Ty Van Valkenburg, a senior at Saugerties High School, capped his high school baseball career with a double honor that placed him at the center of local sports headlines. The Freeman Awards recognized him as both the 2026 Baseball Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, underscoring a season that blended dominance on the mound with power at the plate.
A Season of Records
Van Valkenburg finished the year with a 0.91 earned run average and 88 strikeouts, numbers that helped the Sawyers clinch their division and the Mid‑Hudson Athletic League title with a 12‑2 victory over Highland. At the plate he broke the school’s career home run record, launching 10 homers while maintaining a batting average that kept opponents guessing.
His improved velocity and a sharper slider and changeup, honed compared to the previous year, made him a dual‑threat that coaches across the region praised. The final high school game against Our Lady of Lourdes saw him strike out 19 batters before hitting the pitch limit, a performance that left spectators in awe.
College Commitment and Family Ties
Van Valkenburg verbally committed to play Division I baseball at the University of Miami, a program he visited officially, while also working out with the Texas Rangers, whose official website is texasrangers.com. The support system around him includes his parents, Chris Van Valkenburg and Genia Van Valkenburg, and his brother Jace Van Valkenburg, a pitcher at the University of New Haven, whose own website is newhaven.edu.
Though the prospect of entering the MLB Draft looms, he says he is weighing the benefits of a college experience against the chance to turn professional early, a decision that will shape his path in the coming months.