SIDE BY SIDE: Legendary baseball skipper Dennis Miles picks up NYS record-tying 806th career victory, as GV/Belfast rolls past J-T with 12-0 shutout, move to 4-0 entering Spring Break trip to NYC

BELMONT — In the case of a head coach, it all begins with the very first one. Over the course of time removed from that point in the beginning of their journey, the rest of the victories will cycle in like an avalanche.

For New York State Baseball Hall of Famer, and Section V’s all-time winningest coach Dennis Miles, he has seen a ton of them since his coaching career began in the mid-1970s in Wellsville.

After over 40 years with the Lions, Miles then made pit stops to Avoca-Prattsburgh and now with Genesee Valley/Belfast, where he proceeded his legendary baseball coaching career, ultimately reaching the 800-career victory hallmark right at the tail end of last Spring, eclipsing the historic milestone against Andover/Whitesville in Cooperstown — America’s Hometown.

Genesee Valley/Belfast went on to score two more victories during the playoffs last year to advance into the Finals during Miles’ first year with the program, where they ultimately fell to State Champion Arkport-Canaseraga.

Now the calendar has flipped to 2025, and after three strong performances out of the gate against Hinsdale, Friendship/Scio and Cuba-Rushford, Miles inched closer and closer towards perhaps the biggest achievement of them all.

The magic number entering Saturday afternoon’s clash with Jasper-Troupsburg in the Jungle was two. One to tie, and one to surpass Fort Plain’s long-time skipper Craig Phillips, to officially unlock baseball immortality in the Empire State as its all-time winningest coach.

Given the rough conditions that the day provided for both teams on the diamond, the hits were hard to come by. Direct evidence of that came in the early-going of battle, where the hosts only collected a single hit.

But despite the offensive complications, they still managed to find all the right ways to put base-runners on and scratch them across the plate.

That would be enough to suffice for Miles’ State record-tying 806th career victory, as Genesee Valley/Belfast used the special teams combination of aggressive base-running and a handful of walks handed out by the visiting Wildcats to supply a bounty of runs in the first two innings of play, all before the bats flared up down the stretch to help put a ribbon on what was a 12-0 home shutout for a 4-0 start to their campaign entering their Spring Break trip to New York City.

Aside from just one hit that was scavenged across the first two innings of play, the Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-0) special teams kicked into gear quickly by loading the bags twice with one out against the Wildcats, as they abraded a trio of runs across to break the ice in the bottom of the first.

After another quick frame was supplied by Ben Cater on the mound for the hosts to keep Jasper-Troupsburg frozen, Genesee Valley/Belfast continued to capitalize on their base-running, plating two before Ryan Daciw delivered the team’s first hit on a double into left center field.

Daciw scored moments later on a passed ball to the backstop to help finish off a four-run frame and a 7-0 lead over the Wildcats.

Genesee Valley/Belfast kept the gas pedal straight down to the floor to close the game out, as the bats came together for five more runs off five big knocks — three of them being doubles, one each from Daciw, Cater and Ethan Davenport.

Derek Calanni and Ty Hutchison each had a hit to finish off a six-hit display at the plate for the hosts.

On the mound, Cater scored the win, as he combined with Mason Thomas on a no-hit performance against Jasper-Troupsburg, striking out seven and walking three. Thomas supplied three strikeouts of his own in his fifth inning tenure of relief.

Up next on Monday, Miles will now look to become New York State’s all-time winningest coach when Genesee Valley/Belfast travels to Heritage Field at Macombs Dam Park right across the street from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, as they face Eldred in a 12:30 p.m. first pitch.

Jasper-Troupsburg 000 00 — 0 0 3

Genesee Valley/Belfast 341 4X — 12 6 2

J-T – Trajan Terry (LP) (5K, 7BB), Rylan Rice (4) (2BB) and Rice, Terry (4).

GVB – Ben Cater (WP) (7K, 3BB), Mason Thomas (5) (3K) and Donivan Fields.