Army West Point Athletics
Feature Friday: The Hudson Valley Baseball Classic
April 22, 2016 | Baseball
Feature Friday highlights the tremendous personal stories our coaches and cadet-athletes have to share on a weekly basis. Each Friday, a new feature story will be prominently highlighted on GoArmyWestPoint.com. The features will include multi-media pieces, as well as written stories by media outlets and the Army West Point athletic communications staff.
Originating in 2006, the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic has evolved from a game between two academic institutions separated by 30 miles into an all-day event that the surrounding communities circle on the calendar every year.
The 11th edition of the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic between Army West Point and Marist is set for this coming Wednesday at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. Hosted by the Hudson Valley Renegades, who is the Hudson Valley's lone minor league baseball team affiliated with a major league franchise. The Renegades were founded in 1983 and are currently part of the farm system of the Tampa Bay Rays. They compete in the New York-Penn League, which is a Short-Season Single A league featuring teams from all over the Northeast.Â
The game is more than just a game between two rivals, it is a community event.
"The Hudson Valley Baseball Classic remains one of the signature events for our community and we are excited to be part of it once again," said Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan in a press release about the event earlier this month. "We are privileged to have this opportunity for our cadet-athletes to interact with the community during a great evening of free entertainment. Thank you to the staffs of the Renegades and Marist, who along with our athletic department, contribute to this great event to ensure it is a hit."
The inaugural Hudson Valley Baseball Classic was played at Dutchess Stadium on April, 19, 2006, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of 2,619 – the largest to ever witness a college baseball game in the Hudson Valley at the time. That figure was surpassed the following year on May 2 when 3,016 streamed into Dutchess Stadium to watch the second Hudson Valley Baseball Classic.
Last season, the 10th annual Hudson Valley Baseball Classic was attended by 2,754 fans who witnessed Marist tie the series with a 3-2 victory.
"I think it's a great event for the Hudson Valley to not only showcase two quality baseball programs to the fans in the area, but also have a great interaction with the fans with the camp and autograph sessions," head coach Matt Reid remarked. "We play a really good team in Marist each season. It's just fun to play against them because they are always good, tough games. It's a very cool and unique environment."
While the term "rivalry" gets tossed around lightly nowadays, this matchup between Hudson Valley foes has lived up to the definition of the word.
Through the first 10 years of the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic, neither side won more than two-consecutive games and the series heads into next week's contest tied at 5-5. Army won the inaugural Hudson Valley Baseball Classic in 2006 by a 6-1 decision and since then the wins have come in pairs. Marist won the next two, 7-6 and 11-2, to take a 2-1 advantage in the series, only to see Army storm back with 10-3 and 4-3 victories to swing the momentum back in its favor.
The trend continued with the Red Foxes winning the next two in 2011 and 2012, but the Black Knights stopped the momentum by putting up 10 runs in the 2013 meeting and gained a 5-4 advantage in the series with a 4-2 win. Marist evened the series last year in the 10th installment of the rivalry at Dutchess Stadium.
The goal for the Black Knights heading into the contest is to stop this trend of winning in pairs.
"There's obviously a rivalry," added senior co-captain Brock Davidson. "We know their guys and they know us. It's a good time, though. We get to interact with the Marist players a little bit and get to have the clinic for the kids. It's a lot of fun for everyone."
After both sides take their respective batting practices, the two sides come together to educate the younger generation about the right way to play America's past time. It is a great way to create relationships between the schools, teams and the community.
"It's a really good time," senior co-captain Ben Smith said. "We get to go out there and have some fun teaching kids the game and teaching them the fundamentals before the game starts. We have a pretty competitive game against Marist every year, so it's always a fun time to go out there and compete for the cup."
For a select few of the clinic attendees, they get the chance to participate in on-field promotions, which give the fans a feel of a minor league experience. In addition to the promotions, the fans get a chance to acquire autographs from their favorite players from both sides before the game starts.
Following the contest, the spectators will once again be treated to an exhilarating fireworks show, provided by Legion Fireworks.
At the end of the day, however, the two sides are competing to win the game, and that is not forgotten in the minds of the players.
"The thing I'm looking forward to most is beating Marist and getting the cup back to Doubleday," Davidson said.
"We take a lot of pride in being able to say we're the best in the Hudson Valley, and taking that trophy back on the bus with us is a great feeling," added Smith.
Army and Marist square off for bragging rights to not only this year's game, but also the series as Marist knotted things at five games apiece last season with a 3-2 victory.
Click here to read previous Feature Friday stories.
Â
Originating in 2006, the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic has evolved from a game between two academic institutions separated by 30 miles into an all-day event that the surrounding communities circle on the calendar every year.
The 11th edition of the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic between Army West Point and Marist is set for this coming Wednesday at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, N.Y. Hosted by the Hudson Valley Renegades, who is the Hudson Valley's lone minor league baseball team affiliated with a major league franchise. The Renegades were founded in 1983 and are currently part of the farm system of the Tampa Bay Rays. They compete in the New York-Penn League, which is a Short-Season Single A league featuring teams from all over the Northeast.Â
The game is more than just a game between two rivals, it is a community event.
"The Hudson Valley Baseball Classic remains one of the signature events for our community and we are excited to be part of it once again," said Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan in a press release about the event earlier this month. "We are privileged to have this opportunity for our cadet-athletes to interact with the community during a great evening of free entertainment. Thank you to the staffs of the Renegades and Marist, who along with our athletic department, contribute to this great event to ensure it is a hit."
The inaugural Hudson Valley Baseball Classic was played at Dutchess Stadium on April, 19, 2006, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of 2,619 – the largest to ever witness a college baseball game in the Hudson Valley at the time. That figure was surpassed the following year on May 2 when 3,016 streamed into Dutchess Stadium to watch the second Hudson Valley Baseball Classic.
Last season, the 10th annual Hudson Valley Baseball Classic was attended by 2,754 fans who witnessed Marist tie the series with a 3-2 victory.
"I think it's a great event for the Hudson Valley to not only showcase two quality baseball programs to the fans in the area, but also have a great interaction with the fans with the camp and autograph sessions," head coach Matt Reid remarked. "We play a really good team in Marist each season. It's just fun to play against them because they are always good, tough games. It's a very cool and unique environment."
While the term "rivalry" gets tossed around lightly nowadays, this matchup between Hudson Valley foes has lived up to the definition of the word.
Through the first 10 years of the Hudson Valley Baseball Classic, neither side won more than two-consecutive games and the series heads into next week's contest tied at 5-5. Army won the inaugural Hudson Valley Baseball Classic in 2006 by a 6-1 decision and since then the wins have come in pairs. Marist won the next two, 7-6 and 11-2, to take a 2-1 advantage in the series, only to see Army storm back with 10-3 and 4-3 victories to swing the momentum back in its favor.
The trend continued with the Red Foxes winning the next two in 2011 and 2012, but the Black Knights stopped the momentum by putting up 10 runs in the 2013 meeting and gained a 5-4 advantage in the series with a 4-2 win. Marist evened the series last year in the 10th installment of the rivalry at Dutchess Stadium.
The goal for the Black Knights heading into the contest is to stop this trend of winning in pairs.
"There's obviously a rivalry," added senior co-captain Brock Davidson. "We know their guys and they know us. It's a good time, though. We get to interact with the Marist players a little bit and get to have the clinic for the kids. It's a lot of fun for everyone."
After both sides take their respective batting practices, the two sides come together to educate the younger generation about the right way to play America's past time. It is a great way to create relationships between the schools, teams and the community.
"It's a really good time," senior co-captain Ben Smith said. "We get to go out there and have some fun teaching kids the game and teaching them the fundamentals before the game starts. We have a pretty competitive game against Marist every year, so it's always a fun time to go out there and compete for the cup."
For a select few of the clinic attendees, they get the chance to participate in on-field promotions, which give the fans a feel of a minor league experience. In addition to the promotions, the fans get a chance to acquire autographs from their favorite players from both sides before the game starts.
Following the contest, the spectators will once again be treated to an exhilarating fireworks show, provided by Legion Fireworks.
At the end of the day, however, the two sides are competing to win the game, and that is not forgotten in the minds of the players.
"The thing I'm looking forward to most is beating Marist and getting the cup back to Doubleday," Davidson said.
"We take a lot of pride in being able to say we're the best in the Hudson Valley, and taking that trophy back on the bus with us is a great feeling," added Smith.
Army and Marist square off for bragging rights to not only this year's game, but also the series as Marist knotted things at five games apiece last season with a 3-2 victory.
Click here to read previous Feature Friday stories.
Â
Players Mentioned
LHP/1B
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