Staying or Going? Saugerties Stallions Baseball Team Makes Exciting Announcement
The collegiate baseball team's future in the town has been up in the air for some time.
Summers in the Hudson Valley is a sports fan's dream time of year, as we are lucky enough to be surrounded by some big-league action. Yes, we have one major league affiliate in the area but did you know we are also lucky enough to have an awesome collegiate baseball team in Ulster County?
Saugerties Stallions
The Stallions are the Hudson Valley representatives in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL), which is a 16-team collegiate summer baseball league that was started back in 2010. The Stallions joined the East division of the PGCBL back in 2015 and since then have played their home games at Cantine Field in Saugerties.
As this year's season came to end in August, many wondered if they had played their last game in Saugerties as the team owner Kevin Hinchey announced that he was no longer going to be handling the teams day to day operations. Hinchey, a lifelong Saugerties resident bought the franchise back in 2015, and after 6 seasons announced he was stepping down and the search started for a new owner started.
Stallions Staying for the 2023 Season
Saugerties Town Board and town supervisor Fred Costello have announced that the Saugerties Stallions Collegiate Baseball team will remain in Saugerties for the 2023 season. According to a press release from the Town of Saugerties, "the town is not purchasing the franchise but rather, will be overseeing the 2023 team as the search for a possible local owner continues."
With the franchise for sale and the search for a new owner underway, there is one factor that is extremely important moving forward, the owner needs to be local and have some ties to the Saugerties area to ensure that the team isn't moved out of the area.
Local Matters
The local factor is so important because Hinchey, the Town of Saugerties, and others don't want to see the team sold to an outside owner due to fears that the new owner might move the team out of Saugerties, which has happened with other PGCBL franchises in the past.
Overseeing the franchise in 2023 is something the town said will have a positive impact economically, as well as "add greatly to the quality of life enhancements for our residents." The 2023 Stallions will start the season in June of 2023 and play an 8-week, 48-game schedule into August and play their home games at Cantine field.