JOHNSTOWN – Two Raiders, Shortstop Gregory Ruddy and Pitcher/Designated Hitter Dennis Buckley, have been named to the Region 3 All-Region Second Team. Also, FM Head Coach Dave Hennessey has been named the Mountain Valley Conference Co-Coach of the Year.
The FM squad, under second-year Head Coach Hennessey, had their best season in recent memory. Their 13-9 regular season record in regional play earned FM a berth in the postseason tournament for the first time in 18 years.
Photo: Pitcher Dennis Buckley and Shortstop Greg Ruddy
Ruddy and Buckley were two key contributors to the Raiders' success. Both excelled defensively, and both contributed mightily at the plate and on the base paths.
Region 3 had 17 baseball teams this season. Thus, there were over 300 ballplayers in the Region. Only 23 of those players – fewer than 10% of them – were named to the first and second all-region teams. Buckley and Ruddy are among that elite group.
Greg Ruddy
Often a baseball team's best defensive player is the shortstop. That was quite possibly the case with Ruddy. His speed and anticipation allowed him to cover a lot of ground. He could go deep into the 5/6 hole and still throw a batter out at first base. Further, while there are no style points in baseball, shortstop Ruddy played ground balls and made throws with exceptional grace and apparent ease. He played in 36 games and had a fielding percentage of .932, with 48 putouts and 88 assists.
Photo: Greg Ruddy connecting
Ruddy's offensive skills were also exceptional. He led the Raiders with a sterling .393 batting average. He also hit with power (with a slugging percentage of .525) and was adept at stealing (stole 10 in 13 attempts) and taking an extra base. His 48 hits included 10 doubles and three triples. Ruddy drove in 28 runs. His on-base percentage was .475. Coach Hennessey usually put Ruddy third in the batting order.
Raider of the Month Ruddy was named Raider of the Month for April. Further, as was noted in that writeup, Ruddy was one of only two FM students to be honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. The award is for those students who have best demonstrated the integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the SUNY system.
Dennis Buckley
Dennis Buckley is simply an excellent all-around ballplayer. He is one of those rare pitchers who is also such a good batter that he's almost always in the lineup. Buckley batted fifth in the FM batting order and moved into the cleanup spot when regular cleanup hitter Andrew Houser was injured.
Photo: Dennis Buckley driving in a run
Buckley was named to the All-Region Team as a pitcher, and his stats indicate that he was most deserving of that honor. In 49.2 innings he struck out 72 while walking only 27. His record was 6-3.
Buckley batted .283 and drove in 12 runs. He often served as the DH but sometimes played a field position. Overall, as both a pitcher and a field player, he committed only two errors, compiling a fielding percentage of .895. He attempted two steals and was successful both times.
FM was indeed fortunate to have such a multi-talented player on the team.
Head Coach Dave Hennessey
Hennessey began his college coaching career in 1986. He joined the FM staff for the 2013 baseball season. At that point, the Raiders had not earned a postseason berth in 17 years.
Henessey's reputation for success attracted some talented players to FM. Their talent and Henessey's skill as a baseball tactician led FM to a solid, winning season in D-III competition and a berth in postseason play. Niagara CCC edged the Raiders in the first postseason round, but both games were close and could have been won by either ballclub.
Hennessey was rewarded for his 2014 work by being named Mountain Valley Conference Co-Coach of the Year. Sharing the honor with him is long-time Schenectady CCC Head Coach Tim Andi.
This writer has been covering D-III community college baseball for several seasons. The 2014 season was particularly enjoyable. The weather was too harsh, and the season went by too quickly, but it was a pleasure to see the Raiders play The Grand Old Game so well.
C.J. Bonny, website writer
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