Troy Renegades shortstop Joe Foran swings during the home run derby at the AABC 15-and-under Ken Griffey Jr. World Series in Owasso, Okla. (Photo courtesy http://owassobaseball.com/Owasso_Rams_Baseball/Home.html)

Renegades advance to Griffey Final Four: The Troy Renegades defeated Broken Arrow 6-1 Friday afternoon in the loser’s bracket at the AABC 15-and-under Ken Griffey Jr. World Series in Owasso, Okla.
Greg Hotaling pitched a complete game two-hitter for the Renegades. Troy earned its revenge against Broken Arrow, as the Oklahoma team had defeated the Renegades in pool play, 9-2.
During a stretch in the fifth inning, five of six Renegades batters – Greg Scott, Ian Bennett, Jason Gallacchi, Kris Muller and Joe Foran - doubled off Broken Arrow pitching.
Troy advances to the Final Four and will play the Dallas-based D-Bat Sharp team at 1 p.m. central time. The D-Bat Sharp team mercy-ruled the Renegades, 13-0, in the first game of the tournament’s double elimination portion. Preston Palmeiro, son of former major leaguer Rafael Palmeiro, plays for D-Bat Sharp.

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10-and-11-year-old New York State Little League tournament coming to Twin Town

I had a nice coversation today with Bill Rooney, tournament coordinator for the 10-and-11-year-old Little League tournament coming to Twin Town's complex on Williams Road in North Greenbush.

Although the immediate Capital Region doesn't have a team in the field (Saraotga Springs is the closest-to-home team), the army of volunteers at Twin Town will be sacrificing their time to put on the best possible event for the top 10-and-11-year-old teams from around the state.

Time Warner Cable Channel 3 hopes to televise the semifinal and championship games.

For more on this tournament, check out Saturday's edition of The Record for all the details.

2010 New York State 10-and-11-year-old Little League Tournament

Pool A
Saratoga Springs – Section III
Pearl River – Section IV
Massapequa – Section VI
Pool B
Orchard Park – Section I
Geddes – Section II
Mid Island (Staten Island) – Section V

Saturday
Orchard Park vs. Geddes, 6 p.m.
Saratoga Springs vs. Pearl River, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Pearl River vs. Massapequa, 2 p.m. (Field W1)
Geddes vs. Mid Island, 2 p.m. (Field W2)
Monday
Orchard Park vs. Mid Island, 6 p.m.
Saratoga Springs vs. Massapequa, 8 p.m.
Tuesday
Semifinals
Pool A winner vs. Pool B runner-up, 6 p.m.
Pool B winner vs. Pool A runner-up, 8 p.m.
Wednesday
Championship game, 6 p.m.

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Our pal Stan Hudy from The Saratogian is covering the Cal Ripken eight-and-under Mid Atlantic regional tournament this weekend at the Spring Youth Baseball complex in Troy. Look for his stories either in The Saratogian or The Record the next few days. You may also follow Stan on Twitter (@stanhudy).

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Athletics win two in Musial regional: Jason Martin of the Albany Athletics hit a solo home run and doubled in the A's 7-0 victory over the Buena Vista Tomahawks and he then drove in all three of the A's runs in a second round 2-0 victory over the North Haledon Reds in the first day of play in the AABC Stan Musial North Atlantic regional at Keenholts Park in Guilderland Center.

The A's play the Long Island Storm Saturday at 11 am at Keenholts Park. The Storm beat All Stars Academy 6-1 in a first round game Friday. All Stars faces North Haledon at 2 pm at Keenholts. North Haledon defeated SportsFever 7-4 in a first round game. SportsFever was eliminated by the Storm, 9-0, in the second round. All Stars eliminated Buena Vista 8-3.

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OWASSO, Okla. -- The Troy Renegades won their first game in the American Amateur Baseball Congress’ 15-and-under Ken Griffey Jr. World Series in their fourth try, earning another game and another day in the double-elimination tournament.

Troy defeated Colorado 10-2 Thursday afternoon, as starting pitcher Greg Hotaling needed only to go two innings into the game. The Renegades plan to start him today against Broken Arrow or a team from the Dallas area, depending on the outcome of that game late Thursday night.

Ryan McGrath hit a double and a triple in the 10-2 victory.

The Renegades lost both games in pool play and were seeded sixth out of eight teams in the double elimination portion. They lost to the D-Bat Sharp team 13-0 in the first game in double-elimination play.

The Lansingburgh Royals (2007 and 2009), the South Troy Dodgers (2006 and 2008) and the Renegades have represented New York State in this World Series each of the past five years.

For the most up-to-date brackets and line scores, visit http://owassobaseball.com/Owasso_Rams_Baseball/Home.html

Twilight League Semifinals
Waterford eliminates All-Stars: The Waterford (Nolan Propane) Fordians won two out of three games to eliminate the All Stars Academy team from the Twilight League semifinals Thursday evening.

Waterford scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning in the third and deciding game to post a 10-7 victory. Patrick Reardon singled three times and drove in a run, while Paul Izzo was a single short of the cycle with five RBI in the final game.

All Stars won game one, 8-3. Waterford rallied with a 10-2 victory in game two.

Waterford will face the Albany Athletics in the Twilight League championship series, a best three-of-five affair, beginning August 9.

The Athletics and All Stars Academy will compete in the AABC Stan Musial North Atlantic regionals this weekend at Bleecker Stadium and Keenholts Park in Guilderland Center.

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This weekend, Spring Youth Baseball is hosting the eight-and-under Mid Atlantic Cal Ripken regional right here in Troy.

A schedule for the event is posted below. Click on the image to see it full-size.

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The North Colonie Padres 14-and-under team, the eastern New York State champions, is playing in the Babe Ruth mid Atlantic regional tournament this weekend in Charles County, Maryland this weekend. The tournament schedule has been pasted in below. We hope to bring you updates with the team's progress throughout the weekend.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The tournament will consist of a pool play format as mandated by Babe Ruth League, Inc. The blind draw by the Regional Commissioner determined each team’s division in the tournament pool. No team will be permitted to play more than two (2) games in a calendar day. The pool play rules and schedule were derived directly from the Babe Ruth League web site. The scheduled fields and times were made as fair and equally as possible.

2010 Middle Atlantic 14 Year Old Regional Tournament

Pool A (left) Pool B (Right)

Pennsylvania Eastern NY

Northern NJ Western NY

Delaware Southern NJ

MD runner-up Metro NY

Host: Charles County (MD) MD state champs

* denotes home team RFS = Regency Furniture Stadium LS = Laurel Springs Park


Saturday, August 7th

Game 1 8:45 am LS7 Pennsylvania vs. Delaware *

Game 2 8:45 am LS8 Western NY vs. Southern NJ*

Game 3 9:00 am RFS Eastern NY vs. MD state champs*

Game 4 12:00 pm LS7 Northern NJ vs. Host*

Game 5 12:00 pm LS8 Delaware vs. MD runner-up*

Game 6 1:00pm RFS Western NY vs. Metro NY*

Game 7 3:15 pm LS7 MD runner-up vs. Host*

Game 8 3:15 pm LS8 Northern NJ vs. Pennsylvania*

Game 9 4:30 pm RFS Southern NJ vs. MD state champs*

Game 10 6:30 pm LS8 Metro NY vs. Eastern NY*


Sunday, August 8th

Game 11 8:45 am LS7 Southern NJ vs. Eastern NY *

Game 12 8:45 am LS8 Delaware vs. Northern NJ*

Game 13 9:00 am RFS Host vs. Pennsylvania*

Game 14 12:00 pm LS7 MD state champs vs. Western NY *

Game 15 12:00 pm LS8 Metro NY vs. Southern NJ*

Game 16 1:00 pm RFS MD runner-up vs. Northern NJ *

Game 17 3:15 pm LS7 MD state champs vs. Metro NY*

Game 18 3:15 pm LS8 Eastern NY vs. Western NY*

Game 19 4:30 pm RFS Host vs. Delaware*

Game 20 6:30 pm LS8 Pennsylvania vs. MD runner-up*



Monday, August 9th -- Quarter-finals

Game 21 6:30 pm LS7 3rd place Pool B vs. 2nd place Pool A*

Game 22 6:30 pm LS8 3rd place Pool A vs. 2nd place Pool B*


Tuesday, August 10th -- Semi-finals

Game 23 6:30 pm LS7 winner game 21 vs. 1st place Pool A*

Game 24 6:30 pm LS8 winner game 22 vs. 1st

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The Capital District Football Hall of Fame will induct its first class this Saturday. The Record will publish a special eight-page preview section for the event in Friday's newspaper. We will have capsules on all the players, coaches and officials being inducted, as well as stories on local legends such as Bob Ford, Ernie Stautner, Charlie Leigh, Joe Cocozzo and Rich Romer. So make sure to pick up The Record on Friday and read all about it!

The topic even came up Thursday at New York Giants training camp, when CBS 6's Doug Sherman asked Giants head coach Tom Coughlin about Chuck Dukes and Justice Smith, both of whom Coughlin recruited to Boston College when he was the head man there.

From the Giants' nightly press release:

Chuck Dukes (Colonie Central High) rushed for 1,999 yards and 12 touchdowns at BC from 1991-92 and Justice Smith (Amsterdam High) ran for 1,312 yards and seven scores from 1992-95. Coughlin left Boston College after three years following the 1993 season.

“Chucky was unbelievable,” Coughlin said. “There was an unbelievable recruiting battle to get Justice at BC because everybody wanted Justice. But Chucky came out of junior college. He was a tough, hardnosed, multiple carry game in and game out guy that almost made it at the next level, almost did. Two outstanding athletes and really, really good football players and adjusted and did well at Boston College.”

In the meantime, to read The Record's profile about former La Salle Institute star George 'Butch' Byrd, click here.

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Update (August 4, 5:00 p.m.): The Renegades lost their first game to the host team, Owasso, 8-3. Troy lost to Broken Arrow Wednesday afternoon, 9-2. The Renegades now face the D-Bat Sharp team in Round One of the double elimination portion of the tournament, Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. central time.

Head coach Kevin McGrath just called in with an update and said the heat index in Oklahoma is 115 degrees. The Troy players have not been adjusting well so far, especially compared to the two Oklahoma teams they've played who are used to the heat.

The team is guaranteed to stay alive until at least tomorrow and they plan on pitching Ryan McGrath tonight. Greg Hotaling will pitch tomorrow.

Renegades players went back to the hotel to take showers and chill out in the air conditioning for a few hours before tonight's game. We'll have an update with the results from tonight's game here on the blog sometime later tonight.
Griffey World Series Round One Bracket

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The Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team (seen above celebrating its Upper New York State tournament victory) is currently in Owasso, Oklahoma, (not too far away from Tulsa) competing in the American Amateur Baseball Congress' World Series for that age group, now known as the Ken Griffey Jr. World Series.

For updates from the games, your best bet for immediate information is the Owasso High School baseball page, http://owassobaseball.com/Owasso_Rams_Baseball/Home.html

We also hope to provide specific updates every night when the Renegades coaching staff calls in with details.

For a tournament bracket, click below.

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If you're hoping to keep track of the East Greenbush-Castleton Little League team in the New York State tournament, the West Nyack Little League homepage is a site to bookmark.

The champions of District 14 and Section 3 lost their first game in the New York State Little League tournament Thursday night, dropping a 6-0 decision to Stony Point at the West Nyack Little League complex.

East Greenbush-Castleton plays again Friday night against Sunrise.

Pool play continues through Saturday, with the semifinal scheduled for Sunday. The championship game will be played at 7:30 p.m. Monday night.

You can view a photo gallery of some of the East Greenbush-Castleton players at a pre-tournament barbecue by clicking to this website.

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If you're looking to keep track of the Spring Renegades 10-and-under team in the Willie Mays North Atlantic Regionals in Hackensack, N.J., well, you're in luck. Click here to see a tournament bracket.

The bad news for the Renegades? They've already been eliminated from the tournament and will not repeat as AABC World Champions.

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Next week, the Troy Renegades 15-and-under team begins play in the AABC's Ken Griffey Jr. World Series in Owasso, Okla. Owasso High School, the tournament host, has done a great job in years past of providing updates on its web site. Here is a tournament information sheet.

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The South Troy Dodgers 17-and-under Connie Mack team lost on its third day in the American Amateur Baseball Congress Don Mattingly World Series this past week in Albuquerque, N.M. For a tournament bracket, click to this page and scroll down.

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If I receive a UNYS Stan Musial update tonight, I will post that news here.

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Is there anything we're missing? Please let us know.

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The Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team won the Upper New York State Mickey Mantle title this afternoon, defeating the South Troy Dodgers, 4-0. The Renegades clinched a berth in the AABC World Series, which begins August 3 in Owasso, Oklahoma.

The Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team poses for a team picture after winning the Upper New York State Mickey Mantle tournament Sunday at Knickerbacker Park. (Video capture by Will Montgomery - The Record).

TROY — The members of the Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team will soon be adding another out-of-state sticker to their suitcases.

Kris Muller laced two triples and Ryan McGrath pitched a complete game two-hitter against the South Troy Dodgers in Sunday’s 4-0 victory in the Upper New York State 15-and-under Mickey Mantle championship game at Knickerbacker Park. With the win, the Renegades clinched a berth in the American Amateur Baseball Congress’ Ken Griffey Jr. World Series, a national tournament for 15-and-under teams to be played in Owasso, Oklahoma beginning August 3.

Ryan McGrath (left) congratulates Greg Ruddy (right) as he scores a run in the seventh inning of Sunday's championship game. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Renegades head coach Kevin McGrath asked the team after Saturday evening’s victory over the North Country Athletics who they thought should pitch Sunday morning. Without reservation, Ryan McGrath’s teammates said they wanted him on the mound.

Ryan McGrath throws a pitch during Sunday's championship game against the South Troy Dodgers at Knickerbacker Park.

McGrath allowed two hits, struck out two and walked four on 88 pitches over seven innings and never threw more than 16 pitches in a single inning. He threw first pitch strikes to 16 of the 27 batters he faced and relied on his infield defense, inducing 12 ground ball outs.“I was definitely hoping to pitch against them (the Dodgers),” he said. “It’s always a big game when we play against them.”

South Troy starter Mike Carryk went toe-to-toe with McGrath through the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. McGrath reached on an infield single – the first hit of the game for either team – and the next batter, Jason Gallacchi, reached base and advanced to second on a throwing error. Muller, a Saratoga Springs native, followed with his first triple of the day, a two-run blast that gave McGrath and the Renegades a bit of breathing room.

“It felt like it was going to come down to the bottom of the seventh,” Muller said. “We thought it was going to be a close game and it was a close game, but we still scored four.”

Muller scored Troy’s third run on a wild pitch and Greg Hotaling’s seventh inning double drove in Greg Ruddy for the Renegades’ fourth tally.

For video from Sunday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

The Renegades were flawless in the field on Sunday, sparked by right fielder Muller’s diving catch in the first inning that robbed South Troy’s Nico Church of a leadoff base hit.

Third baseman Riley Laustrup, a Lansingburgh native who played on the Knickerbacker Park field for the first time Saturday, connects with the baseball during Sunday's championship game.

“If it went by me I knew it was going to be a double,” Muller said. “I looked at my glove and saw it in my glove. There is a bumpy hill out there and I didn’t know if I caught it.”

The last five winners of the 15-and-under Upper New York State title have all come from the Collar City. The Lansingburgh Royals won the tournament in 2009 and 2007. South Troy captured the title in 2008 and 2006.

Traveling around the nation for tournaments is nothing new for the Renegades. They won the 13-and-under AABC tournament in Michigan and finished third in a National Amateur Baseball Federation tournament in Lynchburg, Virginia last summer. A few weeks ago, Troy won the NABF 15-and-under Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.

“It’s really fun to get together and go away,” Ryan McGrath said. “This is our second trip this year and hopefully we’ll have a good tournament again.”

Kris Muller makes a catch in right field as Greg Hotaling looks on during Sunday's championship game.

A few years ago, this group of players joined together in Little League at Spring Youth Baseball. Rather than spread out to the established baseball programs in the area as they grew older, the players chose to stick together. Win by win, that decision is looking better every day.

“It’s another accomplishment for this team,” said Kevin McGrath. “I got together with a group of kids and they wanted to stay together. Anything is possible if you’re willing to put the effort in and it showed.”

Joe Foran, a Fort Ann native, makes a throw at shortstop for the Renegades in Sunday's championship game.

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Notes: A number of people deserve thanks for the hard work they put in to make these summer baseball tournaments possible. Kevin McGrath said he met up with volunteers from Spring Youth Baseball at 6:15 a.m. Sunday to go borrow equipment from Brunswick. With the help of Joe Henkel from the Lansingburgh Royals, they worked on the field for hours prior to the start of the game to make it the most playable surface possible. Many of the parents and coaches sacrifice a great deal of their time (and vacation at work) to be a part of the teams...and that certainly showed this weekend with all the work that needed to go into this tournament with the rain we received. There are a lot of parents and volunteers doing a lot of hard work in concession stands and with field maintenance behind the scenes every summer and Henkel did a very nice thing by making sure they were recognized during Sunday's game.

Renegades raising funds: Troy Renegades head coach Kevin McGrath admits it is hard asking for money at this point in time, but he is looking for fundraising ideas and/or donations to support his team’s trip to Oklahoma. He may be reached via phone at: 728-7948. Checks made payable to ‘Spring Youth Baseball’ may be sent to McGrath at: 17 Red Rock Road, Troy, NY, 12182.

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It was only fitting that the game featuring the Collar City’s budding summer baseball rivalry had to be played on both sides of town. The Troy Renegades pounced on six wild pitches thrown by the South Troy Dodgers after the game was moved from RPI's Robison Field to Knickerbacker Park in Lansingburgh, posting an 8-1 victory in the Upper New York State 15-and-under Mickey Mantle Tournament.

(Update, 7:25 p.m.): Both the Renegades and the Dodgers won later in the day, setting up a championship rematch Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Knickerbacker Park. The Renegades need to win just once to clinch a berth in the 15u Mickey Mantle World Series in Owasso, Okla. The Dodgers, of course, are still alive, but South Troy needs to win two games in a row to earn a spot in the World Series.

The Renegades defeated the North County Athletics, 10-8, later in the day. Joe Foran, Jason Gallacchi and Ian Bennett all doubled and singled for the Renegades. Ryan McGrath tripled.

South Troy eliminated Niskayuna to remain alive in the double-elimination field.

Troy Renegades right fielder Ryan McGrath pokes an RBI single to right field in the sixth inning of Saturday's game against the South Troy Dodgers at Knickerbacker Park. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

In the 15-and-under Upper New York State Mickey Mantle Tournament, Troy Renegades starting pitcher Greg Hotaling fired the first pitch at 10:20 a.m. on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Robison Field, but a downpour in the fourth inning forced the Renegades and the South Troy Dodgers into the dugouts.

With the playing conditions much better on the Knickerbacker Park field, the two teams headed to Lansingburgh to complete the game.

Hotaling stranded two runners on base in the top of the fifth and the Renegades pounced on five South Troy wild pitches in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. The Renegades added three more runs in the sixth and Chuck Parslow, backed by a double play started by Riley Laustrup, worked the seventh to preserve an 8-1 victory for Troy.

Action continues Saturday, with more games scheduled to be played Sunday.

The tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the 15-and-under Mickey Mantle World Series in Owasso, Oklahoma, beginning August 3.

Jason Gallacchi (left) congratulates Joe Foran (right) after he scores on Ryan McGrath's single in the sixth inning of Saturday's game at Knickerbacker Park in Lansingburgh.

Although they looked like seasoned professionals for most of Saturday’s game, the Renegades are the new kids on the block in Troy’s summer baseball scene. They won an AABC World Series as 13-year-olds, played in a tournament in Virginia last summer and won the 15-and-under NABF Classic Championship Series in Nashville, Tenn. just last week.

All of their travel experiences aside, every time the Renegades meet up with the Lansingburgh Royals or South Troy Dodgers, it feels like the biggest game of the season.

“I love beating them,” Laustrup said.

“All the kids get really pumped for each game we play against them,” Hotaling said. “It’s a great win.”

For video from this game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Hotaling allowed five hits and struck out five over six innings, earning the win on the mound. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate as the Renegades’ leadoff hitter, scoring three runs and driving in one.

After enduing a one-hour, ten-minute rain delay and a brief trip across town, Hotaling retook the mound and was able to shake off the rust for two more effective innings.

“I was pumped. I wasn’t taking no for an answer,” he said. “I was going to get the ‘W’. I wanted it so bad.”

Jack LeRoux and Dylan Sprague paced the Dodgers with two hits apiece. Dodgers pitchers threw six wild pitches, all of them coming after the game had shifted to Knickerbacker Park.

The Renegades appreciated the postponement of the game Friday evening because a number of the players are still dealing with a lingering brush with poison ivy incurred on their trip to Nashville.

As far as bragging rights go, Saturday’s game was of major importance to the Renegades. Still, the Troy team would most enjoy earning a trip to another national tournament.

“For social matters it’s a lot more important because we can say, ‘aha, we beat you,” Hotaling said. “Down there (Nashville), it’s better competition and a lot bigger stage.”

Although the players focus on the rivalry, that isn’t the case for Renegades head coach Kevin McGrath, who is heavily indebted to the head of the South Troy program, George Rogers.

“They’re an elite baseball team,” McGrath said. “George has a great organization from top to bottom. George has helped me with my group and my kids. There is no rivalry or anything. He enjoys the kids and he guides me on what I’m doing.

“We have a good group of kids and everybody knows that,” McGrath continued. “They’re talented, but the chemistry is second to none the way they root for each other.”

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Spring Youth Baseball has taught the youngsters of the Collar City the game of baseball for many years, but the organization is now hoping to extend its offerings to Troy's teenagers as well.

Members of the Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team run sprints during a practice Wednesday evening at the Turnpike Elementary School Field in Lansingburgh. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

I spent part of this week investigating the rise of the Spring Youth Baseball program this week and found the 15-and-under Troy Renegades travel team a particularly interesting example of what the organization has to offer. For the full story, pick up a copy of Sunday's edition of The Record.

Greg Scott throws batting practice for the Troy Renegades during Wednesday's practice at Turnpike Elementary School in Lansingburgh.

For the Renegades, the story starts at their local Little League fields in Lansingburgh, Brunswick and Twin Town, just to name a few. But around the age of 10 or 11 - about five years ago - this team came together at Spring Youth Baseball, near the Emma Willard School campus in Troy.

The players and their parents believed that Spring would offer them a better challenge on the diamond than they would receive elsewhere.

As 12-year-olds, they finished in third place in a qualifying tournament for the Cal Ripken World Series. A year later, they won the 13-and-under AABC World Series in Michigan. Last year, the team was seeded first after pool play in a World Series in Lynchburg, Va.

This summer, the Renegades are headed to a national tournament in Nashville, which starts this week. They also hope to clinch a berth to the AABC World Series in Owasso, Oklahoma, which begins in early August.

From left to right, Troy Renegades teammates Ryan McGrath, Greg Ruddy and Greg Hotaling, take a moment to chat with The Record following Wednesday's practice.

Ultimately, Spring Youth Baseball is hoping that the pioneering Renegades pave the way for baseball for players aged four through 18 at Spring in the near future.

Spring is planning to construct two or three more smaller fields to give more opportunities to the four to eight year-old players just learning the game.

Spring will also have a permanent home for its 13-and-older teams with a 90-foot diamond somewhere in the city in 2011. They hope to draw some of the top teams from the Northeast to Troy for games, just like their neighbors, the Lansingburgh Royals and the South Troy Dodgers.

Is it a crazy idea? Sure it is. The Capital Region has an established path for talented players to follow to college baseball and beyond, but the folks at Spring seriously believe that they have the energy and the passion necessary to push a brand-new program for teenagers into the stratosphere of local baseball.

"I told these kids, as long as you’re having fun and you continue to do it, I’ll use every ounce of vacation I have you," said head coach Kevin McGrath. "I’m also on the City Council, which is a job in itself.

"I miss a couple of meetings here and there, but it’s worth it," he continued. "You only get one shot, you really do. So it’s worth it. To see these kids start to get looked at by colleges, it’s worth it. It really is."

Kevin McGrath oversees practice Wednesday evening as head coach of the Troy Renegades 15-and-under baseball team.

Greg Ruddy throws extra baseballs in a bucket. A rising junior at Troy High, Ruddy is wearing his breast cancer awareness t-shirt, a cause of great importance to the Troy High program.

It will be interesting to monitor Spring's progress over the years and see if they can meet the ambitious goals they've set out to accomplish. Again, for the full story, check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

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