Opening of Elmira High baseball stadium brings first no-hitter in Express history

Elmira High School's baseball team delivered a triple dose of history Wednesday.

On a wet day that saw Elmira open its new stadium at the high school and pick up its first victory there, senior right-hander Bryce Mashanic pitched the first no-hitter in program history as the Express topped Ithaca, 4-0.

"It's really cool," Mashanic said. "I've wanted to throw one for a while and everything lined up, so feels really good.

"I think our team was really hungry for a win. I know I definitely was, coming off a rough start. Body felt good and me and my catcher (Brady Morrell) were locked in."

Mashanic struck out nine and walked three. Elmira's ace, who will play collegiately at Niagara County Community College , closed his first no-hitter at any level with a strikeout. Elmira's defense played errorless ball.

"There were definitely a lot of nerves," Mashanic said. "I walked a guy that I could have finished off the batter before. I was definitely thinking about it."

Mashanic struggled in his previous start April 9 against Horseheads, surrendering six hits, three walks and five runs in 2 ⅓ innings. He said his fastball, changeup and slider were all "pretty good" Wednesday and the command that produced Express records for strikeouts (122) and ERA (2.39) entering the season was back.

Elmira, coming off the Section 4 Class AA title last season , improved to 4-3 and snapped a three-game skid.

More: Elite All-Stars for 2023-24 winter high school sports season revealed

'Absolutely incredible' to open new field

Elmira's new field is part of an overall sports facilities project that included the rebuilt Thomas J. Hurley Athletic Complex and a new softball field, which is set to open April 29 against Corning. The baseball stadium has been in the planning process for more than four years and digging started about two years ago.

The field was built in the same area as the previous one, which was Southside's home prior to the sports merger with Elmira Free Academy in 2011-12. Elmira's primary home field has been Ernie Davis Academy, with occasional games at the high school until 2018.

"It’s been in the works for a really, really long time it feels like and to have it come to fruition today is absolutely incredible," said Zack Lloyd, the school district's athletic director.

Much of the work has come from the school's staff.

"A lot of the stadium – the dugouts, the bleachers, the press box, a lot of the field work – was all done by our own maintenance guys," he said. "They did an outstanding job. To lay sod in November and be able to play baseball in April is just absolutely insane."

Among highlights are lights that allow for night baseball, a top-notch drainage system for the grass field, and a scoreboard in left field. It will end up with two batting tunnels and bullpens on both sides.

The baseball and softball fields bring all Elmira varsity events to the high school except swimming and diving, which compete at the recently renovated natatorium at Ernie Davis Academy. Being able to get out to practice or a game right after school instead of hopping on a bus to EDA is among the benefits, Lloyd said.

"Everything being brand new for these kids is everything they deserve. They work really hard for the stuff they get, so we're excited to have that stuff here," Lloyd said.

"This specific baseball senior class has been up at the varsity level, almost all of them, since they were freshmen. They had a big sectional win last year and went down to John Jay and lost to Ketcham. They’ve had a lot of high expectations these kids, so to get these kids on this field this year was really important to us."

Count Mashanic among those who appreciate the opportunity.

"It’s super nice," he said of the stadium. "I feel like a lot of work went into the field and we’re really grateful to be able to play there this year."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare . You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com . To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Opening of Elmira High baseball stadium brings first no-hitter in Express history