To follow-up on the successful revival of its baseball program, Columbia-Greene Community College's athletic department signed eight new players, during a ceremony May 29 at the Greenport campus.

Head Baseball Coach Josh Horn led the newcomers as they signed letters of intent. The octet included local high school seniors: Ryan Cooke and Joe Wagner, both Greenville High School; Peter Russo and Connor Cardinale, both Coxsackie-Athens; Dylan Decker and Spencer Winters, both Taconic Hills; Aaron Caskey, Saugerties; and Ezra Ernst, of Catskill.

Relaunching the program after a five-year hiatus, the Twins finished fourth in the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference this season with an overall record of 18-15 (17-11 East Division). Horn expects fifteen to return to for the 2013 season.

"We're looking to reload," said Horn, who was recently named conference Coach of the Year. "This is a good class of athletes, and we're looking for them to step up and make an impact on the program."

In 18 at bats, infielder Russo finished with a .389 average for the Coxsackie-Athens Indians this season, with 7 hits, including 2 doubles. Meanwhile, his high-school teammate Cardinale proved himself to be an excellent defensive catcher with speed.

With the Greenville Spartans, Cooke batted .429 this season, with 3 home runs. On the mound, he finished the season with a 2.16 ERA in 45.1 innings pitched. Wagner batted .366 on the season for the Spartans and pitched to an ERA of 2.48 in 59.1 innings.

Caskey hit .295 for the season for the Saugerties Sawyers, with 6 RBIs, 13 hits and 4 doubles.