For only the second time in history, five teams will be representing Section V Baseball at the NYSPHSAA Final Four in Binghamton this weekend. Fairport (AAA), Victor (AA), Pittsford Sutherland (A), Bolivar-Richburg (C), and Arkport-Canaseraga (D) will all fight to bring home state titles. Here’s the breakdown:
CLASS AAA
FAIRPORT RED RAIDERS (19-4/Monroe County I)
vs.
COMMACK COUGARS (18-8/Section XI League II)
Friday, Morabito Stadium, 7 p.m
How they arrived here: Fairport opened its postseason run with a 7-2 win over McQuaid. The Red Raiders defeated Rush-Henrietta 6-3 to win the Section V Class AAA title. A 5-2 triumph over Lancaster (VI) in the Far West Regional earned Fairport a spot in the state semifinals. Commack won the Section XI title after picking up wins against Smithtown East, Walt Whitman, and Sachem North. In the state quarterfinal round, the Cougars won 2-1 over Farmingdale (VIII) to advance to the Final Four.
Tempo and Trends: Fairport averages 7.4 runs per game on offense and allows 2.6 runs per game defensively. The Red Raiders have won nine of their last 10 games. Commack scored 3.6 runs per game offensively and allowed 2.0 runs a game on defense. The Cougars have only lost once in their last seven games, and have shut out opponents eight times this season.
Players to watch for Fairport: Sam Miller Sr. P/OF .439 BA, 29 H, 8 XBH, HR, 9 RBI, 23 R, 49.0 IP, 8-0, 1.57 ERA, 88 K, Binghamton commit; Sam Roselli So. OF/P Jackson Rucker Sr. INF .343 BA, 23 H, 8 XBH, 18 RBI, 14 R; Will Stanek Sr. INF/P .311 BA, 23 H, 2 XBH, 8 RBI, 16 R, 18.2 IP, 2-3, 4.13 ERA, 17 K; Nathan VanDeVoorde Sr. OF/P .284 BA, 19 H, 6 XBH, 8 RBI, 18 R, 40.2 IP, 5-0, 1.21 ERA, 40 K; JD Ostrander Sr. OF/INF .278 BA, 10 H, 2 XBH, 5 RBI, 4 R
Commack: Dean Kirschbaum Sr. P, 4-0, 1.11 ERA, 33 K, OBA .170; Luke Krzmeinski Sr. .422 BA; Max Horowitz 3B; Evan Kay SS/P Stony Brook commit; Chris Messina DH .333 BA and .460 OBP in postseason
Coaches: Kieran Murphy (Fairport), Matt Salmon (Commack)
History 101: The Red Raiders last reached the state semifinals in 2006, falling to Section II champion Colonie. This is the second year in a row Commack has advanced to the state semifinals. In 2023, the Cougars advanced to their first state championship game in program history, but fell 2-1 to Ketcham (I) in the Class AA title game.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class AAA championship on Saturday against either Shenendehowa (II) or Ketcham (I).
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM LAURA ACCIAIO.
CLASS AA
VICTOR BLUE DEVILS (20-5/Monroe County I)
vs.
HAUPPAUGE EAGLES(21-4/Section XI League V)
Friday, Binghamton University, 7 p.m
How they arrived here: Victor began its postseason run with a 7-3 win over Gates Chili. The Blue Devils then picked up an 18-1 win over Spencerport before rallying to defeat Hilton 13-12 in the Class AA semifinals. An 11-1 win over Greece Athena earned Victor a trip to the Far West Regional, in which the Blue Devils took down Clarence (VI) by a score of 4-1. Hauppauge defeated East Islip and Comsewogue on its way to a Section XI title before defeating Division (VIII) 4-3 in the Long Island Regional.
Tempo and Trends: Victor produces 6.6 runs a game offensively and holds opposing teams to 3.0 runs a game. The Blue Devils have only lost twice in their past 18 games. Hauppage scores 7.6 runs a game on offense and allows 3.0 runs a game on defense. The Eagles have won nine of their last 11 games.
Players to watch for Victor: Nick Kriegelstein Jr. OF .440 BA, 37 H, 10 XBH, 13 RBI, 22 R; John Swartz Jr. 1B/P/OF .373 BA, 25 H, 7 XBH, HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 13.2 IP, 2-0, 0.66 ERA, 12 K; Weston Elkovitch Sr. P/OF .345 BA, 30 H, 10 XBH, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 23 R, 65.0 IP, 10-3, 2.22 ERA, 58 K, Canisius commit ; Jameson Ricigliano Sr. OF/INF .333 BA, 13 H, XBH, 14 RBI, 13 R; Nate Power Sr. P/3B, 42.2 IP, 3-0, save, 3.38 ERA, 25 K
Hauppauge: Matt Neglia Sr. P .429 BA, 6 XBH, HR, 21 RBI, 42.0 IP, 7-1, 1.50 ERA, St. Thomas Aquinas commit; Mike Oliveto Jr. .409 BA, 16 XBH, 8 HR, 30 RBI; John Margolies Jr. P/OF .286 BA, 5 XBH, 11 RBI, 4 saves, 2-1, 1.36 ERA; Vincent Crafa Jr. P/SS 5-1, 2.63 ERA, Monmouth commit; Cole Wood Jr. OF .313 BA, 6 XBH, HR, 18 RBI
Coaches: Sean Rucker (Victor), John Gutes (Hauppauge)
History 101: Victor is making its sixth appearance in the NYS Final Four in program history. The Blue Devils have advanced to the state finals on four previous occasions. This is the first ever state semifinal appearance for Hauppauge. The 4-3 win over Division (VIII) gave the Eagles their first Long Island regional championship in program history.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class AA championship on Saturday against either Bethlehem (II) or Eastchester (I).
CLASS A
PITTSFORD SUTHERLAND KNIGHTS (18-6/Monroe County IV)
vs.
KINGS PARK KINGSMEN (22-2/Section XI League VI)
Friday, Union-Endicott High School, 7 p.m
How they arrived here: Pittsford Sutherland defeated Eastridge 12-3 and Aquinas 2-1 to reach the sectional final for the third straight year, where the Knights defeated Honeoye Falls-Lima 8-4. It took 13 innings, but a 2-0 win over Amherst (VI) in the Far West Regional lifted Pittsford Sutherland to the state semifinals. Kings Park earned wins over Miller Place and Bayport-Blue Point to win the Section XI championship before winning 3-2 against Clarke (VIII) to advance the Kingsmen to the Final Four.
Tempo and Trends: Pittsford Sutherland scores 6.2 runs per game while allowing 3.5 runs a game defensively. Kings Park scores 6.1 runs per game and allows an average of 1.2 runs a game on defense. The Kingsmen have won their past 14 contests.
Players to watch for Pittsford Sutherland: Paul Byrne Sr. P .278 BA, 5 H, 2 XBH, 3 RBI, 4 R, 62.1 IP, 7-2, 1.46 ERA, 98 K, Cortland commit; Aidan Kress So. 367 BA, 22 H, 7 XBH, 23 RBI, 13 R; Ryan Munzinger So. .308 BA, 24 H, 5 XBH, HR, 18 RBI, 20 R; Jaxon Bernas So. .292 BA, 19 H, 3 XBH, 12 RBI, 14 R; Colin MacLean Sr. P 29.0 IP, 2-2, 4.1 ERA, 23 K
Kings Park: Hunter Colagrande Sr. P Stony Brook commit; Brandon Hauk Sr. P St. Thomas Aquinas commit; Giuseppe Bulfino Sr. OF Bridgeport commit; Matt Callaghan Sr. P St. Thomas Aquinas commit; Michael Cooper Sr. OF Plattsburgh commit
Coaches: Brandon DeRosa (Pittsford Sutherland), Andrew Abreu (Kings Park)
History 101: Pittsford Sutherland has made the state semifinals nine times since 2005, and most recently in 2017 when the Knights lost to Wantagh (XIII). This is the second time Kings Park has made the state semifinals in program history, and first since 2001.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class A championship on Saturday against the winner of Jamesville-Dewitt (III) and Maine-Endwell (IV).
ALSO: After dominating weekend, it’s on to the Final Four for Section V Baseball
CLASS C
BOLIVAR-RICHBURG WOLVERINES (24-2/Allegany County)
vs.
BURKE CATHOLIC EAGLES (13-8/Orange County IV)
Friday, Binghamton University, 1 p.m
How they arrived here: Bolivar-Richburg knocked off Keshequa 14-1 in the opening round of the Section V C2 playoffs, defeated Cuba-Rushford 8-1 in the quarterfinals and beat Kendall 13-2 in the semifinals to advance to the championship round for the fifth consecutive season. The Wolverines then took down Geneseo 4-2 to lift the Section V C2 block and won 7-3 against Letchworth in the regional qualifier. In the Far West Regional, Bolivar-Richburg defeated Wilson, 8-1. Burke Catholic picked up wins over Millbrook and Pine Plains to win the Section IX championship and then won 2-0 against Tuckahoe (I) and 3-1 against Pierson (XI) to make its way to the state semifinals.
Tempo and Trends: Bolivar-Richburg scored 10.9 runs per game and allows 2.9. The Wolverines have won nine straight games with their last loss coming Class B regional finalist, Wellsville on May 8th. Burke Catholic produces 7.4 runs a game on average while allowing an average of 3.5 runs per game defensively. The Eagles have claimed wins in seven of their last eight games.
Players to watch for Bolivar Richburg: Landon Barkley Jr. P/IF .437 BA, 31 H, 3 XBH, HR, 21 RBI, 29 R, 43.0 IP, 7-0, 1.47 ERA, 51 K; Reiss Gaines Sr. OF/P .431 BA, 31 H, 6 XBH, HR, 24 RBI, 47 R, 12.1 IP, 3-0, 1.70 ERA, 21 K; Trey Buchholz Sr. P/INF .382 BA, 34 H, 13 XBH, HR, 26 RBI, 39 R, 58.1 IP, 8-1, 2.28 ERA, 82 K; Caden Allen Sr. IF/P .350 BA, 28 H, 14 XBH, HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, 34.1 IP, 4-0, 1.84 ERA, 30 K; Tavyn MacDonell Jr. IF/C .414 BA, 24 H, 9 XBH, HR, 23 RBI, 31 R
Burke Catholic: Mason Gove P/3B; Ryan Malone 1B; Brendyn Quinn RF; Jacob Lowe LF; Jordan Drucker IF/P
Coaches: Dustin Allen (Bolivar Richburg), Al Trezza (Burke Catholic)
History 101: Bolivar Richburg last played in the state semifinals in 2014, when the Wolverines lost to Pierson/Bridgehampton (XI). Burke Catholic is looking to win its first state title in program history. This is the second straight year the Eagles have made the state tournament after falling in the sub-regional round in 2023.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class C championship on Saturday against either Pulaski (III) or Chatham (II).
CLASS D
ARKPORT-CANASERAGA WOLVES (15-3/Steuben County)
vs.
CHAPEL FIELD CHRISTIAN (8-4/Orange County VI)
Friday, Morabito Stadium, 1 p.m
How they arrived here: Arkport-Canaseraga beat Elba (5-2) and Fillmore (9-6) en route to the Section V championship game, in which they took down Genesee Valley-Belfast 6-2. A 5-4 win over North Collins (VI) in the Far West Regional advanced the Wolves into the state semis. Chapel Field Christian beat Eldred to win the Section IX championship before taking down Bridgehampton (XI) by a score of 7-5 in the state quarterfinals.
Tempo and Trends: Arkport-Canaseraga produced 8.7 runs a game on offense while holding teams to 3.3 runs a game on defense. Chapel Field Christian scores an average of 8.3 runs per game while allowing 5.3 runs a game on defense.
Players to watch for Arkport-Canaseraga: Ben Leibham Sr.; Bryer Drake Jr.; Eli Merry Jr.; Tayven Lavesky Jr.; Bryson Jones Jr.; John Marcus So.; Micah Marvin So.; Caden Carey Fr.
Chapel Field Christian: Mikey Bonagura P; Jonah McDuffie CF; Aaron Falkena DH; Drew Hollo SS; William Wilson 1B
Coaches: Nick Smith (Arkport-Canaseraga), Michael Bonagura (Chapel Field Christian)
History 101: This is the first time as a combined program that Arkport-Canaseraga has made it to the state semifinals. In 2009, Arkport won the Class D state championship. Chapel Field has made the state championship game in the past two seasons, and is looking to win its second straight state title after defeating Northstar Christian 3-2 in 2023.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class D championship on Saturday against the winner of Oriskany (III) and Hadley Luzerne (II).
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