Saratoga Central Catholic's Luke Dejnozka commits to Binghamton baseball

In the two biggest pitching performances of his varsity career, Luke Dejnozka did not begin the game on the mound for the Saratoga Central Catholic baseball team.

But the lefty standout ultimately finished those contests, each a Class C state semifinal game that saw Dejnozka collect a victory in relief while competing in Binghamton.

Now, before beginning his senior year at SCC, Dejnozka knows he will return to Binghamton as a college pitcher, as he has provided head coach Tim Sinicki his verbal commitment to compete for the Bearcats of the America East Conference.

"They went to both of the semifinal games this year and last year. They had me out for a visit and I fell in love with it right away," said Dejnozka, who has won back-to-back state championships with the Saints.

Dejnozka narrowed his choices down to three, ultimately selecting Binghamton over Army and Siena. He plans to major in business.

"It is nice to have things figured out on the early side," Dejnozka said. "I can spend my senior year focusing on my three sports with football, basketball and baseball."

During the spring, Dejnozka served on a pitching staff that featured Division I commits Pierce Byrne (Siena) and Carson Moser (Duke). Dejnozka earned Times Union first-team plaudits in 2026 after a season where his last pitching performance came in a 5-3 verdict over Tuckahoe. He finished up with a 4-0 record and a 1.32 earned run average over 13 appearances, striking out 51 over 42 1/3 innings. He also batted .483 with 13 RBIs.

"This is awesome. Since I played in Little League, it has been my dream to play college baseball at the highest level," Dejnozka said. 

"For two years, he has played a key role in our two state championships," SCC coach Phonsey Lambert said. "Everybody knows about Pierce and Carson, but he kind of went under of the radar until he enters the game where he was ‘Cool Hand Luke,' and shuts everybody down. I am proud of him. He's a very hard worker and a three-sport athlete."

As a sophomore, Dejnozka collected the save in the Section 2 final when the Saints beat Granville. He worked three innings in the 2025 state semifinals, earning the win in relief as SCC defeated Burke Catholic 5-2.

In this year's state semifinal, Dejnozka moved in from left field to take the mound following a three-hour rain delay vs. Tuckahoe.

When the Saints take the baseball field in 2027, they will be doing so at the Class B level.

"We have a great program at Spa Catholic. We're going to be a younger squad this year, so I am looking forward to seeing what we can do," Dejnozka said.

"He is going to fill in a different role this coming year," Lambert said. "The past two years, I have been pairing him with Carson (Moser) in games. Having those two guys, it was a dynamic duo. Next season, he will be the ace and we'll be relying on him big time."

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