New York State Champions, Columbia HS Honored By The Yankees

Back in June, the Columbia High School captured the New York State high school baseball Class A Championship by defeating Walter Panas High School by a score of 5-1. It was the Blue Devils first state title in baseball since 2004, a good reason for a special celebration.

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On Tuesday, the entire team boarded a Yankee Trails bus and headed to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium. The Blue Devils were honored by Major League Baseball's most successful franchise prior to the Pinstripes' game against the Washington Nationals.

Head coach Chris Dedrick led the Blue Devils' senior laden squad to a 20-6 record, on route to their state crown in 2023. The Columbia baseball team got to go on the field prior to the game and had the school logo, along with a congratulatory message on the Yankees Jumbotron. It was an appropriate honor from New York's oldest professional baseball franchise to one of the Capital Region's most successful high school athletic programs.

Even prior to Tuesday, the Columbia Blue Devils and the Yankees had a bit of a connection. Last year, the Bronx Bombers selected Columbia High School grad, Danny Watson in the 15th round of the MLB Draft, out of Virginia Commonwealth College. Watson is crushing it this season with a 6-1 record split between Single A+ and Double A in the minors with New York. Oh yeah, Danny is sporting a nifty 1.48 ERA. That is a pretty nice Blue Devils/Yankees connection! Congratulations to Coach Dedrick and his 2023 New York State High School Baseball Class A Champions.