Baseball’s a tough sport – but Newton North High School 2023 graduate Miles Oo seems to have it figured out.
On August 21, Oo was presented with the 54th Annual Hamill Award, given to the best baseball player in Newton, in a ceremony on Albemarle Field. Said Hamill award committee chairman Elliott Loew, “it was a proud moment.”
Speaking at the event, Newton North head baseball coach, James Greely said that Oo was “the reason why they were here.” Greely praised Oo for his overall performance on the field: “Great hitter, great base runner – he can pitch if needed. I’ve never been more confident about a player than Myles up at bat.” He also spoke of the “quiet confidence” that Oo carries about him – without a speck of arrogance. He’s a positive presence on the team,” Greely said. “Myles has put in the work, and that work has paid off every step of the way.”
Myles was given the award by Loew and the committee, and he accepted it with grace.
Loew introduced the award to the assembled crowd and explained the honor behind it: “Bill Hamill, whom the award is named after, was a former three-sports star who graduated from Newton High School in 1955. Hamill was the only athlete named to every All-Scholastic team four years in a row,” he said.
Award Ceremony Slideshow
Hamill played for Holy Cross and for the Red Sox – but tragically died of a hemorrhage in 1969, cutting short a likely star-studded career in sports. The Hamill award, established to honor the legacy he created, has been awarded annually since 1970 to the most talented baseball players in Newton.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller gave a short talk to the young baseball campers present and praised Miles, his coaches, the Hamill award committee, and the Parks and Recreation Commissioners – past and present. “Not only will one of you [players] win the Bill Hamell award, I’m hoping we’ll also get a future commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Culture here.”
“These two – Commissioner Nicole Banks and former Commissioner Bob DeRubeis – are heroes,” the Mayor noted.
Commissioner Banks also spoke favorably of the Hamill Committee and the coaches.
“I want to thank Elliot and the committee who every year go through this work with our coaches. Thank you to your coaches who are out with you, honing your skills and making recommendations for you on all of this. Mayor Fuller, thank you for coming and supporting this event and so many others throughout the city. It takes a lot of people to make this happen,” said Banks.
“I’m really happy for him,” his father, Koko Oo, said later in the proceedings, “he’s playing baseball for a long time, and he’s worked really hard. I’m just really happy for him.” The Elder Oo said that he supported his son, pushing him to his limits, (as well as to the fields and games) — “I took him wherever we needed to go for travel,” he said.
“I’ve enjoyed every step of the way,” said his son. “There are sacrifices you have to make, like not hanging out with friends, or playing with an injury, but that’s kind of where I found a love for baseball. It’s about putting others ahead of yourself; the team ahead of yourself.”
Newton North teacher and baseball camp instructor Tom Donnellan, who recently joined the Hamill Award committee, echoed that notion.
“In baseball, the ball’s only hit to you. You’re the only one at the plate. If you strike out, everyone knows it. But the kids relax and play down here at camp, and it’s a blast. Myles was a camper here, and now he’s a coach. And you can see how the coaches, all the kids love him, and they chant his name. It’s a great baseball community.”
After the ceremony wrapped up, a stray ball from the field rolled up to Myles. He paused in his conversation, and threw it to the kid that let it roll away, a grin on his face.
Andrey Sarkanich is a junior at Newton North High School and a Fig City News summer intern.