MOUNT VERNON – Mount Vernon baseball coach Doug Savage left an indelible mark in his 21 years at the Jackets’ helm.
On Saturday, Apr. 3, former players, assistant coaches, family and fans gathered together at the Mount Vernon baseball field to honor their beloved coach and retire his No. 1.
With 380 wins as coach from 1989–2010, Savage — who has been a part of Mount Vernon High School since 1975 — touched many lives. Many came back on Saturday to say “thank you.”
“He set the standard for what it means to be a Mount Vernon baseball player,” current coach Nate Hunt said. “I tell my guys, no matter what, when you leave the ball field, you’re still a Mount Vernon baseball player. That standard was set by Coach Savage.”
When it was his turn to step up to the podium, Josh White, who was a shortstop and pitcher from 1992 to 1995, conveyed what other former teammates had to say about Savage.
“Words like passion, spirit, accountability, consistency, a meticulous attention to detail, confidence and toughness were common threads in the feedback I received,” White said.
Savage’s philosophy was pretty simple. Whether he was on offense or defense, there was rarely a dull moment.
“It was fun and I really, really wanted to keep the game alive,” he told the pregame crowd. “We were fast-moving. We were first-pitch swinging and my pitchers... I really didn’t teach them to nibble at the corners and do all that stuff. I taught my pitchers to attack and get them out as fast as we can.”
More than turning out great ball players, Savage’s goal was always to turn out great human beings. On Saturday, he had a chance to view his handiwork.
“To see all the guys again, that’s really what it was all about,” Savage said. “We worked hard on fundamentals and got all the guys fundamentally sound and confident. We made a lot of memories. It’s fun to tell the stories and to just see everybody again and how they have progressed with their families and their boys and their girls. A lot of them coach and they keep the game alive.”
Levi Curry, a pitcher who went 22-4 for the Jackets from 2001–04, credited Savage for his ability to get the most out of his entire roster.
“I think it’s great,” Curry said. “There is no one more deserving. He motivated his players all the time. He made below-average teams play above-average. He brought the full potential out of his teams. He motivated the entire team; and as a pitcher, when you’ve got your defense behind you very motivated to win, that helps.”
The ceremony for Savage was supposed to be held last season, but there was no 2020 season due to COVID-19.
“I’m just overjoyed for an event that is long overdue,” White said after the pregame ceremony. “He’s one of the greatest men that I’ve ever met.”
Savage also coached boys and girls basketball at Mount Vernon over the years. He recently resigned as girls basketball coach following an eight-season stint.
The Jackets (3-1) split a pair of games on Saturday, defeating visiting Ridgewood in the opener, 8-2. The Jackets dropped the nightcap to visiting Granville 8-4.
Dayne Burgess had three hits, two RBIs and scored a run; and Caden Rowland allowed two earned runs over five innings to lead Mount Vernon over Ridgewood.
A six-run fourth inning did in the Jackets against Granville. Owynn Gleason and Jimmy Shuman each had two hits and an RBI, with Shuman taking the loss on the mound.
Mount Vernon followed up with a 10-2 win at Newark in non-league play on Monday, April 5.
Marcus Bradley had two hits and drove in two runs, and Trenton Kane-Sapp tossed four scoreless innings of three-hit ball to notch the win for the Jackets.
