UNPRECEDENTED: Saratoga Springs and Spa Catholic Win State Championships

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a remarkable moment in the city’s history, two Saratoga Springs-based high school baseball teams won their respective class state championships last weekend. Both title victories were the first in each program’s history.

“We may need to change the City of Saratoga Springs’ slogan from ‘Health, History, and Horses’ to ‘Health, History, Horses, and Baseball,’” wrote Mayor John Safford.

According to the latest Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, plans are currently in the works for a celebratory parade on June 25 that would run on Broadway from Congress Park to City Hall.

Saints Make History

The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity baseball team won the Section 2 Class C Championship last Saturday, defeating Deposit-Hancock 4 to 0 at the SUNY Binghamton Stadium.

It was the first baseball title in the school’s history, and only the second state championship for any sport in school history.

In the state title game, junior Pierce Byrne (who has already committed to Siena College) had a stellar performance on the mound, racking up 11 strikeouts and allowing only one hit in 7 innings of work. At the plate, Spa Catholic took an early lead after Ryan Gillis socked a three-run homer in the first inning. Brian Selig Jr. and Ronan Rowe each contributed two hits in the victory.

“I’m proud, humbled, grateful, and blessed to coach these guys,” said Coach Alphonse Lambert in a message posted to social media. “They are a resilient group who I [love] so much.”

“This victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork of our student-athletes and coaching staff,” Saratoga Central Catholic said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of their performance and the way they represented SCC on and off the field.”

In the state semifinal game, also in Binghamton, the Saints defeated Section 9 champion Burke Catholic, 5 to 2. In that contest, Rowe hit a triple and an RBI single, while Max Britten drove in two additional runs with his own single. On the mound, Carson Moser allowed just one earned run, striking out 5 and allowing 2 hits in 4 innings. Luke Dejnozka pitched 3 additional innings in relief, earning the win and allowing no runs.

When leaving for their pair of games in Binghamton, the baseball squad was treated to a police and fire-escorted farewell that saw a packed crowd of students, teachers, and parents cheering outside the high school on Broadway. 

Prior to their victories in the state final four, Spa Catholic captured their sixth sectional championship by beating Granville 5 to 2 at the Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy.

The Saints finished 27-1 on the year, tying the school record for most wins in a season.

Offensive statistical standouts this season included Britten (slash line: .386/.463/.421), Byrne (.395/.489/.645), Kihl Kelly (.405/.520/.544), Jason Pescetti (.471/.553/.571), Rowe (.474/.550/.645), and Selig Jr. (.382/.560/.500).

Pitchers Byrne (1.33 ERA in 42 innings), Dejnozka (0.51 ERA in 27.1 innings), Selig Jr. (0.41 ERA in 34 innings), and Tyler Weygand (1.14 ERA in 24.2 innings) shut down the Saints’ foes all season.

Four members of the Saints’ historic 2025 baseball team will soon graduate: Rowe (Oswego State commit), Hunter Fales (St. John Fisher University), Gillis (SUNY Adirondack), and Weygand (Barton College). But in a news release, the school said that a “talented underclassman group stands ready to carry the torch.”

Blue Streaks Stun Ketcham

The Saratoga Springs High School varsity baseball team capped off a successful 21-6 season with its first-ever Section 2 Class AAA state championship last Saturday, vanquishing Ketcham 8 to 5.

Jack Rigabar got the Blue Streaks’ party started with a triple in the first inning before being brought home off a single by Alex Landau. Brady Mills later added an RBI hit of his own, again driving in Rigbar. Cooper Villiere added a sac-fly in the third before Saratoga was able to capture the lead, 6 to 5, following a few wild pitches by Ketcham. From there, the Blue Streaks squeezed and didn’t let go, crossing home plate twice more to secure the W.

The victory was far from assured heading into Saturday’s game. Ketcham was appearing in its third-straight state final, having captured a title of their own in 2023. 

Prior to the historic victory, Saratoga earned its spot in the title game after a 2 to 1, extra-innings win in the semifinals against Niagara Falls.

The state title victory came after an unusual season that saw Saratoga lose 6 of its first 12 games before then winning 15 straight. Although some may have counted them out, the Blue Streaks never stopped battling.