ITHACA, N.Y. – Ithaca College baseball coach George Valesente has been selected as an inductee to the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. Valesente will be formally inducted at the 2014 induction ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, N.Y.
 
The New York State Baseball Hall of Fame is designed to honor and recognize baseball players and contributors from New York and their achievements in baseball. Any player, coach or umpire is considered by their entire body of work and contributions to the community. The inductee is elected by majority vote by the hall of fame's board of directors. Valesente was unanimously voted in to the 2014 induction class by the board of directors, according to hall of fame executive director Rene LeRoux.
 
Other members of the 2014 induction class include media representative Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig; Vin Scully, announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers; and former notable major-league players Rocky Colavito, Tom Browning and Frank Viola.
 
A 1966 graduate of Ithaca College, George Valesente completed his 36th year at the helm of his alma mater in 2014. Valesente, who was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2005, reached another miletsone by recording the 1,000th win of his coaching career during the 2012 season, and in 2014 earned induction to the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.
 
Valesente, who has coached the Bombers since 1979, is now 998-439-8 at Ithaca in 36 seasons. His overall coaching record, which also includes stints at Brockport, New Paltz and Maritime, is 1,090-476-8 in 42 seasons.
 
Valesente has guided the Bombers to two national championships (1980 and 1988), 10 World Series appearances and 29 NCAA postseason berths in all. His teams have never had a losing season and have won nearly 70 percent of their games. The Bombers have captured 17 league titles and two runner-up finishes during Valesente's career. Ithaca has won 12 of the 14 Empire 8 titles.
 
For further information on the event, including ticket information for the induction ceremony, and the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, visit the organization's website.