By PATRICK WALSH
In late October of 2022, Paul Byrne had knee surgery that left him in crutches for 10 weeks. He was unable to start baseball activities until January and was worried about falling behind the competition.
Coming to present day, Byrne tore up the Monroe County Division IV competition on the mound, posting a 5-0 record and earning the junior Class A2 Player of the Year nomination.
“As soon as I got cleared, I was lifting six times a week and I was throwing bullpens on the weekends,” Byrne said. “I was a step behind so I needed to get back ahead of everyone else.”
“He’s definitely not a cocky kid by all means, he’s a really good kid,” Pittsford Sutherland head coach Brandon DeRosa said. “He’s very humble and he works his tail off.”
Byrne was forced to walk in crutches for the first 10 weeks after his surgery. The junior noted how his mother helped him stay motivated to get back on the field.
“My mom said I was basically starting from the bottom right now,” Byrne said. “You couldn’t even walk 10 weeks ago, so what are you going to be 10 weeks from now? How are you going to better yourself so that you can get ready for the season?”
The work Byrne put in after returning to baseball activities paid off. He finished the 2023 campaign with a 5-0 record and a 1.46 ERA with 66 punchouts over 43 innings pitched. Opponents batted just .166 against the junior hurler.
“It gives us confidence when he’s on the mound,” DeRosa said. “When he’s pitching, we know we have a very good chance to win because Paul is going to give us depth. He’s going to give us length in the game and he’s going to keep the score close.”
Although Byrne had a high statistical season, the junior mentioned how this was not one of his goals entering the season.
“I don’t go for personal awards as much. I just wanted that sectional title, but it just meant that I helped my team get to where we needed to be and that was to the finals.”
“That’s always been his goal,” DeRosa said when talking about a sectional title. “It’s not about individual accolades for him, he doesn’t really care about all that stuff which is a huge quality for a kid.”
DeRosa also noted how Byrne’s leadership helped the Knights in this season.
“Paul’s not the most vocal kid, but he leads by example. We have other captains that are more vocal as leaders, which is great, but Paul is a quieter kid and his work ethic and how he conducts himself. He’s a Sutherland baseball player and represents it very well.”
Byrne used his experiences from the first year to help his teammates in 2023.
“Being in my second year, I knew a lot more and we had a lot of younger and new guys on the team this year. My coaches are really good with it, but they can’t do all of it especially since there’s so many of us, so I was always trying to help out and fix a few things.”
Honeoye Falls-Lima head coach Dan Hoyt mentioned how facing Byrne was different than facing other pitchers in Section V.
“He just has that bulldog mentality. We could not come through with the big two-out hit. We could get base runners on against him, but just could not score any runs because he would bear down and come through with that big pitch,” Hoyt said. “I like his whole demeanor on the mound.”
Byrne’s teammate, Thomas Carter joined him on the 2023 Class A2 team. Carter hurled 53 innings, with a 7-3 record. The senior struck out 77 batters and had a 1.20 WHIP.
Carson Joint and Nate Weber both made the team from Honeoye Falls-Lima. Joint batted .426 on the year, scattering 29 hits, including three doubles and one triple, as well as driving in and scoring 15 runs. The senior made seven appearances on the mound, including four saves and striking out 13 while posting a 1.91 ERA. Joint was also named Monroe County Division IV Player of the Year. Weber posted a .286 batting average, driving in 10 and scoring 11. Weber also started 14 games for the Cougars, posting a 3.00 ERA and striking out 55 over 65.1 innings.
Aquinas teammates Tre Walker and Caleb Wilson were the other teammates to make the A2 team. Walker pieced together a .417 batting average, connecting on three triples and driving in 15 runs while scoring 30. Walker only struck out three times and was 42-43 in steal attempts. Wilson batted .286, driving in 12 while scoring 11. On the mound, the senior posted a 4-3 record with one save. He struck out 64 over 51.1 innings pitched and finished with a 1.64 ERA.
Pedro Garcia made the A2 team from East. Garcia batted .455, connecting on 25 hits, one triple and drove in 24 while scoring 19 runs. On the mound, Garcia had a 2.13 ERA and struck out 44 batters over 26.1 innings.
Eastridge’s Brennen Russo made the A2 team. Russo connected for 37 hits, six home runs, three triples, 11 doubles and drove in 27 for a .474 batting average.
Colden Forney was nominated to the A2 team from Pittsford Mendon. Forney connected for 25 hits, three doubles and drove in seven runs while only striking out four times all season. The sophomore also was a perfect 10-for-10 in attempted steals.
Brockport’s Brayden Scaccia also made the team. Scaccia batted .324 with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .828. He lead the Blue Devils with eight doubles and struck out 22 in 22 innings of relief on the mound.
*Section V coaches decided the All-Class teams.
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