By BILLY HEYEN Within five minutes of his season’s cancellation, Ryan Ballard cried. A bit more than a year earlier, he’d looked down on the idea of playing junior college baseball. But in the time since, he’d realized the competition, camaraderie and possibilities it provided. In mid-March, due to the coronavirus, that was all temporarily taken away. “Realizing this could be … [Read more...] about ‘This was the year’: Junior College baseball sophomores cope with altered recruiting timeline
Maxx Countryman
Heyen: Life’s not fair, but Legion scheduling snafu still a shame
By BILLY HEYEN Rayson Miller had it all lined up. Lukas Haefner, RM’s ace, had been pulled early on Saturday so he’d be eligible to pitch Wednesday in a potential championship series. A lot of pieces had to fall into place for that to work out. But something no one on Rayson Miller could’ve expected is what made that Haefner usage a moot point: The schedule changed. At … [Read more...] about Heyen: Life’s not fair, but Legion scheduling snafu still a shame
‘Evil empire’ Rockland ends Rayson Miller’s states run for 2nd-straight year
By BILLY HEYEN A year ago, Rayson Miller head coach Tom Sapienza called Rockland the "evil empire." As far as Rayson Miller is concerned, that may be true. Rockland is the team that's ended RM's season two years in a row. Rayson Miller lost 9-2 to Rockland on Tuesday at Murnane Field in Utica. After a scheduling shift forced RM to face the three-time defending state … [Read more...] about ‘Evil empire’ Rockland ends Rayson Miller’s states run for 2nd-straight year
Rayson Miller’s pitching plan gets put to final test as RM falls to losers’ bracket
By BILLY HEYEN Rayson Miller's 2018 season ended in the state championship series, two wins shy of a title. The shortcoming was due in part to the pitching demands placed on a team coming out of the losers' bracket. This year, RM head coach Tom Sapienza didn't want to face that issue again, so he loaded up with even more talented arms than a year ago. Of course, Rayson … [Read more...] about Rayson Miller’s pitching plan gets put to final test as RM falls to losers’ bracket
Heyen: 9 lessons I’ve learned from two seasons of covering Rayson Miller
By BILLY HEYEN Rayson Miller Post 899 heads to the American Legion baseball state tournament in Utica this weekend. It’s the second-straight year at states for RM. As the prominence of Legion ball in Rochester has declined, Rayson Miller has remained a beacon of what it’s all about. Last year, I was able to go and cover states, and I followed RM for much of the last two … [Read more...] about Heyen: 9 lessons I’ve learned from two seasons of covering Rayson Miller