Schoharie Athlete Makes History, Signs with Division 1 Baseball Team

Note: A print version of this article will appear in the Friday, November 15th edition of the Mountain Eagle.

Schoharie Central School athlete Shane Helmstadt made history Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first baseball player ever from Schoharie to be signed by a Division 1 collegiate team. 

In a ceremony involving local press, Mr. Helmstadt’s family and friends, as well as school administration and local politicians, the Schoharie Senior formally signed on as a Sea Wolf at Stony Brook University to much fanfare. 

Kevin Scofield, Schoharie’s Athletic Coordinator, spoke in analogy about the difficult work that goes into being a craftsman before concluding that, “Shane is a craftsman of athletics,” who played golf, basketball, and baseball. 

Schoharie Mayor Larry Caza presented Mr. Helmstadt with a proclamation declaring November 13^th as “Shane Helmstadt Day” in Schoharie, while Assemblyman Chris Tague gave the young man a certificate of merit. 

Declaring “Go Indians!” at the beginning of his remarks, Mr. Tague became emotional when telling Mr. Helmstadt that, “I am so proud of you…Today is a big, big day for us.” 

A Mets fan, Mr. Tague said he expects to see Mr. Helmstadt pitching in the World Series one day. 

When asked by a local reporter what his major will be in college, the baseball star replied that he will be studying Business Management at Stony Brook University. 

According to a press release issued by SCS last week, Mr. Helmstadt has been playing baseball since he was small, starting with Little League and moving his way up through school baseball and travel teams as a pitcher and shortstop.