STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Chris Hamilton has emerged as a Major League Baseball draft prospect while playing the past four seasons with the Stony Brook baseball team.

Yet it is in soccer in which Hamilton continues to hold a gaudy New York State record.

As a senior striker at Schalmont High School in upstate Schenectady back in 2015, Hamilton set the state prep record for single-season goals with 66.

Fueled by Hamilton's individual total, Schalmont set the state single-season team scoring record with 168 goals, eclipsing a mark that had stood for 16 years.
 

NYS Single-Season Goal Leaders

Player/School	Year	Goals
Chris Hamilton/Schalmont	2015	66
Andrew Tiedt/Akron	2007	63
Ian Cepiel /Stillwater	2014	56
Andy Wright/Wilson	1994	56
Brian Perry/Manlius Pebble Hill	2001	56

His motivation?

Schalmont had lost to Ichabod Crane High School in the sectional championship match the previous two seasons, and Hamilton wanted to avenge those defeats before graduating. The schools are separated by roughly 40 miles on Interstate 90 in upstate New York.

"I loved the sport," Hamilton said. "It was going to be my last season. We were going into the season saying, 'We're beating this team. We're making a run.'"

Sure enough, Schalmont won the sectional championship during Hamilton's senior year, although Broadalbin-Perth had ousted Ichabod Crane in the semifinal and spared Schalmont the burden of vanquishing its nemesis.

Hamilton tallied four goals in the 5-1 sectional-championship win against Broadalbin-Perth, including No. 64 that eclipsed Andrew Tiedt (63, Akron, 2007) for the state record.


Hamilton (10) competes in Schalmont's Section II Class B soccer final in 2015 (via Albany Times-Union).

Hamilton finished his high school soccer career with 139 goals, which currently ranks fifth in state history.

Even though soccer came more easily to him, Hamilton chose to develop his baseball skills and has been a first baseman and outfielder for the past four seasons with Stony Brook.

He gained an additional year of eligibility when the Seawolves' baseball season was cut short after 15 games this past spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hamilton hit .325 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 200 at-bats — all career highs — as a junior in 2019, during his most recent full season.

He had decided to focus on baseball while playing travel ball with the South Troy Dodgers midway through high school. That commitment to baseball limited the number of college soccer recruiters who courted him.

"It just felt like that was going to be the best thing for me," Hamilton said.

Said Jason Beck, the Schalmont boys' soccer coach from 2008 through 2016: "Chris was a great athlete for us, and he had some great talent around him as a soccer player. He was very strong and big, which made it hard for teams to defend him. At the college level, he would have had success as a soccer player. However, his heart was on the baseball diamond and he chose to follow that dream."  
 
Being a dual-sport athlete was something Stony Brook baseball coach Matt Senk found attractive.

"An extremely important part of our recruiting process is knowing how athletic and competitive one of our future student-athletes potentially are," Senk said. "Chris checked off those boxes with flying colors when we found out about his outstanding ability and success on the soccer field. Chris is truly a consummate athlete and competitor."

Hamilton also fully endorses playing multiple sports in high school.

"Having the athletic ability to play multiple sports, I think it helps a lot of kids out, especially playing at higher levels," Hamilton said.
 
In addition to his athleticism, Hamilton believes being on strong soccer teams helped fuel his competitiveness.
 
He also won a baseball state championship while in high school.

As for whether Hamilton's single-season soccer scoring record will withstand the test of time and remain atop New York State's prep record books, Hamilton offered: "It might be a tough one, but if someone can beat it, that'll be pretty cool for them."