Maurice Berry played his rookie season in the AAABA Tournament on a Johnstown Pepsi-Cola team that included two future major leaguers and a host of professional and college prospects.
The hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher adapted to playing a secondary role on that team and soaked up all the baseball knowledge he could.
Eventually, Berry played in four AAABA Tournaments. He will be inducted into the AAABA Hall of Fame on Aug. 4 at the Pasquerilla Conference Center.
Berry will be in a class that includes Brooklyn Youth Service League standout brothers Julio and Ruddy Lugo, two players who went onto the major leagues after their time in the Johnstown Tournament.
Julio Lugo was AAABA Tournament MVP when Brooklyn won the 1994 AAABA Tournament crown. Ruddy played in the 1996 tournament. Julio played 12 major league seasons with seven teams, including his role on the Boston Red Sox World Series championship team in 2007.
Ruddy played two major league seasons with Tampa Bay and Oakland.
A link to The Tribune-Democrat article on Berry and the Class of 2018 follows: