With a nice mix of veteran players and youth, Colby College baseball coach Tom Dexter hopes those components combined with a big pitching staff will lead to victories for the Mules this season.

The Mules return seven of nine starters back from last year's 9-22 squad and have good first-year players looking to make an immediate contribution.

Senior captains Kevin Brunelle (Cony/Augusta, Maine) and Matt Gibson (Lakeview/Courtland, Ohio) will be two key players for the Mules. Brunelle, a second All-NESCAC selection last year at shortstop, led Colby in batting average (.367), at-bats (109), runs scored (21), hits (40), doubles (9), stolen bases (4-for-4), on-base percentage (.420) and slugging percentage (.505). Gibson will play in center field, bat second in the lineup and could be used as a closer.

Junior B.L. Lippert (Cony/Augusta, Maine) will play alongside Brunelle on the left side of the infield at third base. He hit .298 and was tied with Brunelle for the team lead in RBI with 19. Lippert had a solid .963 fielding percentage at third and also had a .462 slugging percentage.

Junior catcher Eric Roy (Lisbon/Lisbon Falls, Maine) was nearly perfect behind the plate last year with a .992 fielding percentage. The third-year starter at catcher will bat eighth after hitting .274 last season. Sophomore Dan Lynch (Shady Side/Pittsburgh, Pa.) returns in a backup role behind Roy.

The right side of the infield will be made up of either sophomore Jared Cushman (Cony/Augusta, Maine) or junior Vincent Domestico (Ashland/Ashland, Mass.) at second base and first-year first baseman Rodney Ames (New Hampton/Cotuit, Mass.). Cushman hit .256 last season while playing 18 games and Domestico had a .977 fielding percentage. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Ames will hit in the cleanup spot in his first season with Colby.

Flanking Gibson in the outfield will be sophomore left fielder Nick Miller (South Burlington/South Burlington, Vt.), who will hit in the leadoff spot. The right field spot could be a rotation basis with first-year player Tyler Hales (Lexington/Lexington, Mass.), junior Brandon Royce (Cony/Augusta, Maine) and first-year player Jon Vacca (St. Sebastians/Quincy, Mass.).

Senior Daniel Deacon (Moses Brown/Rumford, R.I.) will hit sixth in the lineup as a designated hitter and also will be a starting pitcher. Deacon hit .500 in 14 at-bats last year and threw in eight games. Senior Jay Johnson (Philips Exeter/Norwood, Mass.) will be a key utility player, seeing time at a number of positions.

Senior right-hander Kevin Presbrey (Aurora West/Aurora, Ill.) will be the number one pitcher for the Mules after starting seven games last year. Senior right-hander Owen Kenney (Tabor/W. Chatham, Mass.) is expected to be the second starter and Deacon is third. The Mules will get other starts from left-hander Hales, right-hander Andrew Jenkins (Gorham/Gorham, Maine), right-hander Philip Geiger (Brunswick/Rye Brook, N.Y.), right-hander Robert Jacobs (University School/Mequon, Wisc.), left-hander Tyler Silvestro (Fairfield/Fairfield, Conn.) and right-hander John Michael Beitia (Father Lopez/Daytona, Fla.).

Gibson and Royce will be the main short relievers for the Mules.

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