Announcing Chad Salls as 2nd Inductee of Class of 2015
Little Falls, NY–The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs are pleased to announce Chad Salls from Little Falls as the second inductee of the class of 2015’s Mohawk Valley Baseball Hall of Fame.
Chad Salls started his playing career for legendary high school coach Ted Schoff (533 career wins) at Little Falls High School. In high school Chad helped lead his team to Section 3 Championships in 2004 and 2005. He was an All-State player in 2004 and 2005 while also receiving the Mohawk Valley Player of the Year award in 2005.
After graduation from Little Falls High School Chad moved on to Herkimer College to play for former Little Falls graduate Jason Rathbun. Salls was selected his freshman year in college to the All Mountain Valley Conference Team. He hit .381 with 11 doubles, 4 home runs, 33 RBI with 13 stolen bases. Salls also added 33 innings on the mound with a 3-1 record with 1 save and a 3.82 ERA. Salls struck out 37 batters over those 33 innings pitched. He was a key piece in the first baseball team to ever reach the World Series with a regional championship for Herkimer
During his sophomore year Chad was selected to the First Team All-Region team and was also selected to the All Mountain Valley Conference Team for a second time. Chad hit .388 with 9 doubles and 4 home runs during his sophomore season. He also started the year in the rotation but settled into the important role as closer during another run to a second World Series appearance. He threw 37 innings with 39 strikeouts, a 4-0 record with 5 saves and carried a 2.17 ERA. Salls played through a very serious hamstring injury during his last season but was always on the mound during the important moments of the game to seal important victories down the stretch. Head Coach Jason Rathbun stated that “Chad is the best two player we have ever had. His hitting numbers or his pitching numbers would have been even better if had the chance to focus on one or the other. All I know is that when the game was on the line , I wanted Chad to be in that moment.”
Despite multiple scholarship offers, Chad decided to stay close to home and attend Cazenovia College. Chad went on to lead Cazenovia to two regular season conference titles and finished 2nd in the country in batting average his junior year. Chad was named to All Conference, All Region, and All American during his two years when he hit .522 as a junior and .368 his senior season. Chad added 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 80 RBI’s, and 44 stolen bases during his two seasons at Cazenovia.
The Hall of Fame induction dinner will be held on April 18th at the Travel Lodge in Little Falls (formerly the Knights Inn). The event will include dinner and a Chinese auction and will feature keynote speaker and former Major League Manager Bobby Valentine who managed the NY Mets and the Boston Red Sox. The event’s doors will open on April 18th at 5:30 P.M. for cocktails and autographs with dinner and program following. Tickets cost $35 for adults and $20 for kids 12 and under. For a table of 8 people, the cost is $250.
To purchase a seat or table, please email Travis@mydiamonddawgs.com or contact team owner Travis Heiser at call (315) 985-0692.
Stay tuned as we announce will be announcing more inductees by visiting our website www.mydiamonddawgs.com or by social media on Facebook and Twitter @MVDiamondDawgs.