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Kingston-Saugerties American Legion pitcher Jaylen Mclean is photographed on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, at Cantine Field at Saugerties, N.Y. (Rick Remsnyder\/Daily Freeman)<\/p>\nSAUGERTIES, N.Y. \u2014 Kingston-Saugerties American Legion right-handed pitcher Jaylen Mclean knew he had to make a pitch when he fell behind 3-1 with the bases loaded and only one out against Cottreall-Warner Post No. 942\u2019s Tyler Estelle in the bottom of the eighth inning in last week\u2019s New York State American Legion Championship game at Penfield High.<\/p>\n
The former SUNY Ulster relief pitcher, who graduated from Rondout Valley High in 2025, knew the Kingston-Saugerties Senior baseball team would be going home if he wasn\u2019t able to retire Estelle in the elimination game that was tied at 4-4 in extra innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stepped off the mound and stepped back and thought, \u2018I gotta throw a strike here,’\u201d Mclean said before the local American Legion team went through its paces in a practice at Cantine Field on Sunday, Aug. 2. \u201cI took a deep breath and just trusted myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mclean, who will transfer to pitch at Dutchess Community College for his sophomore season, retired Estelle on a pop-up and got out of the jam when Sam Roselli grounded into a forceout for the third and final out.<\/p>\n
Kingston-Saugerties American Legion pitcher Jaylen Mclean is photographed on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, at Cantine Field at Saugerties, N.Y. (Rick Remsnyder\/Daily Freeman)<\/p>\n
Kingston-Saugerties went on to score five runs in the top of the 10th inning to post a 9-6 victory and claim the first state championship for the squad since the teams from Kingston Post No. 150 and Lamouree-Hackett Post No. 72 of Saugerties merged in 2020.<\/p>\n
Kingston-Saugerties will next play at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament against Connecticut\u2019s Waterford at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at Tivnan Field in Worcester, Massachusetts. Waterford advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Regional despite losing to South Windsor in the Connecticut state final. South Windsor\u2019s postseason ended with the state title due to potential eligibility concerns later in the season.<\/p>\n
The double-elimination Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament, which runs through Sunday, Aug. 9, includes American Legion state champions from four other states besides New York and Connecticut. They are Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Eight regional champions will advance to the 99th American Legion World Series from Thursday, Aug. 13, through Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina.<\/p>\n
Kingston-Saugerties (24-9-1) is seeking to become the first local American Legion baseball squad to advance to the World Series since Kingston American Legion Post No. 150 accomplished the feat in 1988.<\/p>\n
Kingston-Saugerties manager Michael Koegel said he feels comfortable using any of his 15 players. The roles often vary depending on the situation.<\/p>\n
For instance, Mclean was the squad\u2019s closer and hadn\u2019t pitched more than two innings in an outing all year. But in the title-clinching state title game, Mclean ended up throwing 96 pitches and allowed just five hits and two runs (one earned) in eight innings. He struck out two and walked three.<\/p>\n
Mclean said veteran Kingston-Saugerties pitching coach Tom Whitaker had worked wonders with his control since he began pitching for the American Legion squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhit (Whitaker) has brought me such a long way,\u201d Mclean said. \u201cI was a little wild at Ulster. I couldn\u2019t get my control down. A couple bullpens in, Whit just changed me as a pitcher.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koegel said his club\u2019s American Legion state baseball championship was filled with a lot of exciting moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great run,\u201d Koegel said. \u201cA wild run. You couldn\u2019t really script it. There were come-from-behind wins and walk-offs. And the last game, our backs were up against the wall. The guys never quit. Each game, it was somebody different stepping up. We played all 15 guys by the second day of the state tournament, which speaks volumes to the depth of this team. We still have several infielders fighting for the same position. We have one too many outfielders. It\u2019s a fun thing to make out the lineup card. But it\u2019s also tough with this team. Competition is always a good thing to have on a team. But with this team, they know the next guy is right there waiting to pick them up and potentially to take their job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koegel said it wasn\u2019t easy even getting to the states.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust getting out of our district was a very challenging thing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have three very, very good teams just in our district (District 9) alone. I would say we knew we were capable of it (winning a state title) because the talent was here from day one. But it\u2019s something that hasn\u2019t been done in a long time because it\u2019s hard to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koegel said the goal at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals is a simple one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe job\u2019s not done,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to keep playing as long as we\u2019re able to. The goal is to get to the World Series. If we don\u2019t, it\u2019s still been a great run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Koegel said the fan support from the local community has been great, particularly with a lot of backing on social media.<\/p>\n
He also said he\u2019s been proud of the way his players have handled themselves during the run.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my favorite things that\u2019s come about on this whole run was that the Cottreall-Warner coach Gary McNeil made a compliment on our Facebook page that it was the most respectful Legion team that they faced in their two years in Legion,\u201d Koegel said. \u201cThat to me means a lot because that\u2019s how we ask these guys to act and that\u2019s how they\u2019ve handled themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catskill High graduate John McKenna, a lefty outfielder who also plans to attend Dutchess Community College in the fall, said there\u2019s a lot more to this year\u2019s team than talented players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work together, respect each other and we have a family,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cThe goal is to get to the (American Legion) World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kingston High graduate Preston Provenzano, who pitched for SUNY Oneonta\u2019s baseball team this past season, picked up a win in the second game of the state tournament for Kingston-Saugerties. He pitched 6 1\/3 innings, allowing five hits and two runs in a 3-2 victory over Hillcrest Post No. 1194.<\/p>\n
He said it\u2019s nice to be a part of a strong pitching staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so much pitching this year,\u201d Provenzano said. \u201cThe depth is unreal. Me, Dylan MacDonald (Red Hook) and Jake Young (Cairo-Durham) are our three starters, and we\u2019ve been doing our job all season and we have a great defense behind us. Always picking us up and that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Provenzano also thinks this year\u2019s club could become the first to get to the American Legion World Series since the Kingston Post No. 150 team in 1988. That featured a bevy of Kingston High stars, including former Kingston High baseball coach Mike Groppuso.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Series is still in our view,\u201d Provenzano said. \u201cWe know we can get there, so we\u2019re going to go out there and prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Hook High catcher Jackson Huber agreed that the pitching staff is strong.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just get better after every outing,\u201d he said. \u201cI trust them more and more after every outing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Huber said it was an adjustment initially learning to play together with stars from other high schools and colleges. The roster includes players from Ulster, Dutchess and Greene counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was different at first, not knowing a lot of guys on the team,\u201d Huber said. \u201cBut we came together, became a family and all bought into the same idea of wanting to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kingston High graduate Kaden Deibert, who has become one of the club\u2019s most consistent hitters and made a critical diving catch in left field during the state tournament championship game, said he\u2019s had a lot of fun being part of the first state title for the merged Kingston-Saugerties team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big thing for us since it\u2019s the first one in the team\u2019s history,\u201d Deibert said. \u201cWe had a blast at states and we want to keep our momentum going. Our goal is to go to the World Series, but we have to take it one step at a time, game by game and end up where we end up.\u201d<\/p>\n
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