Hall of Fame
Steve LaVallee was a dynamic pitcher, feared hitter, dedicated student-athlete and his resume proves that he had the makings of a big league ball player.
Following a successful high school career at Catholic Central in Troy, N.Y., LaVallee joined Utica College's baseball team in 1984. Over the course of the next four years, alongside Head Coach Jim Spartano, LaVallee guided the Division I Pioneers to 66 victories and two ECAC Upstate Conference Championships.
He began his Hall of Fame career by tossing a no-hitter in game one of a Sunday double header against a strong LeMoyne squad and he never looked back. In his first season with the Pioneers' he was named the team's Most Valuable Player after posting a 4-3 overall record on the mound and a 2.70 earned run average.
In his sophomore campaign he batted .376 with a career-high ten home runs and 32 RBIs as he led the Pioneers to an ECAC Upstate Conference Championship and a chance to play in the ECAC Regional Tournament in Orono, Maine.
He ended his career just as he began it – on top. In 1987 he finished his senior season ranked in the top 20 in all of NCAA Division I baseball after posting a .426 batting average (43-for-101). He ripped a team-best eight homeruns, had 11 doubles and went 2-0 on the mound with a 3.00 ERA. As a team, UC finished the year ranked eighth in the country with a team batting average of .351. The Pioneers won a school-record 18 consecutive games and also won their second ECAC Upstate Conference Championship in three years. For his efforts, LaVallee was named the Conference's Player of the Year. The Pioneers finished the season with a school-record 25-7 overall ledger, and advanced to the ECAC Regional Tournament in New Britian, Connecticut.Â
LaVallee, who was a three-time ECAC All-Star (1985, 1986 and 1987), graduated from Utica College with a degree in business administration. Upon graduation he joined the New York State Police Department, where he still works to this day. He currently resides in Schenectady, NY with his wife Debbie, two sons Nick and Jake, and daughter Jessica.
