Ballston Spa will honor the memory of former athletic director Dave Sunkes on Monday, April 13, when the district hosts the second annual Dave Sunkes Memorial Baseball Game at 4:15 p.m. on the varsity baseball field.
The matchup on the district athletics schedule is Burnt Hills vs. Ballston Spa, giving the community another chance to turn a regular-season game into something more meaningful.
The event carries extra weight because Sunkes was not just a familiar face around Ballston Spa sports.
He spent more than two decades with the district as an administrator and athletic director, and he died in September 2024 at the age of 45.
Since then, his name has remained closely tied to the school’s athletic identity and to the people who knew him through the district’s programs.
Read More: Rosemont freshman Gigi Schiano is breaking barriers in baseball before her pro career even beginsLast spring, Ballston Spa used its varsity baseball game against Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake to honor Sunkes in an emotional pregame ceremony.
That tribute helped turn the annual baseball meeting into a community event as much as a game, and this year’s second memorial contest keeps that recognition going.
Instead of letting the remembrance fade into the background, Ballston Spa is putting it back on the field in front of students, families, and local supporters.
That is what makes this game different from an ordinary April baseball date. The schedule gives it a start time and an opponent, but the bigger meaning comes from what Sunkes represented to the district.
He was widely remembered as a steady presence in Ballston Spa athletics, and the decision to bring the memorial game back for a second year shows how strongly that connection still holds.
For Ballston Spa, the April 13 game is not only about innings, runs, or standings. It is also about remembering a person who helped shape the district’s sports culture for years.
The second annual Dave Sunkes Memorial Baseball Game gives that remembrance a clear place on the calendar and a public moment the community can share together.
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