The Niagara Falls Wolverines are turning back the clock, hoping to make their own history.
For their final two home games of the season — Saturday against Williamsville South and May 20 versus Sweet Home — the Wolverines will don throwback uniforms. Complete with knicker pants and stirrup socks, they will resemble those worn by the former Niagara Falls, LaSalle and Trott schools in the 1980s.
It’s the 25th year of the current, merged Niagara Falls High School. So why not celebrate the past?
“We’re going to be dressed out in just what I pretty much wore in 1989 for Niagara Falls High School,” ninth-year coach Rob Augustino said.
“It’s going to be super fun to have all of the old uniforms on and all of the old alumni coming out to support us,” senior captain Anthony Savino said. “We’re all super excited to wear all of the old uniforms and represent.”
The present-day Wolverines are trying to do something the city hasn’t done since the Niagara Falls Power Cats in 1999: win a Section VI baseball championship.
Falls came close a year ago. In the best-of-three Class AAA championship series against Lancaster, the Wolverines won Game 1 before dropping a pair of one-run decisions to the Legends.
“It’s definitely on their mind,” Augustino said.
“I would say it’s pretty much the only goal,” Savino added. “Honestly, I think we’re at the point where if we win the Niagara Frontier League … it’s a nice add-on, but everybody’s goal every practice, every game and all we’ve been thinking about throughout the entire offseason is just to win sectionals and get over the hump.”
Niagara Falls has been surging of late. Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Wolverines were 9-2, tied with Niagara Wheatfield and Lockport atop the NFL at 8-2. They’d outscored opponents 119-16. Last week they had three shutouts in going 4-0, including a 17-0 win over previously unbeaten Lockport and a 7-0 victory over Grand Island in which they avenged a 5-4 loss. Falls’ only other defeat was 1-0 to Niagara Wheatfield, which they will visit Friday.
“It’s been pitching,” Augustino said. “Guys have been able to locate even their offspeed pitches, so it’s just kept everyone at the plate off-balance. And we don’t mind if guys against us put the ball in play because our defense has been really, really good.”
Senior Andre Borges is 3-0 on the mound with a 0.35 ERA.
“He doesn’t throw that hard, but he just locates everything,” Augustino said. “He puts balls in play, and then he has the occasional strikeouts. He’s been an eye-opener to everyone because we have a couple other guys that throw a lot harder than he does.”
The pitching depth includes a pair of All-Western New York first-teamers from 2024, junior Anthony Littere (0.54 ERA in 2 starts) and senior Trevor Meidenbauer (1.75 ERA in 3 starts).
“Trevor is just working his way into everything right now,” Augustino said. “He threw a phenomenal game against Lockport, and he’s coming around. It’s starting to click for him now. And Anthony’s always on-point. It’s just worked out in our schedule where we haven’t had to use them as much as we’ve had because we also have other guys … throwing strikes and keeping hitters off-balance, Matthew Brydges (0.45 ERA in 7 appearances) and Johnathan Touma.”
The Wolverines’ abundance of arms could be especially beneficial down the stretch and if they reach another championship series.
“Our entire bullpen and every single pitcher keeps us in the game the entire time,” Savino said. “I think no matter who we have on the mound, we’re always confident with them. They always keep us in the game, and we’re never really worried about pitching.”
At the plate, junior Nick Ligammari is leading the team with a .484 batting average and five home runs, four of them last week. Littere is hitting .467 in the leadoff spot with a team-best 23 RBIs. Twins Matthew and Andrew Brydges are both hitting over .450.
“We recently went down to Florida for a trip, and I think our team chemistry has just been absolutely amazing,” Savino said. “And when everybody’s having fun and competing, everybody’s confidence is just through the roof.”