Bates senior pitchers (left to right) Chris Ward, Rob DiFranco and Connor Colombo honed their craft over the summer with their respective summer league teams, the Woodstock River Rats, Chatham A's and Valley Blue Sox. (Josh Kuckens/Bates College)
LEWISTON, Maine -- Mastery of baseball has eluded all who have ever walked the earth. One thing we do know, though: practice takes you a little bit closer, at least, to perfect.
Or as Bates senior Chris Ward says, "The more you do something, the better it works."
Bates senior pitchers Connor Colombo (Mendon, Mass.), Rob DiFranco (Melrose, Mass.) and Ward (Pasadena, Calif.) may or may not be two months away from the final baseball seasons of their lives. But right on the heels of their junior years at Bates, all three used last summer to hone their skills in the game they love.
Along with other Bobcat teammates, they played in multiple, highly competitive collegiate summer leagues around the country, and all three enjoyed remarkable success they hope will translate into the upcoming 2016 campaign. Colombo thrived in the wooden-bat New England Collegiate Baseball League, DiFranco tasted life in the legendary Cape Cod League, and Ward was named an All-Star closer in Virginia's Valley League.
In what he sees as an essential part of his job, Bates sixth-year head coach Mike Leonard plays an active role in helping to place his players in the most competitive summer leagues possible. "We have been able to place our players in to top summer leagues that they can compete in, develop as players, and have a great baseball experience. They get to travel the country and meet baseball players from other schools throughout the summer," said Leonard.
In addition to the aforementioned three seniors, four other Bobcat hurlers had productive summer baseball experiences: senior righthander Mark Cunningham (Canton, Mass.), sophomore lefthander Connor Russell (Cumberland, Maine) and first-year righthander Justin Foley (Lynnfield, Mass.) all in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, and sophomore righthander Connor Speed (San Diego, Calif.) in the Coastal Plain League.
With 43 percent of Bates' at-bats, 49 percent of Bates' hits and 83 percent of Bates' home runs from the 2015 season now gone to graduation, how strong Bates' hitting this season will be in 2016 will remain a question mark until the games begin. In any case, the Bobcats are sure to count on pitching as a team strength, and Colombo, DiFranco and Ward should all be major components.
Connor Colombo
Colombo emerged as Bates' top pitcher in 2015, going 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. His early-summer tryout for the Cape Cod League didn't result in an invitation to play in that storied league, but it did get him noticed by New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) coaches who were there. The 6-foot-4 righthander was invited to pitch for the Valley Blue Sox, based in Amherst, Massachusetts, and was the only player from a NESCAC team in the entire league.
Colombo began with a string of successful stints of long relief, and he earned a summer contract after pitching well against the North Adams Steeplecats in his first start. He finished the summer 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA, throwing 30 innings over eight appearances.
"As a team we ended up missing the playoffs, but I made some really strong relationships with some of the guys on the team, including players from URI, Merrimack, Siena, Tennessee, and UCLA," said Colombo. "It was a great experience. I was lucky to play against some of the best competition in the country in front of pro scouts every game."
Rob DiFranco
DiFranco was able to fulfill a childhood dream right off the bat last summer, when he signed a temporary contract with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod League -- the same team he grew up watching every Fourth of July while visiting extended family.
DiFranco spent only a week and a half before Chatham released him, but it was long enough to form friendships he bonded with closely, most notably a big lefthander from Baylor University, Danny Castano. After his release from Chatham, the 6-foot righthander was picked up by the Cape League's Falmouth Commodores, for whom he would pick up a win in extra innings over Chatham, in the highlight of DiFranco's summer.
"My Chatham host mom told me that my roommates' eyes were sad to see me to go another team," DiFranco said. "It was really cool getting to meet and live with different talented players from schools like Baylor, Texas A&M, High Point, USC, North Carolina. Not only was it a great baseball experience, but it was a great life experience that I'll never forget."
Falmouth released DiFranco, so he migrated home and pitched very well with the North Shore Navigators of the Futures League, posting a 2-0 record with one save and a 1.66 ERA over 21 2/3 innings.
Chris Ward
Still working through his recovery from knee surgery last fall, Ward sported an unseemly 12.27 ERA through his first four appearances in 2015. But he rebounded with a strong second half, going 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings over his last five games.
Ward was a novice to summer collegiate baseball when he accepted an invite from the Woodstock River Bandits of the Valley League in Virginia. But it only took one bullpen session for manager Phil Betterly to name Ward his closer, a new role for the 6-foot-7 righty. In his debut, Ward blew a save and earned the loss. But he bounced back and earned Valley League All-Star honors. In 15 games with Woodstock, Ward struck out 38 batters in 24 1/3 innings, earning four saves and sporting a 2.21 ERA.
The more he pitched, the better he got, and it seemed that along the line, a light switch went off. Ward learned to spot his fastball on the outside of the plate with consistency, and started to throw a split-finger fastball instead of the changeup.
"I've always been a thinker who analyzes every situation as deeply as I can," Ward said. "But over the summer I learned to let that go, to just be more in the moment and in that game. I really found out how to play the game from a mental perspective, and what really worked for me."
To top off his summer, after Woodstock was ousted from the playoffs he accepted an invitation from the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League. "That was truly an experience," Ward said of playing on the Cape. "Growing up you read about it, you hear about it. It's where you want to play when you're a college athlete.
"Unfortunately it was my first time playing summer ball; it ended up being such a blast. I wish I had done it for all three summers."
