team under head coach Steve Gaudet.

He squared up 25 hits and 20 RBI, both team-leading totals, which included six doubles and his first scholastic triple.

D’Amato also stole two bases and carried a near .400 on-base percentage as one of the program’s featured players.

He walked three times while scoring eight runs over a busy season of play.

But the stat that takes the cake is the fact that D’Amato has struck out a grand total of just four times over his sophomore and junior seasons.

That’s a tremendous accomplishment with several heavy throwers in the CCC South.

The D’Amato clan have been model players at Eastern and watching the youngest one swing the bat or throw the ball, you can tell he has all the skills despite not being one of the biggest players in the lineup.

The lefty can pitch a little bit as well but he’s been a mainstay in the Eastern outfield while uncorking a big hit or two along the way.

D’Amato had a big sacrifice fly in Eatsern’s 5-1 victory over Edwin Smith to open the season on April 5 while dropping in a double during the Lancers’ 7-0 shutout against Conard – helping the squad go 2-2 through four games.

His triple came over a tough 2-1 loss to New Britain on May 3 but D’Amato added a two-base hit in the Kingstreeters’ 10-3 triumph over Middletown one week later.

Another double came in the 16-7 blowout victory against Farmington on May 17 and he repeated the feat against East Hartford on May 23 as the Lancers won their sixth game of the season that day.

He’s a hard worker and despite the Lancers not qualifying for the Class L state tournament in 2023, you can bet D’Amato will be ready to take the reins next year to get the program back to the postseason.

He was also a CCC South All-Conference performer in 2022 as a super sophomore along with then senior Jayden Churchill.

That year, D’Amato was lethal in the batting order, nabbing a blistering .423 batting average that included a .461 on-base percentage.

He smashed out 30 hits – including seven doubles – to go along with 22 RBI and seven runs scored.

And D’Amato saw plenty of playing time as an impactful freshman.

The slugger batted .232 with 13 hits and 13 RBI, walking nine times over his first scholastic campaign.

Currently, the outfielder is strutting his stuff for the Bell City Barnstormers over at the Bristol Armory and the outfielder continues to improve his craft by the season.

Don’t forget about his classroom work as the student athlete carries a 3.7 GPA and is a tremendous three-point shooter for the boys basketball team at Eastern under coach Bunty Ray.

CCC South All-Conference, Baseball Team (2023)

SOUTH DIVISION

Berlin – Evan Gentile, Max Weber

Bristol Central – Mike Allan, Joe Gratta, Aiden Lopez, Nate Pirog

Bristol Eastern – Ben D’Amato

Lewis Mills – Matt Chirumbolo, Jayden Longdin, Thomas O’Connell, Ben Rewenko

Maloney – Jesus Arraez, Tyler Duffy, Raff Rodriguez, Luke Weisenberg

Middletown – John O’Brien, Tyler Powell, Eric Wilson

Plainville – Sean Egan

Platt – Zach Baker