Ballston Spa's Gold finds many ways to make impact

Athlete of the Year: Luke Gold, Ballston Spa

When does a drop in batting average of over 100 points still constitute a great season?

When your name is Luke Gold and you have accomplished a myriad of different ways to enhance your all-around game.

As a sophomore, Gold batted .605 and made a verbal commitment to Boston College right after concluding his 2017 season.

When Gold returned to the diamond as a junior, the standout shortstop found that several Suburban Council opponents were not all that enamored at the thought of pitching to him.

There were a few games where Gold barely even saw a strike. Often when Gold did get pitches to hit and enjoyed success, the baseball usually would not threaten the strike zone again in subsequent at-bats.

In fact, Gold proved to be Section II's king of the intentional walk. The junior was whisked to first base without seeing a pitch 20 times this spring.

"He is very mature about it," Ballston Spa coach Curtis Nobles said. "The maturation process with Luke was everything I asked of him and everything he put on his goal-setting sheet.

"He checked a lot of things he wanted and one of them was being Player of the Year. I told him, 'Player of the Year isn't just a skill guy, he's a character guy.' "

Gold understood the special treatment he was receiving was the ultimate sign of respect. Consequently, he didn't lose his discipline and begin hunting pitches outside the strike zone and produced a season worthy of Suburban Council Player of the Year honors.

He batted .431, owned an on-base percentage of .656 and slugged 1.017.

Gold's ability as an offensive threat, defensive stalwart, his standout work as a reliever (three wins, two saves, a 1.25 earned-run average and 21 strikeouts in 20 innings) and the quiet, steady leadership he provided helped propel Ballston Spa into the Section II Class AA final.

"He's the best player in the league. Period," Colonie baseball coach Kevin Halburian said during the season. "He plays like he is a junior in college. He does not get too excited and goes about his business. Very mature."

In addition to flashing incredible pop at the plate with eight doubles and eight home runs, Gold also stole 27 bases.

"He didn't take the mindset of getting intentionally walked as being bad. He turned it into a positive," Nobles said. "He set out to score a lot of runs and to become a better baserunner. He was all about scoring runs. His skill set speaks for itself.

"I have coached a lot of good baseball players. He is right at the top of the list. He is a deserving Player of the Year."

First team

Catcher

Adam Zebrowski, Sr., CBA: Produced a stellar senior season to earn Suburban Council Gray Division first-team honors. Zebrowski's exploits included producing a .556 average, 13 doubles, one home run and 17 RBIs.

First base

Jeremy Clayton, Sr., Burnt Hills: Named to the Suburban Council Gray Division's first team, Clayton batted .364 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases for the Spartans. The senior also earned Times Union first-team football honors in the fall.

Second base

Justin Pangburn, Sr., Columbia: Selected to the Suburban Council Blue Division first team, Pangburn hit .429 with five doubles, one home run, 19 RBIs and six steals. Headed to play at Brockport, Pangburn produced an on-base percentage of .607 for the Section II Class AA champions.

Third base

James Murphy, So., Niskayuna: Combined with teammate Ben Funyak in providing the Silver Warriors stellar defense on the left side of the field as the sophomore fielded at a .944 percentage to go along with hitting .329 with nine doubles, one triple and 20 RBIs to garner Suburban Council Blue Division first-team honors.

Shortstop

Luke Gold, Jr., Ballston Spa: The Suburban Council's Player of the Year excelled in several facets in leading the Scotties to the Section II Class AA final. The junior, who is committed to play at Boston College, batted .431 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 20 RBIs and 27 steals. He generated an on-base percentage of .656 and slugged at 1.017.

Outfield

Brian Hart, Sr., Saratoga: Headed to play his college baseball at Marist College, Hart earned his second straight Times Union first-team nod — hitting .381 with four doubles, four home runs, 21 RBIs and nine stolen bases. The Blue Division first-team all-star did not make an error.

Ryan McGee, Sr., Colonie: Named a Times Union second-team selection in 2017, McGee did not make an error roaming center for the Garnet Raiders. The Siena-bound standout, a first-team Suburban Council Blue Division all-star, batted .412, had an on-base percentage of .543, stole nine bases and only struck out three times.

Nic Stagnitta, Sr., Columbia: The Suburban Council Blue Division first-team all-star, who also ran indoor track for the Blue Devils, registered a .440 average, seven doubles, two home runs, 22 RBIs and six stolen bases for the Section II Class AA champions.

Designated hitter

Matt LaHera, Sr., Columbia: The catcher, who displayed throughout his senior season the propensity to deliver in the clutch for the Blue Devils, earned Suburban Council Blue Division first-team plaudits as he batted .369 with four doubles, five home runs and 30 RBIs.

Utility

Ben Funyak, Sr., Niskayuna: The standout shortstop (.982 fielding percentage), a Times Union second-team selection in 2017, also turned in some strong work as a reliever for the Silver Warriors. At the plate, Funyak batted .424 with three doubles, one triple, one home run, 20 RBIs and five steals.

Pitcher

Brendan Disonell, Jr., Shenendehowa: The Stony Brook-bound standout garnered the Suburban Council Pitcher of the Year award as he finished with a 3-1 record and one save over 352/3 innings. Disonell struck out 57 and registered an earned-run average of 1.18.

Noah Edwards, Sr., Queensbury: The Spartans' primary catcher in 2017, Edwards (.344 average, 15 RBIs) became the team's No. 1 starter in his final scholastic season and delivered huge performances throughout the Class A playoffs in posting wins against Burnt Hills, Amsterdam, East Syracuse-Minoa and Canandaigua. Edwards finished up with a 7-0 record and a 1.48 ERA for the state champions.

Sal Fusco, Sr., Colonie: The UMass-Lowell commit went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 62 strikeouts over 301/3 innings. Named a Suburban Council Blue Division first-team all-star, Fusco is currently pitching for the Glens Falls Dragons of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

Arlo Marynczak, Sr., Bethlehem: The 6-foot-7 righty garnered Suburban Council Blue Division first-team honors after going 4-2 with a 1.15 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Marynczak, a Siena commit, allowed only 21 hits and seven walks over 351/3 innings. The senior allowed only four hits and struck out 11 in a 2-0 quarterfinal loss against eventual Class AA champion Columbia.

Danny Watson, Sr., Columbia: After admittedly struggling dealing with the cold the first few weeks of the season, Watson's performances heated up dramatically as the season progressed. He tossed a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Bethlehem and tossed a two-hitter with eight strikeouts to lead the Blue Devils past Ballston Spa 3-1 in the Class AA final. Watson, headed to Virginia Commonwealth University, finished 5-2 with 43 strikeouts over 372/3 innings.

Coach of the Year

Jay Marra, Queensbury: In his 40th campaign coaching the Spartans, Marra guided a 2018 squad — determined to shred the memory of a Section II quarterfinal loss last year against Burnt Hills — to the program's first state championship with a 5-1 Class A victory over Lakeland.

Second team

Catcher: Jake Manderson, Jr., Ballston Spa

First base: Nate Toms, Sr., Colonie

Second base: Evan Fox, So., Ballston Spa

Third base: Chancellor Stubblebine, Sr., Burnt Hills

Shortstop: Brad Hipsley, Sr., Saratoga

Outfield: Cory Listing, Sr., La Salle; Nick Melillo, Sr., CBA; Joe Novenche, Sr., Shenendehowa

Designated hitter: Donovan Rhoden, Jr., Ballston Spa

Utility: Devan Kruzinski, Sr., Colonie

Pitcher: Donny Chrysler, Sr., Guilderland; Joe Kosowsky, Sr., Lansingburgh; Mike Poirier, Jr., Ballston Spa; Trey Sgroi, Sr., Bethlehem; Pryce Wasula, Jr., CBA