Three Ichabod Crane Student-Athletes Sign Division 1 Letters of Intent
Three Ichabod Crane student-athletes signed their National Letters of Intent to play baseball and softball at Division 1 colleges.
Dave Yankowski signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Dave will be majoring in Finance and minoring in Criminal Justice. Dave has been a starter on the varsity baseball team since 9th grade. Dave has played a huge role in the Riders recent success, making 3 straight sectional appearances and winning the Colonial Council this past season. As a Freshman, Dave went 4-0 on the bump, and was named a 2nd team all-star. As a Sophomore, Dave hit .471 and went 2-1 on the mound, striking out 36 batters and was named a first team all-star. As a Junior, this past season Dave hit .470 with 3 home runs and went 4-0 on the mound, and struck out 47 batters. He also posted a 1.31 ERA. Dave was named MVP of the Colonial Council and was also named first team all-state.
Calista Phippen signed her letter of intent to play softball at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Calista has been no doubt one of the best softball players in the state ever since her first year on varsity as a freshman. In three years, Calista has a record of 57-7, over 421 ⅔ innings with 836 strikeouts. She also has an ERA of 0.58 in those three seasons. Calista has thrown 36 shutouts and 8 no-hitters also in three seasons. Phippen has earned many accolades over the past three seasons, including Times Union Small School All-Star (2015-17), Colonial Council All-Star (2015-17), Colonial Council MVP (2017), NYSSWA Class B All-State First Team (2015-17), NYSSWA Player of the Year (2016), MaxPreps USA All American (2016), and Gatorade New York State Softball Player of the Year (2017). She also was a big part in the Riders success when they one their only Class B State Championship.
John Wheeler signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Siena College in Loudonville, New York. John has been a starter on the baseball team since 8th grade, catching a record number of games. He has been a Colonial Council All-Star 4 times. He has also been named a Perfect Game All-American HM twice. This past season John hit .391 with 24 RBIs, and he helped the Riders to their first ever Colonial Council title. John has also been very good in the classroom, being named a NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete three times. John also played outside of school with the Adirondack Heat (Saratoga, NY) from 2014-2016 and the East Cobb Patriots (Atlanta, GA) in 2017. The Patriots are the academic division of the East Cobb Baseball Program, which has sent numerous players to the MLB including 2017 World Series Champion Brian McCann, and 2016 World Series Champions Dexter Fowler and Jason Heyward.
