Stampede heads to State Tournament

The Saratoga Stampede American Legion baseball team is going back to the New York State Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, for the third time in the past four seasons. Saratoga went to the championship game in 2006 against New Hartford, but has never attained the brass ring.
The Stampede accomplished this feat by defeating their arch rivals, the Anaconda Indians out of Scotia, twice last Saturday to win the District 4 title and earn the right to head to the big tourney that will be taking place in Utica.
And a big tournament it is. Legion baseball is absolutely huge in Oneida County, and the tournament will feature TV and radio coverage, a flyby by the Navy’s Blue Angels, color guards, and more. It is a true stadium event that regularly sees fan attendance in excess of 6,000 spectators.
Although Stampede Head Coach Paul Mound had his sights set on Utica from the start of the season, the team faltered a bit, and about midway through the season, Mound was beginning to have second thoughts.
“Honestly, at the start of the year I thought we were New York State champions, because the Saratoga High School players were performing at a high level in the spring, as evidenced by how far they went in sectional play. Spa Catholic obviously won their Class B title, the Ballston Spa kids, while they underachieved, I thought they were going to be solid players, so on paper I really thought we had a state championship team. We came out, and as you saw yourself, we were Jeckyl and Hyde. When we were bad, we were real bad, and when we were good, we were good. Suddenly, from the beginning to the end of June, I started questioning if we could even physically get out of the district.”
The Stampede did make it out of the tournament, however, with back-to-back, one-run wins over Anaconda in the semifinal and championship games. Saratoga won the tournament in Scotia via the loser’s bracket, as the Stampede lost its first two games before coming to life.
“We lost to Smith Post, who’s going to be out here in Utica, 3-0, and we were as flat as a pancake. We popped up I think 14 times in that Smith game, out of 21 outs, lost to them 3-0, and 20 minutes later came back and absolutely pulverized Anaconda, and beat them 10-4. So I thought, OK, we got momentum. So then we played the Montreal Titans the very next day, we came out, we started out smoking, we played horrible defense, and we handed the game away. They scored nine runs on seven errors, we allowed seven unearned runs and we lost the ball game 9-7. And then we turned around 20 minutes later, and we mercied Colchester, Vermont. So, like I said, we’re Jeckyl and Hyde.”
The Stampede also fought off injuries while winning the district tournament. Catcher Tyler Prehoda suffered a fractured jaw in the Cooper’s Cave Tournament earlier this month, and Mound’s other catcher, Scott Hladik, has been suffering from a stiff back as well as not being available due to emersion classes at the College of Saint Rose. With nowhere else to turn, Mound used the advice of Skidmore College coach Ron Plourde and put his best overall athlete, Ben Cook, behind the dish. Cook had never caught and had not played anywhere but the outfield in the last four years, but he shined for the Stampede in the tournament.
“Think about this. It was hot, ok, and Ben Cook caught 18 innings (the last day of the tournament), and do you know what he said to me at the end of the game? ‘That was the most fun I ever had playing baseball.’ Not one ounce of tiredness out of that kid.”
Playing in the infield for the first time in four years, Cook enjoyed his stint behind the plate so much that he asked Mound if he could do it again. The coach told him that he single-handedly showed him (Mound) the greatest individual day of any player that he’s ever coached. That’s a pretty strong statement coming from a man who has been coaching for 17 years.
Mound is also fairly familiar with the competition that he will be facing this week. It won’t be an easy road for Saratoga, since the eight teams that make the state tourney come from a field that starts out with 278 teams. To make it to the final eight may also take a little luck, but the one thing that’s guaranteed is that none of the district winners will be pushovers, and Mound is well aware of that.
“I don’t like opening against the host (Utica) because they have a rabid fan base (an estimated 7,000 fans will be in attendance), and that’s going to be challenging for us, but I don’t think that they’re the most talented team overall. I’m not saying that they’re not good. Let’s face it, in the New York State Tournament, when 270 out of 278 are gone, the last eight teams are pretty doggone good. I’m not looking past them, but I’d rather draw them, then say, Melvin Roads or the OTB Pirates out of Rockland County. We saw them (Melvin Roads) once this year in early June at Geyser (Park), we beat them 3-2, but I fear that team. I think they’re an immensely talented ball club. And additionally, the other team that scares the daylights out of me is the OTB Pirates, who beat (Cooper’s Cave Champion) Shrub Oak to win their district…Smith Post, out of Rome, very competitive team, by no means a pushover, but I’d probably rather see Smith than I would OTB or Melvin Roads.”
However tough the competition might be, Mound feels that his club is peaking at the right time, and he likes his chances for his quest for his first state championship.
“We’re winning now, we are exactly where we want to be, I think our focus is greater than probably any focus of any team I’ve taken to the states.”
Fans can also follow the tournament via the internet at www.nystourney.com. The Web Site will feature detailed statistics and box scores, and all of the games can be heard through their web cast. Just go to the site and check for the web stream link.
The tournament begins on Wednesday, and Saratoga’s first game will be on Wednesday night against the host Utica Post. The Stampede have their work cut out for them, but perhaps the third time will be a charm for Coach Mound and his ball club.