Seaford baseball duo are college bound

Two senior members of Seaford High School’s varsity baseball team, who played together since they were 6 years old and have supported each other ever since, will lend their talents to top-tier higher learning institutions next year. Lucas Hall will join the Columbia University Lions, a Division I team, and Jake Doyle will play for the Vassar College Brewers.

Hall, a pitcher, and Doyle, a catcher, both “caught the eye of coaches as freshmen, became varsity starters and are now dominant players as seniors,” said coach Michael Milano. “I don’t think there’s a coach around that wouldn’t be fulfilled that they are going to schools like Columbia and Vassar. They are leaders, captains and they make other players better. I’m not only their coach, I’m their fan.”

Both players were named All-County athletes in 2014. Hall was All-League in 2012 and in 2014 was a finalist for the Doug Robins Sr. Diamond Award for the county’s top pitcher. Doyle was All-Conference in 2012 and 2013, and in 2014 was also a finalist for the Ryan T. Caufield Award for the county’s top catcher.

Hall has used his athlete skills as a two-season athlete, playing varsity basketball his sophomore and junior year, on travel baseball teams with his teammate, Doyle, and as a pitching coach and camp counselor. His proudest moment in baseball, he said, was helping the team compete in the playoffs the past three years. Two out of those three years, the team made it to the Class A County Semifinals.

Doyle, who has captained the team since his sophomore year, is among the Class of 2015’s top 25 academically ranked students and a member of National Honor Society. He is a three-season athlete who has played varsity soccer all four years of high school and was captain in grades 10-12. He is also captain of the varsity basketball team. His proudest memory: catching for Lucas’ no-hitter in the spring of junior year. According to Milano, Doyle is following in the footsteps of standout Seaford shortstop Mike Perrone, class of 2009, who holds a few Vassar records including hits in a career.

“The fact that Luke is a pitcher and Jake is a catcher has been a dynamic team for the baseball program,” said Athletic Director Tom Condon. “Both are great examples of what student athletes can attain. The schools they are going to are world-class institutions and many of the qualities they display in athletics will open the doors for their future and basically guarantee their success in college.”