Portsmouth Booma Post 6 has two players who won NH title before, now looking for more

PORTSMOUTH — Along with the Portsmouth Booma Post 6 coaching staff, led by fourth-year head coach Geoff Jablonski, there are two other noticeable similarities between this year's New Hampshire American Legion state championship team, and the team that won the state title in 2021.

Jake Carlisle, a 2024 Portsmouth High School graduate, and Bailey Wright, a Portsmouth resident who graduated from IMG Academy in 2023, were both young players on the 2021 title team.

Now, they are elder statesmen on this year's squad, which won all four games it played in the New Hampshire state tournament, including a 2-1 win over Nashua Coffey Post 3 in the championship at Holman Stadium in Nashua. Booma is 21-1 heading into next week's Northeast Regional in Manchester at Gill Stadium.

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Carlisle, an outfielder and pitcher, will continue his baseball career next year at St. Joseph's College, a Division III program in Standish, Maine, and Wright, a catcher, will be at Division II Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

"I didn't think I would have so much fun playing on that (2021) team, but I had a really good time," Carlisle said. "We were very competitive, we were good and I got an opportunity to look up to good, older players. That was really helpful for me."

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Wright fondly remembers Booma's 2021 summer season. The team was an underdog and unexpectedly won the state tournament and advanced to regional play.

The team bonded on its five-game win streak to win the New Hampshire state championship. The bond continued during its short, two-game stay in the regional tournament, making the season-ending loss a tough pill to swallow. Portsmouth opened the regionals with a loss to Vermont, and then lost an elimination game to Beverly, Massachusetts.

"It was awful, especially at that point, because we all became so close on that run," Wright said. "It was just kind of a tough feeling."

New year, new team, new confidence

Three summers later, Wright, Carlisle and a roster loaded with talent in all departments is ready to set a different tone next week at Gill Stadium.

Booma will open the double-elimination, eight-team tournament against the Vermont state champion, South Burlington. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start. The winner of the Northeast Regional will advance to the American Legion World Series, where eight teams will compete Aug. 15-20 at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina.

Wright said this year's Booma Post 6 team bought in from the first day of practice.

"We've been pretty dominant the whole summer," Wright said. "Coach (Jablonski) said it the other day, in 2021, we were kind of in the regionals to have a good time. This year, we seriously want to make a run and win the whole thing, and we think we can."

Experience helps Portsmouth Booma Post 6

Wright, who shares catching duties with Duncan Cullinane, said one of the things he can pull from the 2021 tournament is that you can't overlook any team.

"We need to have confidence," Wright said. "In 2021, we didn't really believe that we can win (regionals) ... but this team knows we can win it, and we all believe we're going to win it."

Jablonski said the experience that Carlisle and Wright bring is invaluable.

"(Wright) has been fantastic," Jabonski said. "He knows the ups and downs and he knows what to expect. He brings that 'hey, we're playing for something here,' and he's just Mr. Consistent. He's always there, always ready to play and he'll do anything we ask. He sets a great tempo for the rest of the team."

Carlisle had just completed his freshman year at Portsmouth High School when he played for Booma in 2021. After two years away from the team, Carlisle returned this season, and Jablonski said Carlisle has been a great example for the rest of the team of what it means to play summer baseball with Booma.

"It shows the other kids it's worth coming back to play and it can be fun," Jablonski said.

Carlisle said one thing he was able to learn from 2021 and can bring to next week is that he knows what it takes to win.

"We had a lot of great competition this year, and as good as we are, it wasn't going to be easy," Carlisle said. "We've got to keep having our eyes on the prize and keep wanting it more than everyone else. That's really all you can do at this point. Our team is there, we're playing well, and we've just got to want it."

In 2021, the regional tournament was played in Worcester. This year, it's a much shorter drive to Manchester.

"A lot of the guys on our team have played (at Gill), it's not as far and we don't have to stay in a hotel," Wright said. "We can kind of keep the same routine we had during the state tournament ... so it'll be good, it's kind of like being at home."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth Booma Post 6 has two players who won NH title before, now looking for more