SARATOGA SPRINGS — No player in the history of Skidmore College’s baseball program has gone further than Jackson Hornung.

In 2023, the former Thoroughbred became the first Skidmore athlete drafted by a professional team when he was selected in the 16th round (484th pick) of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. In retrospect, that pick might’ve been a steal for Toronto.

Hornung started at the bottom of the Blue Jays’ organization at Single-A Dunedin, where he struggled in 62 plate appearances, managing an OPS of just .442. But in 2024, his career took off with the High-A Vancouver Canadians. In 116 games, he rocketed his OPS to .715, smashing 6 homers and 25 doubles. He led the team in both hits (105) and multi-hit games (27). At the end of the season, the Skidmore ‘23 grad was named to the Northwest League All-Star Team. The performance kept him stationed in Vancouver, where he returned the following season with a vengeance.

In 2025, Hornung’s .855 OPS with the Canadians marked his best offensive output since college. He had a slash line of .308/.396/.459 with 3 homers in 44 games. The bigwigs in Toronto had seen enough and promptly promoted Hornung to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. 

Since joining the Cats in late June, Jackson has earned the team’s fifth-best OPS (.787), third-highest slugging percentage (.446), third-highest batting average (.269), and fifth-best on-base percentage (.341). In other words, he instantly became one of New Hampshire’s best players.

On Sept. 5, the Fisher Cats placed Hornung on the 7-day injured list. If he comes off it at the end of this week, he would likely be available for only two or three games before the regular season ends. With the Cats at the bottom of the Eastern League Standings, those final contests may be Hornung’s last chances for at-bats before 2026.

Hornung’s trajectory has been both a successful and intriguing one. One unanswered question is where he will fit onto a roster defensively. There’s little doubt he can hit, but Toronto seems unsure of which position to play him at. He was a first baseman and catcher in Dunedin; first baseman, catcher, and outfielder in Vancouver; and most recently, a first baseman and left fielder in New Hampshire. Using fielding percentage as a somewhat useful metric, Hornung appears to play best in the outfield. Interestingly, he hasn’t played catcher at all in 2025, despite that being listed as his official position on the Fisher Cats roster. A promotion to Triple-A is certainly a possibility in 2026, though it could be dependent upon how Hornung fits (or doesn’t fit) into the Buffalo Bisons lineup.

Back in Saratoga Springs, Hornung’s career has helped increase the quality of Skidmore baseball recruits, Thoroughbreds Head Coach Ron Plourde told Saratoga TODAY prior to the start of the 2024 season. Plourde also had this to say when Hornung was drafted in 2023: “We couldn’t be happier for Jackson, as this is an incredible accomplishment for him and our entire program… He’s done everything the right way and is in this position because of his abilities, work ethic and great attitude.”

With Skidmore, Hornung was an NCAA Division III All-American, and was twice named Liberty League Player of the Year. In 98 career games, he recorded a batting average of .430, with 22 homers, 106 RBI, and a .540 on-base percentage. In his senior year, he hit .424 with 12 dingers and 41 RBI, leading the Liberty League in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

Despite losing their star player after the 2023 season (when they finished with a .600% 24-16 record), Skidmore has maintained comparable winning percentages for the last two years (.528 in ‘24 and .550 in ‘25). With a new turf baseball field currently being constructed on Daniels Road, the future is looking rosy for both the Skidmore baseball program and its brightest star. 

WILTON — Vincent Sablich, a Wilton resident and Saratoga Springs High School grad, has set his sights on an ambitious feat: to climb the Seven Summits (the highest mountains on each of the seven continents). He is climbing for awareness of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an illness he’s suffered from. 

In January, he will head to Argentina to scale his first summit: Aconcagua, which stands at 22,837 feet tall.

Sablich said it’s been his dream to climb the Seven Summits ever since he was a boy hiking in the Adirondacks. 

“As a seven-year-old kid, I used to climb the snow banks around my driveway, pretending as if I was summiting the highest peak on each of the seven continents,” Sablich wrote in an Instagram post.

Sablich grew up as a competitive rock climber and spent the last year in Nepal doing a variety of volunteer work, in addition to studying at a Buddhist monastery. He is currently working as a paralegal at the Albany-based law firm of Alex Dell and hopes to attend law school next year.   

Sablich wrote that he hopes to “uplift those [with OCD] who feel that they have no place to go. I know how life-threatening that feeling is, and I want to make a change.”

To support his efforts, an event on Thursday, Oct. 16 (5 to 8 p.m.) at Common Roots Brewery in South Glens Falls will donate all proceeds in support of the upcoming Aconcagua climb. The evening will highlight Sablich’s Seven Summits journey, his personal story of living with OCD, and spotlight ways the community can join the movement to raise awareness and support for those affected. Guests can enjoy an Argentinian-style buffet and craft beer with their ticket.

For more information on Sablich and his journey, visit www.ofmountainsandminds.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College women’s volleyball team opened their 2025 season with a win and a pair of losses during the Joseph B. Dearing Classic on Aug. 30 and Sept. 2.

The first two games—played in Springfield, Massachusetts—resulted in a 3-1 loss to Springfield College and a 3-0 sweep against Keene State. Seniors Maya Stolarz and Jazlin Chen combined for 18 kills in the Keene State win as the Thoroughbreds hit .303 in the victory with 15 total blocks. At the end of the day, sophomore Marlowe McIntyre, who was making her collegiate debut, was selected to the All-Tournament Team.

Springfield 3, Skidmore 1 (25–20, 23–25, 25–22, 25–18)

• Springfield opened with a 25–20 win in the first set behind five service aces.

• Skidmore answered in the second, rallying late to take a 25–23 win in a frame that featured 17 ties. Neither side scored more than points in a row.

• The Pride edged the third set 25–22 after scoring three in a row to get to 22 and pushing three more across despite Skidmore’s late push.

• Springfield closed the match with a 25–18 fourth set, aided by three more aces to finish with 12 on the day. The hosts scored eight out of the first 10 points in the fourth set.

• Stolarz led the Thoroughbreds with 10 kills and four blocks, one solo.

• Katy O’Connell added six kills and a team-high five block assists.

• Setter Catriona Hoelperl tallied 23 assists and 11 digs for her first double-double of the year.

• Libero Marlowe McIntyre posted a team-best 18 digs.

• Chloe Heitman chipped in seven kills, while Madison Manning had six and Angie Mozrall five.

• Skidmore hit .159 with 8.0 total blocks in the opener.

Skidmore 3, Keene State 0 (25–15, 25–20, 25–18)

• Skidmore surged to a 25–15 first-set win behind a combined seven early kills from Stolarz and Chen.

• The Thoroughbreds held off a mid-set Keene rally with a 10-2 run to take the second, 25–20, with O’Connell and Claire Sabo combining for four blocks.

• Skidmore sealed the sweep with a 25–18 third set after pulling away in the middle of the frame.

• Chen finished nearly perfect with nine kills on 13 swings (.692) without an error and three blocks.

• Stolarz also had nine kills with four total blocks.

• Natalie Pedersen chipped in six kills, while O’Connell and Sabo combined for eight blocks.

• Hoelperl steered the offense with 22 assists, and Emma Ferrigno added six helpers.

• McIntyre anchored the defense with 11 digs.

• Heitman contributed four kills to finish her collegiate debut with 11 on the afternoon.

• Skidmore hit .303 as a team while limiting Keene State to -.018 with a dominant 15.0 team blocks.

In their Sept. 2 contest, Skidmore pushed host Williams in each set but dropped a 3–0 decision (25–23, 25–20, 25–18) in the Ephs’ season opener Tuesday night at Chandler Athletic Center. First-year outside hitter Chloe Heitman led the Thoroughbreds with 10 kills, while senior middle Jazlin Chen added four kills and a match-best five blocks.

• Skidmore (1–2) opened strong, hitting .303 in the first set and erasing a 20–14 deficit behind Chen’s serving run of three aces in four points eventually propelling the Thoroughbreds to tie the score at 22. Williams (1–0) answered with a closing 3-1 stretch to claim the frame, then used a balanced attack to control the final two sets.

• Heitman tallied 10 kills on 30 swings (.200) to go with four digs and a block. She scored four of her points in the third set, including back-to-back kills that kept Skidmore within reach at 9–8.

• Chen finished with 11.5 points, including four solo blocks, and three aces.

• Setter Catriona Hoelperl dished out 19 assists, hit .500 with two kills, and chipped in seven digs. Classmate Emma Ferrigno added six assists and a kill.

• Maya Stolarz produced seven kills (.222), a block, and three digs, while Katy O’Connell supplied four kills and two solo blocks. Madison Manning collected four kills and 16 receptions with just one error, plus a service ace.

• Marlowe McIntyre anchored the defense with 13 digs, while Athena Braverman added six. Skidmore out-blocked Williams 8–5 but was out-aced 12–4.

• Williams’ Kate Lane and Chi Obi paced the Ephs with eight kills apiece. Lane added four aces, while setter Morgan Daetz handed out 24 assists. Libero Eve Kaplan totaled 13 digs.

The team will next host a busy weekend of home games during the Skidmore Classic on Sept. 5 and 6 at the Williamson Sports Center.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Siena University basketball head coaches Gerry McNamara and Terry Primm greeted fans and celebrated inside the Winner’s Circle at the Saratoga Race Course last Wednesday. 

The fifth race of the day, dubbed “Siena Saints MarchOn!”, was named in honor of the coaches’ teams. McNamara and Primm also took time to sign autographs and pose for photos with hoops fans at the Jockey Silks Porch.

Prior to becoming a coach, McNamara was a crucial piece of the 2003 NCAA National Champion Syracuse team. This season will be his second as head coach of the Saints after a long stint as assistant coach for the Orange. 

Primm ascended to lead the women’s program following three years as an assistant coach and quickly made an impact, leading the Saints to their third consecutive winning record and a berth in the WNIT.

The Siena men’s team will launch their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule on Dec. 5 at the MVP Arena in Albany. The women’s team is set to begin their regular season on Nov. 4 at the UHY Center in Loudonville. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Jim Nantz, a CBS sportscaster famous for his coverage of The Masters and multiple Super Bowls, was named the Saratoga Senior Center’s Man of the Year during an event co-hosted by hometown hero Dottie Pepper at the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion last Thursday. Nantz was celebrated for his impactful work in Alzheimer’s advocacy. 

Pepper is a 1983 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School and member of the Blue Streak Hall of Fame. She won 17 championships on the LPGA Tour before joining CBS’ golf broadcasting team. 

In a nearly hour-long chat at Fasig-Tipton, Nantz hit upon a number of topics, including his philanthropic work, his distinguished career, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Here are some highlights from his remarks

Dottie Pepper

“Dottie, you are such a shining star in my life… I just treasure the chance to work with you.”

His signature catchphrase, “Hello, friends”

“I was just trying to send a message to my father who was declining by the day, suffering from Alzheimer’s. When I left his bedside… I just said, ‘Dad, when I’m on the air this weekend, I’m looking at the camera and I’m going to say ‘Hello, friends’ and when I say that, I want you to know I’m thinking of you in that very moment… At the end of the day, I got a call from a colleague at CBS who said, ‘I watched you on the opening say ‘Hello, friends,’ what was the story there?’ I filled him in… He said, that sounded like you. You should do that again tomorrow. So I’ve done it every show since. My dad lost the battle in 2008. I still say it.”

His life and career

“Zelig, this old Woody Allen movie where he drops himself in all these incredible historical moments and scenes, or Forrest Gump, the same kind of thing – I feel like that’s my life… How did I end up on the victory platform, giving away the Lombardi Trophy and calling the Super Bowl? I’ve been broadcasting on nine of them. All I know is that it goes back to passion, obsession. I make a declaration, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ and gratefully, blessedly, a lot of it, most of it, feels like it’s come true.”

His work as a broadcaster

“I’m into the story of the people. I like to find out what’s in their heart… What is it about them? Why should we root for them? I’m not a scoop guy. I’ll leave the scoops to the guys in the studio. I’m not trying to dig any dirt. I don’t even, I don’t want to know. I want to find the good side of people and cover the game.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen

“One of the greatest human beings I’ve met… He’s on a very short list of people that I’m just blown away by how they handle themselves around people and the acts of goodness they do… He makes everyone in Buffalo feel special, never turns anyone away.”

Alzheimer’s

“There is such a rush of positive energy and momentum in the fight against Alzheimer’s. It’s remarkable. The last three years have been a rocketship. Things are happening.”

“When I got all-in on the fight for Alzheimer’s, I mean that is going to be the greatest win of all. That’s just the way I’ve lived my life, trying to figure out what it is I want to do, and do everything within my power to make it happen.”

The Saratoga Senior Center

“Thank you for what you do, all of you that support this thing with your time, checking up on people, checking up on your fellow citizens and residents, making sure that their lives are staying on track and they feel important, that they don’t feel the loneliness that far too many seniors in this country feel. It’s wonderful to know that when I think of Saratoga now… I’m going to think about the community and what is happening at the senior center.”