By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A pair of Major League Baseball draft picks along with a trio of coaches who combined for more than 20 sectional titles as well as an umpire with five decades-plus of contributions to the sport will be among those inducted when Section V Baseball honors its 2022 Hall of Fame class.
Pat Atwell (Andover), Jim Billitier (Edison Tech), Bill Bowe (Canandaigua, McQuaid Jesuit), Matt Dryer (McQuaid Jesuit), Brian Dupra (Greece Athena), John Hayes (Lyndonville) and Dennis Miles (Wellsville, Avoca-Prattsburgh) will take their place among locals greats later this month.
Atwell, a four-time Allegany County All-Star from 1976-1979 and league MVP in 1978, compiled a 17-9 high school career record with a batting average of .485. He went on to star at Salem College (West Virginia) and he was named Outstanding Freshman in 1980 as well as team MVP in 1982. He led the Cook Inlet Bucs of the Alaska Baseball League in home runs in the summer of 1981 before settling into a coaching career that saw him earn Great Lakes Valley Coach of the Year twice (1997 and 1999) at Quincy University. His 1999 team ranked as high as third in the nation. Atwell is currently the Director of Athletics at NAIA Culver-Stockton College.
Billitier was as an umpire in the inaugural New York State Class A Championship game and went on to serve as Section V rules interpreter for 40 years. He is a member of the Rochester Umpires Association, the ECAC College Umpires Association and Women’s College Fast Pitch Association with nearly 60 years of experience behind the plate. He was a four-year performer on the diamond at Edison where he was also a Section V Wrestling champion.
Bowe won four league titles and three sectional championships while compiling a record of 240-102 from 1990 to 2004 as head coach of Canandaigua. He went on McQuaid where his 2005 Jesuit Knights team set a Section V record with 26 consecutive wins. Bowe went 68-13 at McQuaid with one sectional title and three league titles. A former Finger Lakes Baseball League Chairman and Section V Baseball coordinator, Bowe is currently in his second stint as Section V Baseball Assistant Coordinator.
A 1997 USA Today High School All-American at McQuaid Jesuit, Dryer was was first drafted in 1998 by the San Francisco Giants and again in 2002 by the National League West club. In between, Dryer played with 2001 National Champion University of Miami Hurricanes. He signed and played four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system. He was a Midwest League All-Star in 2004 with Palm Beach and in 2005 led the Cardinals’ minor leagues in home runs and RBI. Dryer went on to play two years with the York Revolution and earned Atlantic League All-Star honors in 2007. Twice he was named All-State during his time at McQuaid. Dryer currently owns and operates Diamond Pro – a local baseball academy that teaches young players the game.
A three-time MLB Draft selection, Dupra eventually spent seven seasons in professional baseball. The 2007 AGR and NYS High School Gatorade Player of the Year posted a 9-1 record his senior season at Greece Athena. He finished with 93 strikeouts, eight walks and an ERA of 0.29. Dupra went on to pitch four years at the University of Notre Dame where he was named team captain in 2010 and 2011. He helped the Harwich Mariners to the 2008 Cape Cod League title. The Texas Rangers selected Dupra out of high school, and the Detroit Tigers after his junior year of college before the Washington Nationals selected him in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. Dupra pitched his entire career in Nationals’ system.
Hayes guided Lyndonville to nine Genesee Region titles and four Section V championships. He was named league Coach of the Year on six occasions and earned Class D honor in 1996. His teams compiled a sectional record of 37-12 and overall record of 269-192. A former member of the Section V Baseball Executive Committee, Hayes also served as the Genesee Region League Baseball Coordinator. The gymnasium at Lyndonville was named in his honor and he was also inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame.
An inductee to the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, Miles holds Section V records for career coaching wins (749), championships (13) and Coach of the Year honors (8). The 1993 NYS Class Coach of the Year, he ranks second all-time in the state for career victories. From 2000-2005, Miles guided the Western Team to four gold medals and one bronze in the Empire State Games. More than 70 of his former players have gone on to play at the collegiate level. Miles also served as the head coach of Wellsville Nitros in the New York Collegiate Baseball League and is currently an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds.
The Section V Hall of Fame ceremonies will take place 11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 31st at Frontier Field. Tickets to the ceremony are $40 for adults/ $25 for children (5-12) and include a picnic buffet along with admission to the Rochester Red Wings’ 1:05 p.m. game against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre later that day. Those interested in attending can contact Pat Mee at omee720@yahoo.com. Reservations should be made by July 22nd.
*Article updated to include accurate number of season Brian Dupra pitched in the Washington Nationals’ farm system.
Thanks for writing about these influential players from Section V Baseball. They have contributed greatly to the advancement of baseball in our area!