Baldwinsville baseball alumnus Tom Lilienthal (class of 2001) was recognized on Saturday, May 1, for his induction into the Baldwinsville Baseball Hall of Fame.
Lilienthal, along with Dennis Wellman (class of 2002) and Mark Wilder (class of 1975), is actually part of the Class of 2020 induction class, but because of COVID, last year’s ceremony was rescheduled to this year.
Lilienthal is moving to Kentucky with his family, so a special presentation was arranged prior to the Bees varsity game against West Genesee on Saturday. Another ceremony honoring Wilder and Wellman will take place on Saturday, May 15 at 11:00 am, prior to the Bees’ game against Whitesboro.
Playing on varsity in 2000 and 2001, Lilienthal, a catcher, helped lead the Bees to a 31-10 record during those years.
Wellman and Lilienthal will be forever linked by what happened on May 7, 2001. Lilienthal, a senior, and Wellman, a junior, hit back-to-back home runs TWICE in the third inning in a 17-6 win over Corcoran.
That feat put them in the National High School Sports Record Book, published by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That record still stands today.
After graduation in 2001, Lilienthal went on to play at Siena College for one year and then at Clarkson University for the remaining three years, where he had an accomplished baseball career.
Lilienthal was awarded a plaque at the ceremony on Saturday, surrounded by his family, members of the Baldwinsville Baseball Booster Club Alumni Committee, and the current varsity baseball team.
