Local High School Coaches Prepare For Upcoming Season

The high school baseball season has arrived! Teams have been training inside (**insert eye roll emoji here**) for a couple of weeks now. There will be a lot of competition in every conference this year in section 2 and it should be fun to watch week by week.

Over in Catskill, Coach Eric Joyce has his team ready for another season. The Cats finished last year with a Patroon Conference title and are in hopes of a repeat. “We will have to get good pitching and play good defense” said coach Joyce about a potential repeat. They lost some key contributors from last years Patroon Conference championship squad, but the biggest is most likely Patroon Conference MVP Nik Kimmel. “He will be a tremendous loss on the mound and at the plate” said Joyce about his former player. Catskill also loses Brendan Bossard, Jacob Rich, Andrew Liepshutz, Eric Piriano, and Eric White. On the other side of things though they return 1st Team Patroon Conference player Brendan Eacott, along with pitcher Justin Worth, and Ryan Holsopple. The Patroon Conference will be a very competitive conference this year. After being asked about who he thinks will contest his team in the Patroon this season Coach Joyce stated “I think the league is wide open this year.” It absolutely is as the defending Patroon champion Catskill Cats, class B runners-up Coxsackie-Athens and the Hudson Bluehawks all look to make a run for the title. You also have teams like Chatham and Maple Hill who are two very good Class C schools that could make a push. This will be coach Joyce’s 9th season as head varsity baseball coach at Catskill, when asked what the most valuable thing he has learned about coaching is, he stated “coaching for 9 years teaches you a lot of things, but if I had to narrow it down to one I would say patience. I have learned to be more patient with players, parents, and myself.”

In Chatham, Coach Scott Steltz looks to improve on last season and challenge Catskill with their young squad. The Panthers lost four seniors off of last years team due to graduation. This year they will have a young team. “We are focusing on handling adversity, getting better from day to day and making sure we know and can execute our plays and play small ball when needed. I don't think they are anymore worried about their age than I am.” said Coach Steltz about his young team. The Patroon is always a close conference with a lot of good baseball teams. “We always approach every season the same. We plan to contend for the Patroon title” said Coach Steltz. Could the Panthers contend and put pressure on the defending champs? I think with a young team and being underrated, I believe they could surprise a few teams. This is the first season in a while that Chatham will be classified as a class C school, dropping from class B after last year. I asked Coach Steltz what kind of advantages are there playing in a predominantly Class B conference as a Class C school, he replied with “It isn't that big of a change. We just look to enjoy the process, get better everyday and be ready to matchup against whoever we face in sectionals.” He also said that “section 2 class C baseball is a very strong level.” That it is, teams like Maple Hill, Greenville, and Lake George will look to contend at a very high level.

Cross-town rival Ichabod Crane and head coach Brian McComb is preparing for another season. After losing pitcher/third baseman Dan Yankowski along with center fielder Chase Werner the Riders have filled those spots fairly quickly with some more young talent. The Riders play in the Colonial Council, “The Colonial Council always has competitive opponents. No games are sure wins” said Coach McComb. He is absolutely correct the Colonial Council is a very tough conference with a lot of teams that can sneak up and ruin your season. Teams such as Cohoes, Ravena, Cobleskill, and Watervliet can do just that. There are also teams like Schalmont, Lansingburgh, Albany Academy, LaSalle, and Voorheesville who are always near the top of the standings year after year. Ichabod Crane is a very talented, young team. “I believe we need to be a balanced team on both sides of the ball.” The Riders offense is loaded with George Cox, Seamus Wolfe, Dave Yankowski, Chad Salazar, and more who are looking to rip. They're just as good defensively with Cox at shortstop, Wolfe at second, Salazar at third base, Dave Yankowski at third base as well. They also have a ton of arms. Western New England University commit Casey Rutkey leads a pack of fearless pitchers along with Yankowski, and Salazar. Section 2 baseball should be fun to watch this year especially with all three of these squads going head to head.

Games To Watch

Ichabod Crane:

April 10th vs Albany Academy 4:45pm

April 15th vs Troy 12:00pm

April 21st @ Schalmont 4:15pm

April 22nd @ Hudson 7:00pm

April 24th vs La Salle 4:15pm

April 26th vs Voorheesville 4:15pm

May 5th @ Albany Academy 4:15pm

May 6th vs Chatham 10:00am

May 8th vs Catskill 1:30pm at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY

May 9th vs Schalmont 4:15pm