Join us Sunday, June 11 for the 26th Annual Notre Dame Foundation Golf, Tennis, and Bocce Tournament. The event is hosted by Terry Hills Golf Course for Golf and Bocce and Batavia High School for tennis.
The event features:
Four-Person Golf Scramble
Bocce and Tennis Competition
Beverages served throughout the day
Cash Bar and Dinner following completion of the tournament
Registration for Golf begins at 11:30 a.m. Registration for Tennis and Bocce begins at Noon. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m. (included with your registration).
This year the event is being held in honor of Bradley F. Rogers. Mr. Rogers was a devoted Notre Dame supporter, Notre Dame JV and Varsity Basketball coach as well as a Batavia High School track and golf coach.
He will be remembered as a respected educator with a passion for sports and an overwhelming love for his family. We at Notre Dame take great pleasure in honoring him this year for the legacy he leaves behind.
Join us in supporting Notre Dame High School for a fun day of golf, tennis, bocce, prizes, food, and drinks. We hope to see you there!
Blowouts are rare in title games, but that's what the Notre Dame Fighting Irish did on Tuesday in a game between two Class C champions to see who will represent Section V in the Far West Regional Championship.
The Irish, who won the Class C1 crown, beat the C2 champs 17-4.
The game was played in Canandaigua.
Notre Dame scored eight runs in the first inning.
Jaden Sherwood notched the win, allowing just three hits and four runs over five innings while fanning nine. Ryan Fitzpatrick came on in relief for the final two innings and recorded all six outs by Ks.
The offense banged out 13 hits, with Sherwood, Jordan Welker, Bryceton Berry, and Chase Antinore all getting multiple hits. Sherwood went 3-5. Jay Antinore had three stolen bases.
Saturday was quite the sports day for Notre Dame High School with both the baseball and softball teams winning championships.
When the teams returned to Batavia, they were met in the Eastown parking lot by Batavia PD patrols and a City Fire truck and given a championship escort through Downtown.
The Notre Dame GIrls Softball team captured the Section V Class D1 title in Fillmore on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over Lyndonville. Photo by Keira Stehlar Keira Stehlar
Submitted game story:
Notre Dame used a balanced offensive attack, flawless defense and, as always, solid pitching to pull out the 5-2 win in the Class D1 Sectional finals over Lyndonville on Saturday afternoon in Fillmore.
Notre Dame scored runs in the second, third, five, sixth and seventh innings and stopped a late rally by Lyndonville in which the Lady Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Starter Loretta Sorochty fanned the last two Tigers to preserve the win. She was named MVP of the tournament.
Sorochty pitched a complete game for the Lady Irish, going seven innings, giving up five hits, two runs and had 11 strikeouts.
Lyndonville pitcher Shaffer gave up 11 hits, five runs and had six strikeouts.
Leading the way offensively for ND were Sorochty, Mia Treleaven, Sonji Warner and Anna Panepento, who each had two hits. Sorochty had a double, single, a run scored and an RBI. Treleaven had two singles and an RBI. Warner had two singles, and Panepento had two singles and an RBI. Katie Landers added a base hit, scored a run and was hit by a pitch twice. Cayleigh Havens had a base hit, and Kaydence Stehlar had a hit and a run scored.
Notre Dame now moves on to face the D2 champion Tuesday night in Fillmore.
"I couldn't be more proud of these ladies," said Coach Otis Thomas. "Between the fall league at MCC, the winter workouts and all the practices we had this spring, it is nice to see their hard work pay off. This a special group that plays for each other and I hope we can keep this momentum going a little longer and see how far we can go."
Bryceton Berry threw a gem on Saturday for the Notre Dame allowing no runs helping the Fighting Irish beat the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines 3-0
Berry struck out 15, walked four, and scattered five hits over seven innings.
The Notre Dame defense behind Berry did not commit a single error.
Landon Barkley took the loss for the Bolivar Richburg Wolverines. The hurler allowed five hits and three runs over three and a third innings, striking out three.
In a scoreless game in the bottom of the third, Jimmy Fanara, the leadoff hitter for the inning, was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a Jay Antinore single and then to third when Berry grounded into a fielder's choice. Ryan Fitzpatrick grounded out to third, scoring Fanara for the game's first run. Jaden Sherwood would follow with an RBI double.
The Irish scored again in the fourth. Jordan Welker reached on a fielder's choice, and proceed to steal second and third. On his steal of third, the catcher's throw went wide of the base allowing Welker to score the game's third and final run.
Notre Dame Batavia will now face C1 champion Sodus on Tuesday, May 30, at Canandaigua Academy High School at 5 p.m. for the right to represent Section V in the far west regional against Gownada next Saturday.
Notre Dame, the #4 seed in Class D, jumped on top-seeded Keshequa early, scoring two runs in the first and two runs in the third inning and then held on for the 7-4 victory in the Girls Softball Section V semifinals.
Keshequa threatened with three runs in the 6th inning, aided by two Irish errors, but back-to-back strong plays by shortstop Katie Landers (6-3 each time) ended the Keshequa rally.
Loretta Sorochty pitched the complete game for the Lady Irish, going seven innings, giving up six hits, four runs (1 earned) and striking out six batters. Sorochty helped her own cause with 4 fielding putouts during the game.
Keshequa pitcher Aurora Sabins pitched a complete game, 7 innings, giving up 10 hits, 7 runs (4 earned) and struck out 11 batters.
Offensively for Notre Dame, four different batter had two hits each: Sorochty, Landers, Mia Treleaven and Emma Sisson.
Sorochty helped her pitching effort with a sixth-inning solo shot over the left field fence, along with a single, two runs scored, and one RBI. Landers had a double, single, one run scored and one RBI, Treleaven had a double, single and two runs scored, while Sisson had two singles. Kaydence Stehlar had a single, one run scored, and one RBI and Sonji Warner had a double and RBI
"The ladies are really playing as a team right now, and it is great to watch," said Coath Otis Thomas. "I told them the job wasn't finished tonight, we have one more game to get. We will enjoy this tonight but be back to work tomorrow to prepare for the finals on Saturday."
The Irish will play for the Class C Section V block at Filmore High School on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Lyndonville.
Notre Dame scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a dramatic come-from-behind win in their sectional playoff game against Alfre-Almond on Tuesday at GCC.
Loretta Sorochty tossed a three-hitter, allowing two runs (no earned runs) and striking out 14.
She whiffed the side in the seventh to preserve the lead and secure the win for the Irish.
Katie Landers led the way for Notre Dame on offense with two base hits up the middle. She scored the go-ahead run and drove in the game-tying run in the 6th inning.
Mia Treleaven accounted for the other ND base hit.
Sorochty scored the first run in the 6th inning after drawing a walk. When Alfred's defense misplayed a bunt attempt by Cayleigh Havens, Sorochty was able to streak from first base to home. Katie Landers drove a ball up the middle for a base hit, plating Havens, and then she advanced to second on an error by left fielder. Following an Anna Panepento walk, the bases were loaded. Landers scored on a wild pitch.
"I can't say enough about the fight in these ladies to come back like they did in the sixth inning and pull out the win tonight," said Head Coach Otis Thomas. " Hopefully, we can build on this game and play tough Thursday night."
The Irish, the #4 seed in Class D, play the #1 see Keshequa on Thursday.
Also scheduled for Thursday:
In Class C: #4 Oakfield-Alabama vs. #8 Addison
In Class C: #4 Byron-Bergen vs. #1 Bolivar-Richburg
In Class B: #2 Batavia vs. #3 Midlakes at Batavia HS, game time is 5 p.m.
Aaron Treleaven has signed to compete in track and football at Hartwick College in Oneonta next year, while majoring in physics.
He is believed to be the first Notre Dame male athlete to sign for two college level sports.
Aaron has been an outstanding member of our Irish track teams from 2019 thru 2022 winning the B4 sectional championship in the discus in 2021 while earning Genesee Region All-Star recognitions.
He was also a standout swimmer for 6 years at ND where he earned multiple GR All-Star recognitions, won sectional titles and qualified for state competition.
Aaron is an exceptional student who was recently named Co-Salutatorian for the Class of 2023 by posting a GPA that placed him tied for 2nd in his class.
The Notre Dame Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Mrs. Lindsay Warner has been named Assistant Principal, effective July 1. James Sutherland, Board of Trustees president, said, “We are very excited to welcome back a member of our own ND Family to such an important leadership position. Lindsay brings a passion for education and a real love of Notre Dame. We are confident that her return brings continuity and respect to our traditions and values.”
Mrs. Warner brings a vast array of talents and skills, having been in education and leadership for many years. Her intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and intentional, values-driven leadership style are a strong match for Notre Dame. She believes in student-centered education and has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the potential of every student. Lindsay is a 2001 graduate of Notre Dame and previously served as a varsity coach and faculty member.
She was the founder of ND’s award-winning business program and was notably awarded the New York State Business Teachers Association’s outstanding new business teacher in 2015. For the last 6 years, Lindsay has served in and out of the classroom at the WNY Tech Academy as a teacher, work-based learning coordinator, program promoter, recruiter, and social media coordinator/developer.
When asked about this opportunity, Lindsay said, "I am grateful to have a place on the leadership team at Notre Dame. Mrs. Lindner and I share common goals: to positively impact the culture of Notre Dame, model an authentic love for learning, and tirelessly promote the value of an education rooted in faith. It is an honor and privilege to be here, and I am looking forward to earning the trust and respect of this school community!"
Please join the Board of Trustees, staff, and faculty of Notre Dame in welcoming Mrs. Lindsay Warner back to her alma mater and to her new position.
Even when I was a little kid I was interested in sports. As early as 5 or 6 years old I was keeping a scrapbook of players from Notre Dame University football. In a previous story, I detailed my dream of someday playing quarterback for the Fighting Irish, but that blew up very quickly, along with my football “career” the first week of freshman year at Notre Dame High School (The Extremely Brief Football Career of a Batavia Boy 12/29/2018).
The memory is a strange thing, but I distinctly recall watching the Cotton Bowl football game in 1954 when I was 7 years old. It stands out because in the game a player from Rice University was running for a touchdown when an opponent from Alabama who was sitting on the bench ran on the field and tackled him.
In October 1956, when I was 9, I remember watching the entire baseball game (in black and white, of course) when Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitched a perfect game in the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers ( I was rooting for the Dodgers though).
In October 1957, my favorite baseball team, the Milwaukee Braves, won the World Series beating the Yankees in seven games. Weekday games back then were in the afternoon (men would go to the games wearing suits!), and unbelievably and forever endearingly, my mom let me stay home “sick” from school one day to watch. I got bragging rights over my friend Charlie who was a Yankees fan, and I now have a pretty impressive collection of '57 Braves memorabilia, including signed balls from the team's four Hall of Famers – Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn, Eddie Matthews, and Red Schoendienst.
In November 1957, I delighted in viewing Notre Dame University, which was a 19-point underdog, end Oklahoma's 47-game winning football streak by upsetting the Sooners 7-0.
I mention these sports events not to brag about my memory (somehow, my brain has blocked out my entire year of kindergarten at Washington School), but to illustrate how focused I could be on athletics at my very young age.
Neighborhood Games
As far as playing sports, that was limited to the neighborhood and parks with my friends. There were no Pop Warner or Vince Lombardi youth football leagues then. (Lombardi was not even a head coach until 1959.) I did have my own helmet, though ( A Batavia Boy's Favorite Childhood Possession Was His Red Football Helmet 10/7/2018).
Sliding, Dave Reilly, tagging out, brother Dan Reilly, and making the safe sign, Charlie Mancuso.
Pretty much the only organized sport with leagues for young kids then was Little League Baseball. But, I was too shy and lacked the confidence to sign up and/or try out. My friends and I would sometimes play at the Little League field on State Street by MacArthur (now Dwyer) Stadium. But, we would play there on the weekday afternoons when no one was around. In the evenings and on weekends, the teams with the uniforms and coaches would take over.
I can't recall anyone in my neighborhoods (first Thomas and Ellicott Avenues, then North Spruce Street) having a basketball hoop in their driveway where we could play that sport. We had a gym at St. Mary's School, but I don't remember the school being in a CYO league or if they were, once again, I was too shy to join.
The first time I even played basketball was in 7th or 8th grade in St. Mary's School gym class. A classmate, Mike Woodward (whose family owned and still runs the Alabama Hotel Restaurant), encouraged me by saying, “ Reilly! You're the tallest kid in the class! You gotta play.” He even took me aside and showed me how to make a layup. But as I got toward high school, I had played very little.
Heading To High School
My freshman year at Notre Dame, I was too crushed by my football debacle to even think of trying any other sport. It was all I could handle just to try to get through algebra and Latin. Veni ,Vidi, Deficere.
As sophomore year became imminent, some of my friends decided to join the cross-country team. Even though I had never done any distance running, this choice seemed feasible to me because I could be with my buddies, everybody automatically made the team, and you wouldn't get your brains beat in.
I really don't remember anything about that season as far as meets, or team record goes. I did discover that I was only a fair runner and never finished in the top 5 to get points, but I enjoyed the exercise and camaraderie of being on a team.
Some of us had to learn the hard way, though, that cross-country running took dedication and commitment. When we first started, our practice route was to jog from the athletic field down Union Street to Oak and then go around the Veterans Hospital Grounds by way of Park Road to Richmond Avenue and back to school. Being high school kids and thinking we were smarter than the coach, some of us would cut through an Oak Street back yard, climb the hospital fence, wait in the woods a while to equal the time, and then cut through to Richmond and finish.
It only took the coach a few days to figure out that we were coming back not out of breath and hardly sweating, so something was amiss. After many extra laps around the field in his plain sight, we learned our lesson, as always - the hard way. Fortunately, the more devoted and capable members of the team had not gone along with our deception anyway.
Harrier History
I continued as a cross-country team member through my junior and senior years and earned a school letter in both years. Starting in 11th grade, we had a new coach, Pete Corbelli, whose day job was being a U. S. mail carrier, and what he delivered and put his stamp on the team was a mix of seriousness combined with fun. Our practices switched to the State (now Centennial) Park, which was about half a mile east on Richmond Avenue. This had three advantages: it was a good warm-up exercise to jog there and back to start and end practice, it had hilly terrain more similar to where our meets would take place, and we were mostly in view of the coach, so there would be no shenanigans.
Our local meets were run at Terry Hills Golf Course on Clinton Street Road. Most of our away races took place at Delaware Park in downtown Buffalo. Back then, Notre Dame, being part of the Diocese of Buffalo, participated mostly in leagues with teams located in Buffalo or to its west. Some of our opponents were St. Mary's of Lancaster, Our Lady of Victory, St. Francis of Athol Springs, Father Baker, Cardinal Mindszenty of Dunkirk, and Saint Mary's School for the Deaf in Buffalo.
We had a good team in my junior and senior years, with some of my classmates earning most of our meet points. Dan Martin, Mike Palloni and Jim Heatherman were the stalwarts, with Ron Hermance and Mike's younger brother John pitching in too. In junior year, our record was 5-3, and we finished fifth out of 13 schools in the All-Catholic meet. Senior year our team went 5-2 and ranked sixth among 18 in the year-ending championships. I say “our,” realizing that my contribution was more of being a good team member and providing laughs on the bus and at practice more than actually earning any points. Coach Pete's assessment of my running skills was, “Reilly, you run like a horse!” and he didn't mean a thoroughbred. More like a Clydesdale pulling a beer wagon.
(To Be Continued: in a future edition, I will detail my high school forays into basketball and track or “Getting Splinters and Eating Cinders.”)
In the Mudville Softball Tournment on Saturday, Notre Dame posted a pair of wins.
The Irish beat Section II's Voorheesville 5-4 and Section VI's Saranac 6-1.
In the first game, the Irish had to come back in the bottom of the 7th to pull out the victory, with Emma Sisson driving in the winning run with a fly ball to left field that was mishandled. Mia Treleaven scored the winning run. A 1-2-3 double play by the Irish to end the second inning was huge as bases were loaded.
Treleaven got the start on the mound for ND, but after a couple of walks, a hit and an error caused ND to drop behind 3-0 with only 1 out, Coach Otis Thomas made the pitching change and put in Junior pitcher Loretta Sorochty. Sorochty pitched 6 and 2/3 innings giving up 4 hits, 1 run and striking out 13.
Offensively the lady Irish had 9 hits, with Katie Landers, Sonji Warner and Mia Treleaven accounting for all 9. Landers led the way with 4 singles, 3 runs scored and an RBI, Warner had 3 singles, and 3 RBIs, and Treleaven had a double, single, walk and scored a run.
In the second game, ND cruised to the easier win in the second game of the afternoon, winning 6-1. Sorochty got the start on the mound for the Lady Irish and had another dominating performance, pitching a 2-hitter, allowing 1 run and striking out 13.
Offensively the Irish had 9 hits in the game with Kaydence Stehlar and Emma Sisson leading the way with 2 hits each. Stehlar had 2 singles, 2 runs scored and 1 RBI, while Sisson had 2 singles and a run scored. Chipping in with a hit apiece were Sorochty, Landers, Treleaven, Cayleigh Havens and Amelia Sorochty.
Coaches Quote, "I'm super proud of the way the ladies battled back against Voorheesville and then responded by not having a let down in the next game. The team is really gelling right now and we hope to keep things rolling into this week with three big regular season games left." ND Head Coach Otis Thomas
Notre Dame beat Lyndonville 9-6 in Girls Softball on Thursday in a game played at GCC.
The Irish collected 14 hits, but coach Otis Thomas said pitching and defense were key.
Loretta Sorochty went the distance, pitching seven innings, giving up six hits, six runs (three earned) and striking out eight batters.
Offensively, for Notre Dame, Katie Landers and Sorchty each had three hits to pace the offense. Landers finished with two doubles, a single, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI, while Sorochty had three singles and two runs scored.
Mia Treleaven, Kaydence Stehlar and Anna Panepento each had two hits for the Lady Irish.
"This is a big win for us, and I am proud of the effort given by the ladies this evening," Thomas said. "It got a little shaky in the seventh giving up the 4 runs, but we settled down and got that last out. As big as this one was, we need to put it behind us and continue our run to Sectionals."
The Board of Trustees of Notre Dame High School is pleased to announce that Mrs. Melissa Lindner has been named the new principal of Notre Dame High School of Batavia, effective July 1, 2023.
President of the Board James Sutherland made the announcement, saying, “We are excited to welcome Melissa to our Notre Dame family. Her experience in private education is extensive. She comes to ND from Saints Peter and Paul School in Williamsville, NY, where she served as principal for the last four years. Melissa has a strong history as a school leader, teacher and coach. Her impressive background in coaching includes both primary and high school level experiences, where she oversaw the Athletic Director and coaching staff, but most notably, she has coached at the collegiate level as well.”
Mrs. Lindner brings a wealth of experience and commitment to Catholic education. She has a passion for STREAM, (integration of Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Math) and was a featured presenter at the National Catholic Education Conference on the subject in 2022. Melissa is looking forward to inspiring faculty to have an active focus within STREAM education and to be an instructional leader who will work collaboratively with staff and parents to provide a positive impact on teaching and learning.
“It is an honor to be coming to an established preparatory school environment whose excellence is always at the forefront. As a dedicated Catholic School teacher, coach and administrator, I look forward to empowering the school community to continue to grow in all aspects while keeping the strong traditions of Notre Dame always in perspective”, Lindner said.
She would like to thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence in appointing her, commenting, “as soon as I walked through the doors of the school, I felt like part of the ND family.”
“For over 70 years, ND has left an indelible impression on our local community, as her sons and daughters have gone on to impact communities throughout our nation and our world”, states Sutherland. “We are proud to see a new era of leadership as Melissa Lindner brings both impressive experience as well as a strong background as a Catholic School educator.”
Please join the Board, staff and faculty of Notre Dame in welcoming Mrs. Melissa Lindner to her new position.
There's one team left in Section V that is undefeated in the 2023 baseball season. That team is Notre Dame, at 9-0.
While the Irish offensive has piled up runs, the pitching has been phenomenal, with no earned runs allowed all season. Overall, only five opposing runners have scored against Notre Dame over 54 innings of play. The pitchers have fanned 111 batters.
On Saturday, Bryceton Berry threw a perfect game to pick up his fourth win of the season.
In the past three games, the Irish pitchers have tossed a no-hitter and a one-hitter.
Saturday's win came over Alexander, 8-0.
The Fighting Irish picked up wins on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, the team beat Geneseo 11-1.
Jaden Sherwood tossed a complete-game one-hitter, notching 12 Ks and allowing one walk.
For the second time in his career, on Tuesday, Notre Dame's Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed a no-hitter, striking out nine over five innings.
The Fighting Irish beat Attica 10-0.
It was the fourth straight shutout for Notre Dame, and the Irish pitchers are working on a string of 25 consecutive scoreless innings. The staff has surrendered only one run over 35 innings, and that one run was unearned.
Jordan Welker had two RBIs, a double and also scored three runs. Chase Cummings had two RBIs on a single. Hayden Groff was 2-2 with a single and a double, and 3 runs scored. Jimmy Fanara was 2-3 with a double and a triple.
Top photo: Submitted. Photos below by Pete Welker.
Notre Dame's Amelia McCulley made first-team All-Greater Rochester for the 2022-23 basketball season.
McCulley, a senior, will be attending Hobart/William Smith in the fall.
The only other player from the GLOW region to make the AGR first team is Kylie Buckley, from Livonia, who will be attending Niagara in the fall.
In her senior season at Notre Dame, McCulley led Section V Girls Basketball with 88 three-point shots, which is the second most all-time in the section. She was fourth in points per game with 24.4 and fifth in steals with 104.
In her career at Notre Dame, McCulley scored 1,449 points, which is the second-highest total in school history in Girls Basketball.
Photo from the Ronald McDonald All-Star Game. Photo by Luke Photography.
Notre Dame snagged a come-from-behind victory with a six-run seventh inning to beat Lyndonville on Monday in Girls Softball, 9-8.
Loretta Sorochty, Kaydence Stehlar, Mia Treleaven, and Emma Sisson all had multiple hits in the game. Starting pitcher Mia Treleaven struck out seven batters, and Loretta Sorochty struck out 3 in relief.
