2006 Season Recap

With many of last season’s top starters returning, Colby’s baseball team has a strong nucleus to prepare for the 2007 campaign. The Mules won 10 games in 2006 and were competitive in nearly all their games.

Andy Carr ’07 led the Mules in batting average (.408), total hits (49), doubles (13), homers (4), RBI (37), and slugging percentage (.633). Carr earned NESCAC first team all-conference honors and will be a captain for the second straight season.

Roddy Ames (.356) had just one error at first base, while Tyler Hales batted .315 for Colby.

Tom Salemy ’07 (.325 batting average), Colin Riggs ’08 (.304), Craig Cooper ’09 (.287), and Nick Spillane ’08 (.280) are other top hitters returning for the Mules next year.

Sophomore pitchers Justin Clark and Zachary Helm had the best earned run averages for Colby while seeing innings in relief and as starters. Sam Kennedy-Smith ’08 also returns after leading the Mules in innings pitched (39.2).

2006 Season Preview

With the top four hitters returning to the lineup and some new players joining the club, the Colby baseball team hopes for better results in 2006 under head coach Tom Dexter.

The Mules return sophomore outfielder Nick Spillane (Darien, Conn.), who earned NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors last year after hitting .418 with a .475 on-base percentage and a .516 slugging percentage. Other outfielders include: senior tri-captain Tyler Hales (Lexington, Mass.), junior Brian Liberty (Hollis, N.H.), senior Jon Vacca (Quincy, Mass.) and first-year John Murphy (Hingham, Mass.). Hales was third in batting last year at .309 and Liberty was fourth at .280.

Senior third baseman Andy Carr (Conway, N.H.), a tri-captain, was second in batting at .333 and led the team in doubles (10) and RBI (19). First-year Craig Cooper (Trumbull, Conn.) will play alongside Carr at shortsop, while Tom Salemy (Odessa, Fla.) is at second base. Salemy was the team's top hitter as a first-year player at .368, but missed half of last season with an injury and never regained that form. Senior tri-captain Roddy Ames (Cotuit, Mass.) can play first or third base and hopes to get back into the same hitting grove which saw him bat .346 as a sophomore. Greg Ortiz (Northbrook, Ill.) can play either of the middle infield positions and sophomore Colin Riggs (Duxbury, Mass.) can play either first or third base.

Junior catcher Steve Sandak (Stamford, Conn.), sophomore Adam Curatolo (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and first-year Kyle McKay (Beford, N.H.) all will see time behind the plate.

The catchers should be dealing with a better pitching staff this season. Hales had the best earned run average among all of Colby's starters last year. Sophomore Sam Kennedy-Smith (Newton, Mass.), Robert Rosenbaum (Washington, D.C.), Jack Peet (Chadd's Ford, Pa.), Jordan Henry (Kensington, Md.) and Rob Jacobs (Mequon, Wisc.) all had starts last year.

Bob Brady (Huntington Beach, Calif.) had the most appearances, all in relief, of any Colby pitcher with 13. Zack Starr (Westport, Conn.) also returns as a relief pitcher.

The Mules are hoping that first-year pitchers Justin Clark (Brunswick, Maine), Robert Whelan (Boston, Mass.), Robert Tourek (Wexform, Pa.) and Zachary Helm (Palermo, Maine) will pitch well.

Program Overview
Established in 1867, the Colby baseball program is one of the College's oldest varsity programs. Jack Coombs, a member of the Class of 1906, was Colby's first of five Major League players and went on to a fine career with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Brooklyn Robins. Coombs Field was completely renovated in 2001 and now possesses an in-ground sprinkler system, drainage, new bleachers, and dugouts. The composition of the field ensures the earliest possible opportunity to play in the spring.

The team is composed of approximately 22 to 24 players. Pre-season starts February 15, with players practicing in the spacious indoor field house until late March when the team takes its annual trip to Florida to compete in 10 games over spring break. Colby competes in the Eastern Division of the NESCAC and plays three-game series with Bates, Bowdoin, Trinity, and Tufts. The top two teams from the East Division play the top two teams from the West Division for an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. The Mules also play non-conference games against in-state rivals University of Maine and Southern Maine. League games are played on Fridays and Saturdays, and most weekday games are in state to ensure as little missed class time as possible.

Colby has had many outstanding players recognized by the league with NESCAC All-Conference honors in recent years. Nick Spillane '08 was named league Rookie of the Year and earned second-team honors in 2005. Second baseman Andrew Tripp '01, outfielder Jon Lord '02, and catcher Eric Roy '04 all were two-time selections, and Tripp and Lord each earned All-New England honors. Kevin Brunelle '02 was All-NESCAC, while Kristopher Keelty '99 went on to pitch professionally for two seasons for the independent league Adirondack Lumberjacks. Former pitching ace Galen Carr '97 is currently one of the world champion Boston Red Sox lead scouts.

Many of Colby's current players are active with summer baseball teams, and about one third of the team includes two-sport athletes. Tom Dexter, Colby's head coach of 15 years, says, 'The program gives our student athletes a chance to compete in a great college baseball atmosphere while always keeping the academic mission of the College in focus.'

About Coombs Field