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PGCBL heads into second half of season

jon rathbun, times telegram
·6 min read

As the calendar shifts from one J month to the next, teams in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League reach the informal midpoint in their 46-game regular season schedule. Perennial contender Amsterdam is off to a dominating start but two area teams have been the Mohawks' toughest competition in the East Division.

The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs (14-6) dealt Amsterdam (19-1) its only defeat June 15 and had matched Amsterdam's season-opening nine-game winning streak for the season's longest before the Mohawks stretched their latest streak to 10 Tuesday. The DiamondDawgs' .700 winning percentage is the league's second highest, trailing only Amsterdam at .950.

Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs shortstop Justin Hackett (right) tags out Pablo Santos of the Utica Blue Sox after Santos overran third base during a June 8 PGCBL game at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls.
Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs shortstop Justin Hackett (right) tags out Pablo Santos of the Utica Blue Sox after Santos overran third base during a June 8 PGCBL game at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls.

The hot start by Amsterdam's Mohawks is not a surprise. The Mohawks are the defending PGCBL champions and have won six of the league's last 10 championships; the DiamondDawgs are the only other team with more than one crown sice the league split off from the New York Collegiate Baseball League ahead of the 2011 season.

Amsterdam paid Mohawk Valley back for its 8-2 loss in Little Falls with an 11-2 victory in Amsterdam on Saturday. The teams are not scheduled to meet again during the regular season.

The Utica Blue Sox are 8-9 and lead Saugerties' Stallions (6-7) by percentage points – .471-.462 – for third place in the nine-team East Division through Wednesday's games.

ohawk Valley has beaten Utica twice in three tries this season. The first three games were played in Little Falls and Utica took early leads in all of them, 11-0 through four innings in a 13-10 win on opening night, 6-2 through 4 1/2 in an 11-10 loss June 8, and 5-0 through 5 1/2 in a 6-5 losses in extra innings June 22.

With a rain out Wednesday, the teams now have six games scheduled in July. Four of the games will be played in Utica, including a July 10 doubleheader.

More: Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League results and highlights for 2023 season

Top Dawgs for Mohawk Valley

Mitchell Balint, the league leader in runs batted in, and Jaden Ross have won the league's last two Player of the Week honors.

Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs catcher Mitchell Balint squeezes the ball for an out on a foul pop fly June 21 in Glens Falls.
Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs catcher Mitchell Balint squeezes the ball for an out on a foul pop fly June 21 in Glens Falls.

Balint, a catcher from Carson-Newman University, has driven home 31 runs in 19 games with two six-RBI games and one five. He is batting .392 with 11 doubles and two home runs, and he has scored 22 runs. He leads the league in doubles and hits (29) and he is second in runs scored.

Ross, an NJCAA Division III all-star outfielder in the spring at Hudson Valley Community College who is transferring to the University of South Florida, is batting .356 with 17 RBI and 14 runs in 19 games.

Jaden Ross steps into a pitch for the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs during a June 21 game against the Glens Falls Dragons.
Jaden Ross steps into a pitch for the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs during a June 21 game against the Glens Falls Dragons.

Spring Hill College's Ethan Valdez (.385), Fairfield University's Nick Sturino (.357), the University of New Haven's Owen Pincince (.314), the College of William and Mary's Corey Adams (.308) and St. Bonaventure University's Mark Darakjy (.306) join the weekly award winners as .300 hitters. Pincince has scored 20 runs while Columbia University's Sam Miller, batting .260, has 19 RBI and 17 runs scored. Bryant University's Justin Hackett has also crossed the plate 17 times.

Colin Ruddy from George Washington University leads the team with four pitching starts with 24 strikeouts, three walks and a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings. Fairfield's Kevin Kell has won two of his three starts with a 2.34 ERA. Fairfield left-hander Aidan Colagrande has two of the team's five saves and has allowed one earned run in 13 innings over five appearances while striking out 18 batters.

Locally, the roster includes Herkimer College Generals Chance Checca and Mason Snell among the hitters, and Troy Butler and Ethan Patch, a transfer to Carson-Newman, as pitchers.

Blue Sox standouts

Spring Hill College infielder Norris McClure was the East Division's first Player of the Week and carries a .415 average with 12 walks and 12 runs in 12 games. Ben Partridge from Rockland Community College is batting .413 with 13 runs scored in 14 games, and Hillsdale College's Will Shannon leads the team with 17 RBI to go with a .294 average.

Will Shannon rounds the bases for the Utica Blue Sox with a home run at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls June 22.
Will Shannon rounds the bases for the Utica Blue Sox with a home run at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls June 22.

Pitcher Daly Skees from Hillsdale has yet to allow a run through three starts and 15 innings. Left-hander Holden de Jong from the New Jersey Institute of Technology has allowed two runs in 12 1/3 innings. Skees and de Jong have each yielded seven hits.

The Utica roster has several players with area ties. Purdue University's Avery Cook has struck out 11 batters in six innings in three relief appearances. SUNY Oneonta's Thomas Roefaro has started two games on the mound while Central Connecticut State University's Ryan Cook and Herkimer College's Colin Skermont are also listed on the roster.

Greg Kopp, a catcher from Hamilton College, takes his lead from first base for the Utica Blue Sox June 1 during their 2023 PGCBL opener in Little Falls.
Greg Kopp, a catcher from Hamilton College, takes his lead from first base for the Utica Blue Sox June 1 during their 2023 PGCBL opener in Little Falls.

SUNY Binghamton-bound Todd Abraham, a fresh graduate of Proctor High School, has four hits in his first 21 at-bats but has drawn eight walks. Hamilton College teammates Greg Kopp (.303) and Taylor Kaufman (.326, 11 runs in 12 games) are also spending the summer in Central New York.

Highlights in Boonville

Playing under a new name for the second year in a row under new ownership, Boonville's Lumberjacks (6-14) sit at the bottom of the East Division standings but have had solid performers.

Zach Rogacki from Alvernia University leads the regulars in hitting at .419 while drawing 10 walks and scoring 11 runs in 14 games. Alabama State Universitty's Devonte Bailey is also batting .419, and Marcus Smith from the University of Cincinnati leads the team with 12 RBI.

Alvernia pitcher Matt Gehris has struck out 21 batters and walked three in 15 innings in two starts and two relief appearances; he is 0-2 with one save. Guilford College's Jacob Phillips leads the team with 29 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings

East Division standings

The Oneonta Outlaws (8-10) are half a game behind Utica and Saugerties, with the Glens Falls Dragons (7-10) half a game behind that, ahead of Watertown (7-12), Albany (6-12) and Boonville.

Oneonta's roster includes two-time Herkimer College NJCAA All-America Dakota Britt, who is batting .452 with 14 runs scored in his first 12 games. The Outlaws also have Cooperstown High School graduate Christopher Ubner and Herkimer College pitchers Joel Hayner and Jordan Goble.

A glance at the West Division

The schedule this year has no crossover play between two divisions before the postseason. The Batavia Muckdogs (13-7) lead the seven-team standings by half a game over the Jamestown Tarp Skunks (11-6) and one over the Niagara Power (9-5) and Elmira Pioneers (11-7). Auburn (8-9), Geneva (4-10) and Newark (2-14) are all currently below .500.

This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: PGCBL heads into second half of 2023 season