HVCC baseball's hot start sparked by 16-game win streak
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TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- It's hard to find many teams playing better baseball than the Hudson Valley (HVCC) Vikings right now. Through 22 games, the Vikings have posted a 17-5 record, which included an impressive 16-game winning streak to boot.
"The team comradery is unlike any team I've ever been around," said Trevor Kniffin, Bethlehem Central grad and the team's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at HVCC. "These guys have really taken a liking to each other as a family. They do a lot together, even outside of baseball which helps build the clubhouse. They love to compete, whether it's ping pong, video games, or live at-bats in practice the guys really like to get after it and compete against one another."
One thing the Vikings have seen is continual progression. Kniffin commented that in 2023, the team doubled their win total from 2022, finishing 27-19. And after losing to Herkimer and Erie in Regionals last season, the team came back with a chip on their shoulder.
"The end of last season left a bad taste in everyone's mouth and we lost a very big portion of our team to graduation. But the guys who came back this year did a great job in the fall setting the standard to the new guys coming in for what we expect as a coaching staff and as a team," said Kniffin.
Guilderland native and sophomore first-baseman Colin Lynch shared the same sentiment.
"Last year we made it to the regionals and lost both of our games. We never forgot that feeling of that bus ride home. I think this year coming back, we want to prove that we belong, and we don't want that feeling of that ride home again."
Lynch this season is batting .410, slugging .538, and has 16 hits through 16 games played. The Vikings' offense has scored a collective 158 runs in their 22 games with a team batting average of .358 with 10 home runs.
The Vikings have been taking care of both sides of the ball, backing up great offense with more than impressive pitching. Left-handed pitcher Hunter Stolov has posted a microscopic 0.29 earned run average (ERA), striking out 33 batters and only allowing four walks in 31 innings pitched. Lefty sophomore southpaw Andrew Wilson currently has a 1.44 ERA with an impressive 15.12 strikeouts per nine in 25 innings pitched.
On Sunday, March 3, the Vikings beat Kingsborough Community College which would, unbeknownst to them, start an impressive 16-game winning streak. Assistant coach and East Greenbush native Isaiah Peace commended the team for staying humble during the streak and continually taking care of business.
"The guys try not to get too up or too down," said Peace. "When you get to 16 in a row it does become apparent and hard to disregard, but they've done a good job of staying humble."
Peace is in his third year coaching with the Vikings. When asked if any games stand out to him from this season at this point, he commended the team's grit against Caygua Community College in their second game of a doubleheader on April 9.
"I'd say our second [game] against Cayuga at home," said Peace. "It was 0-0 the whole game. It's easy in baseball to say 'You just don't have it today.' We had trouble at the plate all game. The boys found a way to get it done at the plate in the 4th inning I believe. We pushed across four [runs] which was the difference in that game. Just another testament to the kids' will to win."
For Kniffin, the team's fourth game against Jefferson Community College sticks out.
"We got down 5-2 early in the game and came back thanks to some clutch hits by Anthony Rizzo (Shaker/Latham, NY), Tyree Jackson (Medford, NY), and Ethan Pues (Plant City, FL) to take the lead late and secure the sweep. Richie Tamsett (Canajoharie/Canajoharie, NY) was also big in that game, closing it out with four innings of work."
Peace also commended the entire coaching staff and each coach's role with the team.
"This year we have a more consistent approach to what each coach is doing," said Peace. "Sporty [Joseph Sportman] takes over the hitting. I take defense. Trevor [Kniffin] takes the pitchers and coach [Josh] Parrow does a tremendous job overseeing all of it to make sure it's being run smoothly and correctly."
The Vikings' 16-game winning streak ended Tuesday. They look to start a new one against SUNY Adirondack at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Saturday in a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to start at noon, with the second one slated for 3 p.m.