By BILLY HEYEN The last time Lukas Haefner and Owen VanNewkirk played at Murnane Field in Utica, the outcome wasn't what they wanted. They posed with a second-place trophy, Haefner's arms crossed and no emotion on his face. VanNewkirk tucked himself into the back row, not making an effort to be prominently pictured. With Rayson Miller back at the state tournament for the … [Read more...] about Rayson Miller’s veterans come through for 4-1 win in state tourney opener
Tom Sapienza
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
Heyen: Letter to my 10-years younger self
Dear Billy, It’s me (or you?) saying hello from 10 years in the future. How was Bob Matthews’ column in the Democrat and Chronicle this morning? Read it even closer than you usually do. There might be some columns in your future. You’d probably like to know all about what comes next. And I’ll get to some of that, but we’re gonna skip some of the middle stuff. This letter … [Read more...] about Heyen: Letter to my 10-years younger self
Owen VanNewkirk’s return to wood bat paying dividends as playoffs approach
By BILLY HEYEN EAST IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Owen VanNewkirk went 5-for-7 during the first weekend of the American Legion season swinging a wood bat. But this year in District 7, players are allowed to swing metal for the first time. So as he saw his teammates make the switch, VanNewkirk went for it, too. After five games and a 2-for-14 skid, VanNewkirk reverted — back to the … [Read more...] about Owen VanNewkirk’s return to wood bat paying dividends as playoffs approach
Rayson Miller embraces ‘playoff atmosphere’ in win over Irondequoit
By BILLY HEYEN PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Rayson Miller Post had allowed Irondequoit Post to tie it up in the top of the fifth. The energy that Rayson Miller had come out of the gate with was at risk of being for naught. But then Grant Rodriguez sat back on a pitch and pushed it toward the right side. The ball trickled past the second baseman’s glove and into right field. The … [Read more...] about Rayson Miller embraces ‘playoff atmosphere’ in win over Irondequoit