Twelve NYCBL Alums Part Of Professional Title Teams In 2008

Twelve former New York Collegiate Baseball League players were part of championship teams during the 2008 professional baseball season. NYCBL graduates won titles at seven different levels of baseball from short-season A to the Japan Series to the World Series in 2008. The list is as follows..

Major League Baseball
Philadelphia Phillies - Brad Lidge (Ithaca '96)

Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan)
Seibu Lions - Alex Graman (Little Falls '97)

Southern League (AA)
Mississippi Braves - Quentin Davis (Amsterdam '03)

Quentin Davis (Amsterdam '03) is one of five players to have won a championship in the NYCBL and at the professional level. Davis, in his first full season in Double-A, helped the Mississippi Braves to the Southern League championship. Davis batted .191 over 92 games with five home runs, 22 runs batted in, 19 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. In 2007, the Florence, S.C., native stole 37 bases for the single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Davis saw spot duty throughout the M-Braves playoff run that included series victories over the Birmingham Barons and the Carolina Mudcats. In his Double-A postseason debut, Davis scored the winning run in Mississippi's 1-0 win over Birmingham in game one of their first-round series. He started game three and was 1-for-3 as the M-Braves completed their sweep of the Barons. The former Amsterdam Mohawk played in all five games of the championship series against Carolina and started game three. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI single.

California League (A+)
Stockton Ports - Mike Benacka (Hornell '05), Derrick Gordon (Amsterdam '04)

Both Michael Benacka (Hornell '05) and Derrick Gordon (Amsterdam '04) were members of championship teams in the NYCBL. Benacka pitched out of the bullpen for the 2005 champion Hornell Dodgers and Gordon, the 2004 NYCBL Pitcher of the Year, was a starting pitcher for the 2004 league-winning Amsterdam Mohawks.

Benacka began the 2008 campaign with the River City Rascals of the independent Frontier League. Through 22 appearances, he amassed a 3-0 record, 0.53 ERA, 13 saves and 51 strikeouts. Benacka set the franchise record for saves with 51 total over two seasons. He was signed by Oakland after the Frontier League all-star break and sent to Stockton. The former Lindenwood University star went 4-2 with a 2.39 earned run average in 15 appearances for the Ports. Benacka struck out 37 batters in 26.1 innings pitched and held opponents to one earned run over his last five regular season appearances. The Ports clinched one of the league's two wild-card spots in the playoffs and proceeded to knock off the Modesto Nuts, San Jose Giants and Lancaster Jethawks. Benacka authored three-straight scoreless appearances in his first three playoff showings, including a relief win against Modesto, but earned a pair of hard-luck defeats against San Jose and Lancaster.

Gordon spent the entire season in Stockton and finished third on the team in appearances (44) and fifth in innings pitched (76.2). He went 5-5 with two saves and a 4.93 earned run average a year after pitching out of the bullpen for the Midwest League's Kane County Cougars. The Beaumont, Texas, native struck out 75 and held opponents to a .262 batting average. Gordon excelled particularly at home, putting together a 5-2 record at Stockton's Banner Island Ballpark. In the playoffs, Gordon made four appearances and struck out eight. After a rocky first outing, Gordon lowered his ERA in each of his three subsequent appearances, including a scoreless inning of relief of game three of the championship series.

Midwest League (A)
Burlington Bees - Ryan Eigsti (Hornell '05)

Ryan Eigsti (Hornell '05) is one of five players to have won a championship at the professional level and in the NYCBL. Eigsti was a catcher for the 2005 league champion Hornell Dodgers. Eigsti's Burlington Bees won the second-half title in the Midwest League's West Division and were one of eight teams to qualify for the playoffs. The Burlington backstop played in a career-high 105 games during the regular season and batted .218 with nine home runs and 35 RBI. The Bees went undefetated through the Midwest League playoffs, sweeping the Kane County Cougars, Cedar Rapids Kernals and South Bend Silverhawks. Eigsti capped off Burlington's first-round sweep of Kane County with two hits and two runs scored. And in game two of the championship series, Eigisti went 2-for-4 and drove in one run as the Bees hammered the Silverhawks, 12-0.

New York-Penn League (SS-A)
Batavia Muckdogs - Adam Veres (Glens Falls '07), George Brown (Watertown '05)

At 20 years old, Adam Veres (Glens Falls '07) made his professional debut in the Appalachian League with the Johnson City Cardinals. He was drafted out of St. Petersburg college in June by the St. Louis Cardinals . By the end of his first season in the pros, Veres was helping to hoist a league title. Veres was promoted to Batavia after eight appearances in the Appy League. He went 1-1 for the Muckdogs over six appearances and he closed the regular season with a flourish by not allowing an earned run over his final nine innings pitched. In the postseason, Veres started game three in a best-of-three series against the Lowell Spinners. Veres held Lowell to one run on two hits over seven innings and struck out seven as the Muckdogs punched their ticket to the finals against Jamestown.

After a stellar senior season at St. John's, George Brown (Watertown '05) went from the Red Storm to the Redbirds as he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Brown served as a reliever and spot starter for the Muckdogs during the regular season. He made 17 appearances, converted three saves, walked only eight and struck out 47 batters in 47.1 innings pitched. After struggling against Lowell in the semifinal round, Brown earned two holds in Batavia's two-game sweep of the Jamestown Jammers in the NY-P finals. In the title clincher, Brown fanned four over an inning and one-third of relief.

Northwest League (SS-A)
Spokane Indians - Jacob Kaase (Brockport '07), Ryan Schlecht (Little Falls '06)

Jacob Kaase (Brockport '07) capped off a 2008 season split between three levels (SS-A, A, A+) by helping the Spokane Indians to the Northwest League championship over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Kaase played a combined 68 regular season games between Spokane, Class-A Clinton and Hi-A Bakersfield. He hit .320 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 30 games for the Indians. The Seguin, Texas, native batted .300 over four playoff games and capped off Spokane's title run with a 3-for-5 effort in the championship clincher.

Ryan Schlecht (Little Falls '06) won championships at two levels in 2008. Schlecht, a 2008 Division II All-American, was part of Mount Olive College's national championship team in the spring before being drafted by the Texas Rangers. Schlecht was a big part of Spokane's 50-25 regular season record. He amassed a 4-2 record from Spokane's bullpen with five saves and a 1.48 ERA in 23 appearances. Schlect struck out 45 batters in 42.2 innings pitched. He threw two shutout innings in game one of the championship series against Salem-Keizer and made two appearances in the series overall.

Can-Am League (IND)
Sussex Skyhawks - Khalid Afify (Elmira '06)

Afify joined the Skyhawks bullpen in 2008 after being picked up from the developmental New York State League. He pitched out of Binghamton University's bullpen in the spring. Afify made 10 appearances during the regular season and compiled a 1-1 record. He struck out 13 batters in 18 innings pitched. Sussex was one of four teams to clinch a playoff spot. The Skyhawks won three-straight games in the semifinal series to best second-half champ Worcester, three games to one and then swept Quebec in the championship series. The Binghamton, N.Y., native was placed on the disabled list on September 8th and did not appear in the league playoffs.

American Association (IND)
Sioux Falls Canaries - Alex Bardeguez (Little Falls '06)

Bardeguez, a rookie on a veteran-laden team, appeared in 38 games for Sioux Falls during the regular season. He hit .279, slammed three home runs and drove in 12 runs for the first-half North Division champions. Sioux Falls swept second-half champion Sioux city in the North Division playoffs and then took the league title with a four games to one series victory over the Grand Prairie AirHogs in the championship series. The Coram, N.Y., native made his professional postseason debut in game one of the championship series as a pinch runner.

**Steven Calicutt (Glens Falls '04) was a member of the Augusta GreenJackets in 2008. However, his season ended in May when he was placed on the disabled list. Augusta went on to win the SAL championship in September.