Williamsport christened its new turf field behind Lycoming Valley Middle School Monday afternoon. The spectacular complex looks like a college field and Williamsport made its first game on Millionaire Mountain an excellent one, defeating Shamokin, 12-3 in its opening game. Deacon Brown went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, Indigo Koch, Grant Viello and Ryan Schur combined on a two-hitter and Williamsport played strong defense as it attracted a large crowd at its new spacious home.

“It’s something that everybody on the team has been so excited for. When you get a new field, a turf facility for that matter, it makes you motivated every day and want to be great,” Brown said after coming within a home run of hitting for the cycle. “We’ve been preaching about being motivated coming to practice every day. That’s what makes you want to work hard every day and try and be great.”

Williamsport took a step toward that goal, scoring runs in all but one inning and never trailing against a team playing its third game this season. Every starter reached base, eight produced hits and the Millionaires broke things open with a five-run fifth inning, taking a 10-2 lead.

Williamsport played strong defense as well and the new field paid dividends even before it played its first game. Because field conditions are not an issue, Williamsport has been able to go outside every day during the preseason. Three night games are scheduled for later in the season and Williamsport is hoping it can continue using its field to its advantage after reaching consecutive district finals.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Indigo Kock starts out on the mound during a high school baseball game against Shamokin at Williamsport on Monday, March 25, 2024.

“It brings the energy up. The guys are rising to the occasion having a facility like this. It’s very exciting,” Williamsport coach Kyle Schneider. “This is the first season I can remember where since the first day of spring sports where never had any indoor practices. That’s unheard of. We’re taking advantage of it and I think it’s going to pay off down the road with how much we’ve been able to get on here and how many reps we can get here.”

It certainly helped Monday as Williamsport played well in all facets. Cole Shuler (1 for 2, 2 walks) delivered the first hit at the new field before scoring the first run following Brown’s single and Cayden Robertson’s RBI single. Brown made it 4-0 an inning later, slamming a two-run double deep into the right-center field cap.

Brown will play at Rhode Island next spring and showed why in the first game of his senior season. The four-year starting center fielder capped his big day by again delivering with two outs and rocketing a two-run triple into right field as Williamsport went ahead, 10-2.

“I felt very good. I don’t know how to explain it. I was just seeing it well,” Brown said. “I’m just excited and happy to get the win.”

Koch shined in his first start, striking out seven in four innings. The right-hander retired the first six batters he faced, striking out five and inducing 10 swings and misses.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Christian Franzen attempts to tag a Shamokin base runner at third during a high school baseball game at Williamsport on Monday.

Viello picked up where Koch left off, throwing two scoreless innings and fanning three. He and Schur, who entered in the seventh, combined for three scoreless innings. Schur threw a perfect seventh inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced and throwing nine of his 10 pitches for strikes.

“Indigo did phenomenal. They all did great,” Schneider said. “We have that ability this year and we’re going to get the guys work, especially early in the season. They did well and I was happy for them.”

Those pitchers had plenty of run support and, after Shamokin scored twice in the third to make it a two-run game, Williamsport went back to work. The Millionaires scored seven two-out runs and Kellen Jackson (2 for 3) ignited the five-run, fifth-inning rally when he drew a lead-off walk. Lucas Naughton hit a sacrifice fly after Caiden Helmrich moved Jackson to third with an opposite way grounder before Shuler drilled an RBI single before Brown capped the surge with his RBI triple.

An inning later, Jackson fueled another rally when he laced a lead-off single. Helmrich followed with an RBI single before Naughton smoked a double down the left-field line. Williamsport produced 11 hits and faced three pitchers who all featured different styles.

“Seeing different pitching and the way we adjusted to it is something exciting,” Brown said. “It lets me know no matter who we face we can adjust to it. It’s just a matter of how hard we work and how hard we want to get after it.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Coen Britton (1) beats the tag at third by Shamokin’s third baseman on Monday.

Brown said he and his teammates often showed up over the summer and lifted weights at 5 a.m. In addition to working themselves into the best positions to succeed, the Millionaires also built camaraderie during those sessions and that has only been strengthened throughout the preseason.

That showed throughout Monday’s game as the Millionaires enthusiastically supported each other throughout the game. The new field provides a big boost, but this already was a motivated team and a close one.

And if it stays that way, Williamsport may make its first season at Millionaire Mountain a successful one.

“This is a really tight-knit group. It’s exciting to see how well they work together,” Schneider said. “They work as a unit. I preach to them that if they do that throughout the season they can be a dangerous team. I think they’ll be fun to watch.”

Shamokin 002 001 0–3 2 3

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Cayden Robertson attempts to tag a Shamokin base runner at third during a high school baseball game at Williamsport on Monday, March 25, 2024.

Williamsport 131 052 x–12 11 1

Hile, Price (3), Karlovich (5) and Waugh. Indigo Koch, Grant Viello (5), Ryan Schur (7) and Caiden Helmrich. W–Koch. L–Hile.

Top Shamokin hitters: Neary 1-2; Quade 1-4. Top Williamsport hitters: Deacon Brown 3-4, 3B, 2B, 3 RBIs; Kellen Jackson 2-3, BB, 2 runs; Cole Shuler 1-2, 2 BB, RBI, 3 runs; Lucas Naughton 1-3, 2B, RBI; Helmrich 1-3, RBI; Cayden Robertson 1-4, RBI; Quentin Mazzante 1-3, 2 runs.

Records: Williamsport (1-0, 1-0 HAC-I), Shamokin (1-2, 0-1).

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Grant Vilello makes the tag on a Shamokin runner during Monday’s game.