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PV/C baseball enjoying successful summer season in WPBA
Local association looking good across board
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Putnam Valley/Cortlandt 18-U catcher John Parks putting tag down on Shrub Oak's Joey Gelbman in WPBA Summer Baseball action Saturday. |
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The Putnam Valley/Cortlandt Baseball Association has experienced a renaissance this past summer, rising from mediocrity to above average on many levels, including a perfect 16-0 mark by its PV/C-I team in the 16-U Division of the Westchester Putnam Baseball Association. Another solid 11-6 mark for the 18-U team reflects a combined 26-6 mark for the PV/C teams in the premier division for the top two teams. It doesn't end there, though, as two more 16-U teams have combined to go 14-11 for a combined 30- 11 mark at the 16-U level.
Two 14-U teams have a combined 9-11 record and a pair of 12-U teams show a combined 15-2 record in WPBA action. A pair of 11-year-old teams show a combined 12-2 record, leaving one to believe that baseball is alive and well within Mike Gembecki's Putnam Valley/Cortlandt Baseball Association.
"I guess that all the people who have helped to run PV/C, including Mike Gembecki, the current President, have done something right," exclaimed PV/C founder and VP on the WPBA Board of Directors Wayne Gabari.
Essentially, it was Gabari who basically afforded the youth of Putnam Valley and Cortlandt with an avenue to pursue baseball after there time spent in the prestigious Cortlandt American Little League. "We started this thing 15 years ago to give the kids from Cortlandt Little League a chance to play organized baseball in the towns of Putnam Valley and Cortlandt. By having our own program, we control our own destiny and provide competitive baseball to all the kids of our community. What better way to spend a summer!"
Like any baseball association, PV/C has had its share of ups and downs over the years, but Gembecki has managed to ride the wave and keep the club afloat through the good times and bad. The association, now thriving, is made up primarily from players within the Putnam Valley and Walter Panas school systems at the top levels (18-U, 16-U).
"Absolutely, it's been a bittersweet run for us," said Gembecki, who has overseen the program for more than a decade now. "We've had some lean years, but it's great to see where it's at now."
The 16-U team coached by Joe Orlando, PV/C-1, has gone ahead and produced what is considered the best regular season ever by a PV/C team, according to Gembecki. Orlando, who for many years served as President of the Cortlandt American Little League, has managed to build off the success the Putnam Valley High varsity team experienced this past spring. Orlando's club has blasted it opponents by a combined 168-31count through Saturday's games, including a 6-1 defeat of second-place Briarcliff (14-1).
Anyone who cares about local baseball could see this coming within the past two years if they were paying attention, as a blend of veterans like Josh Coppa meshed with underclassmen like Pat Considine (18-U), Walter Sherwood, Joe Orlando and Matt Cordaro (16-U) to change the fortunes of Putnam Valley baseball. Walter Panas baseball has had successful years, reaching the Class B championship just two years ago, but true success - the measure of wins against losses - had been tough to come by on the PV diamond until this past year. The PV/C baseball association can take some of the credit for that, providing a solid feeder product for PV Coach Joe Natalie to work with.
"We brought home a couple of championship banners last year, but we'd like to see it grow to the point where we win regularly," said Gembecki.
Another championship could come from the PV/C I team (16-U), which went nine furious innings against Coach Dan Turner's PV/C II team for a one-run, extra-inning win last week.
"That was something else," said Gembecki. "That 16-and-under age group has some very talented players. Those guys should push each other for the next couple of years. We've got some very talented players between those two teams and others. Across the board, we look very competitive for the next few years, so long as we continue to get the commitment from the players and coaches. Playing baseball is a year-round thing for many of our coaches and players. That's what it takes to be successful."
The level of commitment is high, as the WPBA is still considered a high-caliber travel organization; with teams hailing from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Dutchess and CT. Gembecki is open to the notion of continued expansion within the PV/C association but wants newcomers to understand the level of obligation.
"I would love to see us grow," said Gembecki, who can be reached at (845)742-8839 for information regarding the Putnam Valley/ Cortlandt Baseball Association. "But we may be at our limit due to the shortage of field space in the local area. Then, there's also a fine line between say Little League baseball and All-Star travel teams. I would love to see the folks from Putnam Valley get more involved with the younger age groups, but they need to get their feet under themselves first before they get up and running. At the end of the day, success is measured by wins and losses, but it's also about the progression of baseball and the development of skill level."
No doubt, PV/C is on the straight and narrow. Please visit www.yourdirectrays.com for photo galleries of Section 1 sports, Empire State Games and summer baseball.
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