Wallkill Valley baseball finishes fun season

HAMBURG — Be it in victory or defeat, it sure was a fun ride for the Wallkill Valley High School baseball program this spring. The main reason being that regardless if they were favored to win the game or considered the underdog, the Rangers competed with grit and determination.
That fact can’t be overlooked as Wallkill Valley fought their way to an 11-11 overall record, including an impressive 6-2 mark in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Colonial Division, which was good enough for second place behind only Newton.
It wasn’t always easy, as the Rangers had to face off with a tough opponent at virtually every turn. Not only did they reach the .500 mark, but made a strong run in the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament.
The Rangers upset Dumont, 6-1, in the opening round of the North 1 Group 2 Tournament. They were defeated, 3-1, by Pascack Hills in the quarterfinal round of the sectionals.
Wallkill Valley head coach Kevin Lukich recalls certain contests from the recently concluded season which stand out because of the special effort his student-athlete put forth on the field.
“Two games — the first being our fourth game of the season versus North Warren (a 9-0 victory on April 11)," Lukich said. “We were 0-3 at the time and our ace, Wes Walton, threw a complete game, one-hit, 16 strikeout performance to get our season going. The second being our first State Tournament game versus Dumont. We were the 13 seed and they were No. 4.
“We pulled off the upset behind Walton’s strong pitching performance and Ajay Hill going four for four at the plate. During the game Rich Stecher became only the third player in school history to reach 100 hits."
Lukich mentioned Walton and Stecher as being the team leaders this spring.
“They were four-year starters for us and really put the team on their backs when things got tough," Lukich said. “They are the reason we got to where we ended up this season."
Two underclassmen were among those players who were always seeking ways to improve this year.
“Justin Rivera and Jake Lonsky were both freshmen thrown into a starting positions and were two of our most consistent players," Lukich said. “At the end of the season, they were hitting number one and two respectfully in our order."
This was definitely a year to remember for Wallkill Valley baseball and 2017 should be exciting as well.
“We started three freshmen and two sophomores this year,’’ Lukich said. “We have some pitching to replace but feel we have a bright future ahead of us."