All photos taken by team photographer Molly Stanley.
When the Utica Blue Sox began their season on May 29th, hopes were high for a successful summer ahead. With players from around the country filtering into the Mohawk Valley on Memorial Day Weekend, anticipation brewed. Whether it was local guys like Reece Jantzi, a Proctor High School graduate, or Cameron Kobayashi, a Hawaii native, they would all proudly represent the “U” across their brand new Carolina blue jerseys.
Head coach Doug Delett returned for his tenth season with the Blue Sox along with pitching and third base coach Luke Schulte returning for his fourth. A new addition to the coaching staff and particular team favorite was Derek Wrage, an assistant coach at Grinnell College.
With the scene set, the Blue Sox were ready to follow up their winning 2025 season with another playoff run. Some returning players, like Xavier Smith, Connor Jones, RJ Thomae, Anthony Perritano, John Rigas, and Jordan Ake understood the pain of falling in the first round of the PGCBL playoffs to the Saugerties Stallions. The need for success off the bat was immediately felt within the clubhouse atmosphere.
After a close Opening Day loss against Oneonta, the Blue Sox were still in the hunt for their first victory of the season. Utica fans did not have to wait long to watch their team get in the win column, however. On Kid’s Day Out, Xavier Smith, a returner from the 2025 Utica team, hit a walk-off sac fly to get the Sox their first win of the season.
However, once the calendar officially flipped to June, reality hit quickly. Utica went 8-14 in the month of June and were in fourth place in the PGCBL East Division standings. The bottom half of the standings was not where Utica wanted to be. Although there were some dominant wins in June, like sweeping a doubleheader against Saugerties or the 19-1 victory over the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, June was tough on the Sox.
Despite some struggles on the pitching side, the offense was able to come up clutch in big moments. Jack Sweeney, from Rutgers University, was able to maintain consistency at the plate, with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs. Anthony Perritano, from Murray State University, slugged 5 home runs in June which led the team, despite injuries preventing him from playing for half of the month. Xavier Smith, from Millersville University, batted in 13 runs in June by providing reliable at bats in the middle of the lineup.
Although pitching tended to be a league-wide struggle in the month of June, Utica pitcher John Rigas was able to defeat the odds and produce eye-catching numbers. Rigas, an incoming transfer to Central Connecticut State University, had the league best 2.12 ERA in June while throwing 29.2 innings. The righty threw a complete game shutout on June 27th in the second game of a doubleheader against Saugerties which caught the attention of fans around the league.
To no surprise, these standout players represented Utica as PGCBL Midseason All Stars, along with 62 others for their contributions in the first half of the season.
With some new pitching additions as July began, the Blue Sox were ready to flip the script in order to put themselves in a better position going into playoffs in the final week of the month. And that they did.
The Sox went 7-1 at home in July and went 16-6 overall, only falling to playoff contenders. Sweeney, Perritano, and Rigas continued their on field success, but other players shined as well in July. Connor Jones, a rising sophomore at George Washington University, stepped up big for the Sox batting in 19 runs. Michael Flashner, another incoming transfer to CCSU, provided consistent at bats in the lead off spot all season and even had a 12 game hit streak during the dog days.
An unexpected highlight occurred during the Sox’s annual Pink the Park Night, a benefit for breast cancer awareness and research. While sporting the hot pink and baby blue jersey, Jack McWilliams, from Columbia University, hit a towering grand slam to right center field. As Utica Blue Sox broadcaster, Morgan Spriggs pointed out, it was McWilliams’ first extra base hit the entire season. With the help of Vinny Sangataldo pitching 7 scoreless innings, Utica closed out that game successfully and moved onto the final regular season game against Amsterdam that Sunday.
Although the Sox were not able to capitalize on the victory that Sunday, despite scoring 14 runs, the tension felt throughout Murnane Field in such a tight game gave a playoff atmosphere. This distaste towards the Mohawks would fuel the need for success against them later that week…
As the third seed in the PGCBL East Division, the Blue Sox traveled as underdogs to Saugerties, New York to compete in the East Division Semifinals against the Stallions: a scenario the 2025 returners knew all too well. Utica was 2-3 against the Ponies in the regular season, so the Sox knew it would be no easy task to beat the reigning PGCBL Champs. Saugerties seemed to have Utica’s number all season. That is why Doug Delett and his coaching staff put their ace on the mound: John Rigas.
Rigas pitched 5.1 innings with two runs allowed before Utica’s offense found their stride. Sweeney and Perritano combined for 3 RBIs in the 7th inning, along with Jones and Sweeney each with an RBI in the 8th to make the score 5-3. To put an exclamation point on this commanding victory, Joey Kafka kept his 0.00 ERA going strong by putting away 6 batters in the 8th and 9th innings to give Utica a chance at the Amsterdam Mohawks in the East Division Final.
After a few unforeseen weather postponements during a much anticipated week, Utica finally traveled to Amsterdam on Thursday afternoon. The offense had a monstrous night, with Jones and Kevin Francella both going deep, along with Sweeney and RJ Thomae providing some insurance runs.
Wes Maksimow pitched a beautiful one run game going into the 7th inning against the top offense in the league. Joey Kafka and Drake Aycock closed out the game to hold the Mohawks, a team that scored 500 total runs all season, to only two.
This was the first time the Blue Sox had defeated Amsterdam in two years, so Utica was more than pleased with the outcome. They would travel to Batavia the next night to play a winner take all championship game.
The Sox struggled on both sides of the ball in Batavia; the Muckdogs scored a baker’s dozen, while Utica scrapped one together. The Blue Sox fell to Batavia on July 31st in a mentally straining contest to end their season.
After the season concluded, the PGCBL announced its All-League Selections which were littered with Blue Sox. Anthony Perritano and Joey Kafka received First Team honors as a shortstop and right handed pitcher. Michael Flashner, Jack Sweeney, Drake Aycock, and John Rigas all took home Honorable Mention honors in a very talented and competitive collegiate summer league.
For a team that entered the summer hoping to make another playoff run, Utica accomplished far more than simply returning to their winning ways. The 2026 Utica Blue Sox gave fans a summer to remember and left their mark on the franchise’s history. As the team looks ahead to 2027, the question is no longer whether the Blue Sox can compete; it is whether they can take the next step and finish the job.