SEASON PREVIEW - TACONIC HILLS BASEBALL

Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports Editor

04-03-09 - Although the Patroon Conference often gets little respect from their Section II compatriots in most sports, the league has staked its claim as an elite-level conference in at least one sport: baseball. Last season, the league had a number of strong teams scattered throughout four classifications. Rensselaer was solid in Class C, Maple Hill was very good in Class CC, Cairo-Durham and Catskill fell one game shy of sectional bids in Class B, and Coxsackie-Athens made it into the first round of the post-season. The four Columbia County teams represented the league well. Although Taconic Hills was a bit down, both Hudson and Chatham were very good in Class B. Chatham was so good, in fact, that they captured the Section II crown and made a run to the State Finals, while Ichabod Crane shocked many as they captured their second straight Section II Class A title. After speaking with some coaches and players from our four Patroon Conference Columbia County teams, we’ll take a look at what they expect from this upcoming season.

TACONIC HILLS
The Titans, under first-year coach Tom Davis, are looking to rise to the status of their Columbia County cohorts this season in Patroon Conference play. The Titans will boast a roster that goes fourteen deep, including five pitchers. Some key players for the Titans look to be Mike Jacobsen, who will be the man on the mound for Taconic Hills this year, along with outfielder Tucker McNamee in the outfield and Scott Decker in the infield. "I think people should watch out for Mike Jacobsen to do big things both with his pitching and his bat," said teammate Scott Decker. "His offense has definitely come along."

Although it’s still early, Decker sees the team shaping up. "Our team is looking good. We’re a little rough on defense, but we’re polishing up," he said. "Our strength is definitely hitting. Everyone on our team can hit the baseball."

When asked about other players around the league he enjoys playing against, his answer showed just how close these local players are, even though they don’t play on the same high school team. "Every year I look forward to playing against one of my best friends, Nick Zapp. We’ve always been rivals in sports, and we’re very competitive with each other. I enjoy playing against Justin Brantley because he’s got a complete package as a pitcher. I also have tremendous respect for Alex Issler of ICC. He’s a good ball player and a class act."

While Decker sees Ichabod Crane and Maple Hill as the front runners in the Patroon and Hudson close to that, he doesn’t feel the Titans are overmatched. "I’m looking forward to competing with the best," Decker said. "We’ll hold our own."

The Titans open up their Patroon Conference slate on Friday when they travel to tough Coxsackie-Athens.