Trumansburg baseball aims for another deep postseason run

As the Section IV baseball season gets underway, many teams will throw their hats into the ring to vie for a sectional title. Trumansburg came so close to coming out on top last year, and it’s safe to say they’re motivated more than ever to prevail this time around.

The Blue Raiders are coming off another strong season, going 14-5-1 and making it all the way to the Section IV Class C championship. But they had the misfortune of facing Unatego/Franklin’s Braeden Johnson on the mound. Now pitching at Cornell, Johnson threw a no-hitter in the Spartan-Devils’ 4-0 victory. Head coach Scott Voorhees knows that defeat lit a fire under their many returning players.

“That certainly is something that we’ve talked about,” Voorhees said. “That does leave a bad taste in your mouth when you finish off the year the way we did… I’ve got six guys returning from the starting lineup from that game, and to a man, they’re eager to change the last baseball memory they had for high school ball and get going again.”

Throughout the offseason and preseason, the Blue Raiders haven’t solely focused on one area to improve on. They’ve spread out their work among the three key aspects of the game.

“Last year, we made an effort to try to become a better defensive team, and I think that that mindset is still there this year,” Voorhees said. “The kids love getting in the cages and getting their swings in, so that certainly is a big part of it. And we pride ourselves on traditionally being pretty good on the mound.”

Pitching-wise, while Trumansburg graduated its ace Garret Potter, they still have plenty of powerful arms in the rotation. Nik Nelson is primed to take the mantle as the go-to starter. The senior—and St. John Fisher commit—posted a team-best 1.07 ERA last year. He also excelled at the plate, finishing second on the team in batting average (.429), on-base percentage (.538), runs (25), and hits (27). His veteran presence will go a long way

“We look to Nik for a lot,” Voorhees said. “He’s been a leader year-round here in sports for football and basketball. He had a great senior year for both those sports and is looking to continue his senior year with us in the spring. This is his fourth year of varsity, and so you have a lot of guys that will look and take his leadership, and say, ‘Show us the right way to do it.’ And he certainly does lead.”

Another senior leader for the Blue Raiders is Owen Fulton. Like Nelson, Fulton was named an IAC All-Star last year and has occupied an important spot in the lineup as the cleanup hitter, and for good reason. He tallied a team-high 22 RBIs last year while being third on the team in hits and runs.

“He brings a good head for baseball,” Voorhees said. “He’s been brought up around it and knows what to do on the field… He’s going to see time this year probably in center field. He’s going to see time in right field, maybe even about to get on the mound for a little bit, too. I hope his bat settles right in there again at the four spot and drives in the guys ahead of them. He’s great to have on a team. He has a great personality. When he’s there he gives me everything he’s got, which I really appreciate.”

Trumansburg’s other returning IAC All-Stars are the inseparable duo of Ozzy Vogel-Moore and Willoughby Puryear. Vogel-Moore will be starting behind the plate for the third straight year as only a sophomore, while Puryear is locking things down at first base as a junior.

“Every single day, it seems like they’re in the weight room during the offseason, trying to get stronger, trying to hone their skills,” Voorhees said. “They have certainly put in the work and led by example and taken leadership that way. You don’t always expect the non-seniors to be the real strong leaders, but they certainly bring it every single day.”

The Blue Raiders lost three starters from last year to graduation: Potter, centerfielder and leading base-stealer Chandler Wright, and third baseman Miles Naylor. A trio of junior varsity call-ups are expected to fill in those holes and make a big impact. Anthony Muro will likely be at third base, Connor Sherwood will operate around the infield, and Chris Clarke-Cabezas will also be part of the lineup.

Before the Blue Raiders can focus on sectionals, they’ll aim to take back the IAC North Large division crown from rivals Lansing. Whatever happens this season, there’s sure to be some entertaining baseball in Trumansburg yet again.

“Going as far as we did last year was certainly attributed to how talented we were, but it was also a certain degree of opportunity, preparation, and luck along the way where you’re saying it takes being prepared so that when you have the opportunity, we can execute. One of our focuses is being prepared so that when we have the opportunity, we need to cash in on it.”