INDIANAPOLIS (June 1, 2007) – An East Weymouth, Mass. athlete was honored at the annual Hall of Fame baseball game on Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. on May 21.

Joseph M. Walsh, the first baseball player from Massachusetts to be named The American Legion Player of the Year, was awarded the 2006 George W. Rulon – American Legion Player of the Year Award by a special scholarship committee at the 2006 American Legion World Series. He played American Legion Baseball for Post 79 in Weymouth for three years.

Walsh will receive a $1,000 scholarship from The American Legion and a $3,000 scholarship award from Stokely Van Camp, makers of Gatorade, to further his education.

He graduated from Weymouth High School with a 3.54 grade point average (top 5 percent of his graduating class) and currently attends Worchester Polytechnic Institute where he is a member of the WPI baseball team.

Walsh has been heavily involved in volunteer work in Weymouth. He earned his Eagle Scout Award in 2005 and participated in several National Honor Society projects that included raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims and UNICEF. He is passionate about the game of baseball and has volunteered for the past two years at a youth baseball clinic in Weymouth to help 9 to 12 year old players better their skills.

The American Legion Player of the Year Award has been presented since 1949 and is now named for George W. Rulon, 25-year former national program coordinator of American Legion Baseball. The award is based on integrity, mental attitude, leadership, citizenship, sportsmanship and good conduct. American Legion Baseball began in 1925 and is the largest high school age program in the country. Over 100,000 athletes play American Legion Baseball every year.