SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville Black Horses varsity baseball team won its first game of the season on Monday at Averill Park, 7 to 2. The victory could be a sign of what’s to come: a competitive, veteran team fighting for a successful postseason appearance.
“[Averill Park] has been a really strong team the last few years, and usually we go down there and kind of get introduced to what really solid ball clubs look like,” said Schuylerville Head Coach Darrin Renner.
The Black Horses’ veteran-led team includes senior Luke Sherman, a multi-sport athlete who broke his school’s all-time boys’ basketball scoring record earlier this year. “He’s a guy that we really lean on to get things done offensively,” Renner said.
Coach Renner also named senior Griffin Brophy (a former third baseman now playing shortstop), senior lefty pitcher Brenden Steinberg, junior Alex Renner (catcher), senior Trevor French (pitcher/outfielder), and senior Josh Merrill (infielder) as part of his core group of returning players.
Among newcomers, Renner spotlighted Jackson Dunbar, a freshman second baseman whose first varsity at-bat against Averill Park was a double that fell right into an outfield gap and drove in the team’s first run. Renner said he was “very excited about the possibilities of [Dunbar] going forward.”
On the mound, sophomore pitcher Jack Boden closed out the last two innings against Averill. “Bowden’s got really good stuff,” Renner said. “We’re excited to see how he grows and where he ends up in the rotation as we go forward.”
Renner said he runs a goal-oriented program, and one of his team’s primary objectives this year is to go far enough in the postseason to play at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, which is the home of the Tri-City ValleyCats minor league baseball team.
“Every kid wants to play at Joe Bruno,” Renner said. “To play out on that field I think is for most kids kind of like a dream come true.”
Schuylerville Black Horses Varsity Baseball 2024 Roster:
Griffin Brophy - Senior INF, P #9
Luke Sherman - Senior P, OF, INF #13
Brenden Steinberg - Senior P, 1B, OF #1
Josh Merrill - Senior 3b, DH #24
Boston Reilly - Senior OF, 1B, 2B #11
Trevor French - Senior P, OF #4
Alex Renner - Junior C, OF, 2B #3
Lucas Reilly - Junior P, 2B, OF #14
Jameson Brownell - Junior 1B, 3B, OF #18
Aidan Wilber - Junior OF, INF, C #7
Matthew Waldinger - Junior OF #2
Ben Van Veghten - Sophomore 1B, OF #8
Jack Boden - Sophomore P, OF, 3B #6
Jackson Dunbar - Freshman 2B, OF, SS, P #10
