MORRISONVILLE – Four former Clinton County American Legion baseball standouts – Les Fessette, Paul LaRock, Tracy Rotz and John Munson, and former coach Rob Knowles, have been selected for induction into the Clinton County Mariners Hall of Fame later this summer.
Tracy Rotz
- Two-year member of Post 20, 1984-85
- Team captured District IV title in 1985
- Pitcher of the Year, 1984
- Most Dedicated Player, 1985
- Standout at Peru Central School, 1983-85
- 1984 CVAC Honorable Mention, 7-3 2 saves
- 1985 2nd Team All-CVAC, 7-1 with 2 saves
- Peru won Section VII Class B titles in 1983 & 1985
- Recorded a 15-4 record with 4 saves at Peru.
Paul LaRock
- Two-season member of Post 20, 1982-1983
- Most Outstanding Pitcher in 1983
- Standout at Beekmantown Central, 1981-83
- Beekmantown captured Section VII Class C title,1983
- Struck out 26 batters in 10 innings to beat Saranac
- 1981 Honorable Mention
- 1982 2nd Team All-CVAC: 6-2, 1.04 era, 75 strikeouts
- 1983 CVAC Most Valuable Player: 5-3, 1.33 era, 105 strikeouts in 54 innings; 1st Team P, 2nd Team 1B, hitting .394.
- Finished career at Beekmantown with 17 wins
- Played at St. Lawrence University, 1984-85, 87-88
- Earned All-Conference at SLU, 1987 & 1988
John Munson
- Two-season member of Post 20, 1985-1986
- Team captured District IV title in 1985
- Most Outstanding Pitcher in 1985
- Standout at Beekmantown Central
- Honorable Mention All-CVAC in 1984 & 1985
Les Fessette
- Member of the E.S. Mason team that represented Plattsburgh, the Clinton County Champion, in 1948 American Legion play
- Standout 3-sport athlete at Mount Assumption
- Signed with Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950
- In 1951 with Hornell (PONY) went 4-5 with a 4.85 era
- Was inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. Was seriously wounded.
- In 1954, he went 22-8 for Asheville
- In 1955, he went 8-8 in Elmira
- Began 1956 in Topeka went 2-1 and then retired.
Rob Knowles
- Coach of the Clinton County Mariners (1999-2005)
- Captured District IV Titles (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004)
- Compiled a 195-85-2 record
Current members of the Clinton County Mariners Hall of Fame
2012 – Harry Demary, Robert Garrow, Gary Butler
2013 – Joe Staves, Bill Durnin, Tim O’Connell, Mike St. Louis, Pip LaFountain
2014 – Tim McDonough, Jim Shutts, Wally Vanderhoff, Larry Carpenter, Randy Senecal
2015 – John Flynn, Mike Flynn, John Hart, John Rock, Mike Rock, Gerald Burdo
2016 – Jeff Doorey, John Ireland, Paul O’Connell, Dick Denny, Dale Meron
2017 – Jack Daly, Chris King, Stephen Peryea
2018 – John Zerrahn, Peter Proctor, Matt Sames, Tom Neale.
2019 – Jason Miller, Doug Kimbler, Rob Calkins, Todd Wilkinson, Gus Terry, 1969 Team
2021 – Russ Keller, Mark Boule, Neil Stevens, Brian Mehan, Kris Doorey, Bob Way
2022 – Peter Ewald, Chris Pageau, Warren Horner, Scott Baker, Todd LaValley, John Burke, Ron Poland
The ceremony will be held at the West Plattsburgh American Legion during the last week of July. Follow the Clinton County Mariners on Facebook or visit www.leaguelineup.com/ccmariners for more information.
These friendly folks will serve you pancakes, bacon, and homefries until noon at the Peru Community Church Fellowship Center. They also have a silent auction with several great items to bid on. If you’re looking for a good meal in eat-in or take-home, this is the place to be Saturday Morning, April 29, 2023.
