'It's just a little different': Marlborough's Dillon dons Hudson jersey for summer baseball

LEOMINSTER — Ryan Dillon is still getting used to his new baseball uniform.

And can you really blame him?

The 17-year-old from Marlborough grew up wearing black and orange — the colors of the Marlborough High Panthers — on the diamond. Yet this summer, Dillon is donning a red and white jersey — synonymous with the Hudson High Hawks — as he suits up for the Hudson Post 100 Legion baseball team.

Wearing the colors and name of his high school rival has been a bit strange for the recent Marlborough High grad. But for Dillon, it’s a precursor of what’s to come when he plays baseball at Cornell University — aka the Big Red — starting this fall.

“To be completely honest with you, it’s so weird. I catch myself every time I put it on (and) I’m like ‘What am I doing?’” Dillon said. “I remember being eight years old; playing on the Marlborough All-Star team and playing Hudson in districts and we just hated them and wanted to beat them so bad.

“I think I’ll enjoy wearing the Cornell red a little more. Not that I don’t enjoy wearing the Hudson red, it’s just a little different.”

Wearing the orange and black

For Ryan Dillon, the Marlborough High colors mean a lot to him.

He attended Panther baseball and basketball games as a young kid and envisioned rocking the same threads someday as a teenager.

“I looked up to those guys in orange and black, and now these past few years I (saw) those same kids in the stands watching my teammates and I,” said Dillon, who also played varsity basketball. “It’s very cool to see.”

When it came to high school, however, Dillon wasn’t always sure he’d remain in Marlborough. A standout catcher, Dillon had to decide whether to stay at his hometown school or transfer to a private school to pursue his dream of playing Division I baseball.

“We did contemplate a few different private schools,” said his father, Jeff. “Everyone kept telling us his best opportunity was to go private, but he put his head down and did the work and I feel like if he went to private, he might’ve been another number.”

After compiling back-to-back successful seasons at Marlborough High, and having three standout summers with Nokona Baseball Club , Dillon committed to Cornell University on Oct. 18, 2022.

Staying at Marlborough High meant a lot to Dillon, who sported a 4.5 weighted GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society and National Business Honor Society.

“Marlborough is special to me, and I always wanted to play with the orange and black on my chest since I was a kid,” Dillon said. “So that was special, not (leaving for private school) and playing with my buddies all four years (was awesome).”

This past spring, Dillon found himself at the top of his class for catchers across Central Mass.

The three-year captain slashed .475 with 11 of his 28 hits going for extra bases. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-handed hitter filled the box score by driving in 19 runs, scoring 16 times, drawing 11 walks and stealing 10 bases.

Defensively, Dillon displayed a strong arm from his backstop position while thwarting would-be base stealers en route to being named the Mid-Wach B co-MVP and a T&G Hometeam All-Star as a senior.

“He’s a lot of fun to throw to just cause he’s a really smart player,” said Marlborough High classmate and pitcher Tyler Moore. “He’s always thinking about what pitch to throw and when to throw it, so it lets you just go out there and compete and you can trust him to tell you what to throw.”

“Seeing him grow into the player he is was not surprising at all,” said Marlborough High rising senior and baseball teammate Michael Benway. “He always had a strong work ethic and was always a top-end player.”

Rocking red and white from now on

Following an 11-1 win over Cherry Valley Post 443 on June 30, Hudson Legion manager Ryan Bowen presented Ryan Dillon with a red “Big Hat” with the letter “H” on the front that goes to the Post 100 Player of the Game.

Dillon went 3 for 3 with a double, walk, RBI and run scored in his team’s victory.

“Ryan has been great for us all year behind the plate,” said Bowen, whose team defeated North County Post 129 on Monday night to move one win away from claiming the Zone 4 Championship. “As crazy as it seems, he’s one of our younger players and he fits in great with our guys. Marlborough has a lot of talented baseball players, Coach (Jon) Cruickshank has done a good job with the program.

“I’m just glad Ryan’s wearing red and white for the summer.”

The decision to join Hudson Legion, though, didn’t go over well with Dillon’s former Marlborough High teammates.

“I do not agree with him playing for Hudson,” Benway said.

Said Moore: “We definitely chirped him for doing that.”

“He questioned it initially, he was concerned with it,” Dillon’s father added. “But at the end of the day, he’s on a good team that has good pitching and strong leadership and they’re successful. It’s more of a laundry thing than anything.”

Either way, Dillon is happy to have found a new home with Hudson Legion this summer before he joins a different baseball team with the same colors in the fall: Cornell.

Wearing red and white is something Ryan Dillon — and his family and friends — will just have to get used to.

“I think the Cornell red and white is a little different than the Hudson red and white,” he said. “I’m super excited to put that red on, I think the Cornell red will look good on me.”

“I’m excited for him and I can’t wait to watch him either on ESPN+ or at the game myself,” his father said. “I can’t wait to hear about it, not only on the baseball side but even on the academic side. I know he’s real excited to go.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'It's just a little different': Marlborough's Dillon dons Hudson jersey for summer baseball