ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Dave Allen threw three no-hitters and one perfect game during his high school career at Greece Athena. James DeBell won more than 400 career games as a coach. William Rouse hurled seven no-hitters and five 1-hitters during his time at Rush-Henrietta. Roger Sawyer was a standout athlete at Mt. Morris. The four comprise the 2018 class of the Section V Baseball Hall of Fame.
Allen was a multi-sport athlete at Athena. He earned First Team All-County and All Greater Rochester baseball honors from 1985-87 and helped the Trojans to a sectional championship in 1985. In 1987, Allen was named the New York State Gatorade Player of the Year. He also earned All-County and AGR honors in football and was selected to participate in the Eddie Meath All Star game his senior year. Allen played two years of varsity basketball. In 1987, he was drafted in the ninth round by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school. He played for a total of seven years in the minor league system.
DeBell’s coaching career began at Charlotte High School where he was the JV and Varsity coach from 1953-1958. He moved to Jefferson High School from 1959-1988, where he was the varsity baseball coach and athletic director. His teams won six City Championships and four Section V Class A titles accumulating more than 400 wins during those years. Jim also was honored several times as City Coach of the Year. He later coached at SUNY Brockport from 1989-1996, where his teams accumulated 87 wins and won SUNYAC titles in 1991,1992, and 1994. He was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 1992 and was inducted into the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagle Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
A 1962 graduate of Rush-Henrietta, Rouse finished his four-year high school career with a 22-6 record and an ERA of 1.90. At the age of 16, as a sophomore, he pitched five no hitters in one season which is the New York State record. Billy was the only unanimous selection to the Times Union All-County A League Baseball Team at the conclusion of that sophomore season. In 1962 he was drafted by the Houston Colt 45’s and played in their minor league organization for three years.
Sawyer logged three years as pitcher on the Mount Morris varsity squad from 1950-52. After high school, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization where he played from 1952-1958. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1958 where he served six months in the honor guard. While in the Army he continued playing baseball. In 1959 the Army baseball team won the overall championship with Sawyer as the winning pitcher in the final game. In 1959 following his military service he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and played his final professional season with the Tulsa Oilers. He was inducted into the Mt. Morris Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
Allen, DeBell, Rouse and Sawyer will be inducted prior to the Rochester Red Wings game versus Lehigh Valley, Sunday afternoon. A 1:05 PM first pitch is scheduled at Frontier Field.
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