Lansingburgh senior Jordan Zareski, flanked by father Randy, left, and mother Debbie, right, signed his letter of intent to play baseball for the College of Saint Rose Thursday in the Lansingburgh High School library. He is a pitcher and first baseman and looks to contribute for the Golden Knights in any way he can. (Photo by Tom Killips - The Record)

"After this year’s football season, Union College was a choice for me to play football and baseball there," Zareski said. "But I decided to stick with baseball and Saint Rose felt like a really, really good fit for me. It’s close to home and I can come home and visit if I want to. Coach (Casey) O’Connor seems like a really tough, stern guy who seems like he knows what he is doing."

Here is a list of Jordan's accomplishments provided by Lansingburgh High head coach Joe Henkel:
Academics
GPA - 3.5
Class average - 93
Class rank - top 5%
National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society
L-Award - 95% or higher average in three consecutive marking periods

Community Service
Better 'Brugh Club
Relay for Life
Lansingburgh Little League
Role Model - Unity Sunshine School
St. Bonaventure Church Service

Athletics
Varsity football - team captain
2007-09
Section II Class A champions, Region II champions, New York State finalists, 2007
All-state tight end
Troy Patriots Pop Warner graduate

Varsity basketball - team captain
Colonial Council champions 2008-09, first in 29 years at Lansingburgh

Varsity baseball - team captain
Colonial Council first team all-star 2008
2009 clinched at least a share of first place (with games yet to play)

Also a team captain of all modified, freshman and junior varsity teams at Lansingburgh

Lansingburgh Royals baseball
13-Sandy Koufax, Wasaren League champion
14-Sandy Koufax, Division champion
15-Mickey Mantle, World Series, Owasso, Oklahoma
16-Mickey Mantle, finished with 96-19 record with the Royals

"We need more kids like this," Henkel said. "He’s very active in the community, giving up time for little league clinics so he can teach the younger kids what he knows. He’s so busy but still finds the time for those things and that says a lot about him."

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In softball news on Thursday, the Watervliet team snapped an eight-year losing streak - you read that right, eight years - with a 21-7 victory over Berlin.

The Cannoneers scored eight runs in the third inning and four base hits from Amber Dawson to post a 21-7 victory over Berlin, the program’s first win in eight years.
"The girls have stuck together and we were hungry for a win," said coach Frank Parisi, who manages the club along with assistant Pat Blum.
Ashley Soto, Katie Plunkett, Noelle Gilchrist, Bea Lease and Kate LaBarge all had three hits in a 25-hit attack.
"Our bats really came to life," Parisi said.
Plunkett pitched a complete game and got the game ball.

Time will tell if the Cannoneers can keep the streak going in a new direction - a winning streak - but the news did bring to mind another Troy-area sports span of tough luck.
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute football team had a winless streak of 43 games from 1959 to 1965.

That reminds me to congratulate Tom Ebenhoch, a Watervliet three-sport athlete who has been named to Joe King's list of football recruits at RPI.

Mike Blais (La Salle), Josh Brown (La Salle), A.J. Monin (Colonie), Leejay Pollachi (Saratoga Springs) and Chris Tiberia (Ravena) round out the other locals who will suit up for the Engineers in the coming years.