Clinton County (37-1) chasing first state title since 1969

ROCHESTER | One year removed from a heartbreaking walk-off loss in the state final, the Clinton County Mariners return to the New York state American Legion baseball tournament with one goal in mind — finishing the job. Backed by an astonishing 37-1 record, the American Legion Post 1619-sponsored club enters Saturday's opening-round matchup against White Plains' Rockland Post 130 (11:30 a.m., RIT Baseball Complex) as one of the tournament's top contenders. The Mariners, participating in their 12th consecutive state tournament, are seeking the program's first championship since 1969. They were a runner-up in 1996, 2004, 2013 and 2024. LOCAL STARPOWER The Mariners feature players from across Clinton County and beyond, including six from Plattsburgh High, three from Peru and others from AuSable Valley, Beekmantown, Northern Adirondack and Saranac. Clinton County has five players who participated at the college level this past spring. Landen Duprey (Le Moyne College), Warren Miller (SUNY Cortland), Scott LaMountain (King University), Konnor Facteau (Jefferson Community College) and Jordan Perry (St. John Fisher) all bring next-level experience. 37-1 Clinton County's only loss this season came on June 25 to Vermont's Champlain Mariners of the Green Mountain Baseball League, an adult wooden-bat league consisting of current and former college players. Clinton County responded by rattling off 16 consecutive wins to end the regular season. Many of its 37 victories came against opponents from across the Northeast and Eastern Canada, including ballclubs from New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Quebec and Ontario. In all, they captured five consecutive tournament championships. POTENT LINEUP The Mariners have scored 377 runs and blasted 40 home runs this season while compiling a team batting average of .356 and a team OPS of 1.057. Leading the offense is 2024 CVAC co-MVP Warren Miller, who enters the state tournament hitting .418 with 17 home runs, 41 hits, 54 runs scored, 58 RBIs and a 1.606 OPS. He's drawn 28 walks in 139 plate appearances and slugged over 1.000. Plattsburgh State commit Braeden Calkins (Plattsburgh High) has been a constant presence in the order, batting .444 with 59 hits, 16 doubles, five home runs and 54 RBIs. Landen Duprey has contributed a .404 average, 38 hits, 12 doubles, six home runs and 49 RBIs, and Scott LaMountain adds another dangerous bat with a .412 average and 14 doubles in just 29 games. Seth Petrashune (Saranac) is batting .392 with six homers and 34 RBIs. Nate Baker (Plattsburgh High), Gabe Moore (Peru) and Donnie Mitchell (Peru) round out a deep lineup that combines speed, power and plate discipline. Moore (.432) and Mitchell (.338) have both driven in double-digit runs and boast strong on-base percentages. The team's .477 on-base percentage and 71 stolen bases have kept opposing pitchers under constant pressure. STRONG, STEADY STAFF Clinton County's pitching staff has a collective 2.63 ERA over 240 innings pitched, with 307 strikeouts against just 163 hits allowed. Miller doubles as the team's ace, going 6-0 with a 0.71 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 39.1 innings. Fellow lefty Steven Bronson (Beekmantown) is 7-0 with a 0.97 ERA across nine appearances, logging 61 strikeouts and allowing only 16 hits in 36 innings. Dan Hartmann (Plattsburgh High) is a reliable third arm with 50 strikeouts in 36.2 innings and a 3.25 ERA. The Mariners have tossed 12 complete games, allowed just 27 hit batters and boast a 1.39 WHIP across the roster. OPENING-ROUND OPPONENT Clinton County opens play against White Plains' Rockland Post 130. Led by coach John Greely, the Pirates (23-11) return to the state tournament for the first time since 2022. They secured their berth by dethroning two-time defending 9th District champion Orange County Outlaws with a 15-4 victory in a winner-take-all playoff final. The Mariners swept Rockland in three regular-season games, earning wins of 2-0, 8-4 and 12-2. The 12-2 victory on July 13 at Conlon Field in Binghamton propelled Clinton County to the 2025 Gil Wood Invitational Tournament championship. THE FIELD Smith Post 24 (Rome) The defending state champions are back after winning their second straight district title. Smith Post went 3-0 in the 5th District playoffs and defeated Adrean Post 625, 12-6, in the final. They enter the tournament with a 14-4 record under manager Pete Summa. Adrean Post 625 (Utica) A regular state contender, Adrean returns to Rochester after finishing second in the district and earning a tournament berth by sweeping the Utica Blue Sox in the semifinals. Adrean previously reached the state tournament in 2023 and brings a 13-9 record under manager Matt St. Louis. Hillcrest Post 1194 (Binghamton) Hillcrest captured its first-ever district title with a 9-3 win over Endicott Post 82 and now represents the 6th District with a 14-5-1 overall record. Coached by Dave Martinkovic and Paul Steen, Hillcrest took down top-seeded Oneonta en route to the championship and will open tournament play Saturday against Adrean Post 625. Cottreall-Warner Post 942 (Rochester) A first-year Legion program from Webster, Cottreall-Warner won the 7th District title with a 7-5 victory over Chili Post 1830 in the rubber game of a best-of-three series. With a 20-5 record, manager Gary McNeil's squad has proven it can win close games and comes in as a dark horse. Hamburg Post 527 (Buffalo) The 2021 state champions are back for the first time since that title run, knocking off Jurek Post 1672 in two straight to win the Buffalo-area championship. Hamburg is led by Brian Duffek and enters with a 14-5-1 record, looking to capture their third state title since 2019. Greece Post 468 (Rochester) The host team is no stranger to the state stage, having won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. Greece returns for its fourth consecutive appearance with a 15-4 record and is led by manager Nelson Madrid. REGIONALS The eight-team, double-elimination tournament continues through Wednesday, July 30. The state champion advances to the American Legion Mid-Atlantic regional in Hanover, Maryland, with a berth in the American Legion World Series at stake. — Roster 1 Braeden Calkins (Plattsburgh High) 2 Diego Rios (Plattsburgh High) 3 Seth Petrashune (Saranac) 4 Nate Baker (Plattsburgh High) 5 Steven Bronson (Beekmantown) 7 Jordan Perry (Franklin Academy/St. John Fisher) 9 Donnie Mitchell (Peru) 10 Konnor Facteau (AuSable Valley/Jefferson CC) 11 Parker Broughton (Beekmantown) 12 Austin Lambert (Northern Adirondack) 13 Scott LaMountain (AuSable/King University) 18 Warren Miller (Plattsburgh High/SUNY Cortland) 20 Gabe Moore (Peru) 22 Landen Duprey (Peru/Le Moyne College) 24 Alex O'Neal (Plattsburgh High) 33 Cory Monacelli (Massena) 40 Dan Hartmann (Plattsburgh High) Head coach: Gary Duquette Assistant coaches: Billy Hunt, Pete Williams, Hector Duquette, Jason Miller — Schedule at Rochester Institute of Technology Saturday, July 26 Game 1 Adrean Post 625 (Utica) at Hillcrest Post 1194 (Binghamton), 9 a.m. Game 2 Rockland Post 130 (White Plains) at Clinton County Post 1619 (Plattsburgh), 11:30 a.m. Game 3 Hamburg Post 527 (Buffalo) at Cottreall-Warner Post 942 (Rochester), 2:30 p.m. Game 4 Smith Post 24 (Rome) at Greece Post 468 (Rochester), 5 p.m. Sunday, July 27 Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 9 a.m. Game 6 Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, 11:30 a.m. Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 2:30 p.m. Game 8 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 5 p.m. Monday, July 28 Game 9 Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 11 a.m. Game 10 Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, 2 p.m. Game 11 Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 29 Game 12 Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 11, 2 p.m.* Game 13 Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 5 p.m.* Wednesday, July 30 Game 14 Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 10 a.m.** Game 15 If necessary, 30 minutes after Game 14.** *Elimination game **Championship round

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Clinton County (37-1) chasing first state title since 1969

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