My Colby-Sawyer Experience
"The more courses I take for the Environmental Studies major, the more I appreciate what's in the world."
- Chris McClellan, Environmental Studies major
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athletic news
Chargers Have Best Offensive Season Since 2000
Offense. That was the theme for head coach Jim Broughton's 2008 Colby-Sawyer baseball team.
And while offensive production was up (the team batted .300, their highest batting average since 2003 and hit 27 home runs, the most since 2000), the Chargers struggled out of the gate and could not string together more than three wins in a row, as injuries and a team ERA of 6.67 led to a 14-23 overall record for the Chargers.
The Chargers finished the season 10-12 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC), good for their 13th straight appearance in the conference tournament, this year as the No. 7 seed. In the tournament's opening round, the Chargers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead but could not hold on, as the Colonels of Curry College knotted the score in the bottom of the eighth at eight runs each. Four hours and 40 minutes after the contest started, with darkness approaching, the Colonels loaded the bases in the bottom of the 15th inning and a single to left field drove in the game-winning run, handing the Chargers a 9-8 loss.
In the tournament's second round, the Chargers traveled to Rhode Island to face the Seahawks of Salve Regina University. Again the Chargers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but were unable to hold on, closing out the season with a 9-6 loss to the Seahawks.
In his 14th season at the helm of the Colby-Sawyer baseball program, head coach Jim Broughton, a Lebanon, N.H. native and former standout at the University of Southern Maine, secured his 200th career victory as the Chargers defeated in-state rival Plymouth State University, 7-5 on April 17.
Four Chargers earned all-conference accolades for the Chargers in 2008, as senior Kris Ramsay (Gardiner, Maine) earned Second Team honors, juniors Tom White (Lisbon, N.H.) and Chris Gaeta (Lynn, Mass.) earned Second and First Team honors respectively and sophomore Chris Hartery (Billerica, Mass.) was also named to the Second Team.
Ramsay earns his third all-conference award, his first second team honor, as he was also an '05 and '07 Honorable Mention All-TCCC selection. This season, he tied for TCCC high with four triples and was second on the team with 30 runs scored, five home runs and his 37 hits and .555 slugging percentage were third on the team. He finished fourth with a .336 batting average, 23 RBI, 61 total bases and on base percentage (.402). For his career, Ramsay finished second all-time with 10 triples and sixth with 10 home runs, 133 hits and 78 runs batted in. He ends his career ranked seventh in the record book with 32 stolen bases and eighth with 94 runs. From the mound, he finished with 10 wins in his career, good for sixth all-time and his 144 innings pitched rank fifth while his 90 career strikeouts are good for seventh.
White garnered his second All-TCCC selection as he was a first team pick and TCCC Rookie of the Year in '06. His seven home runs were a team-high and were tied for second in TCCC while his 31 runs, .667 slugging percentage, nine doubles, 15 walks and 35 RBI also led the team. White hit .353, good for second, and his .452 on base percentage was also second best. White's 68 total bases were third on the team and he had only four errors in over 240 chances while leading the team with a .983 fielding percentage at first base. This season White became the school's all-time doubles leader with 31 over his career. He is also in the top 10 in home runs (7), runs (74) and stolen bases (25).
Gaeta earns his first All-TCCC award for the Chargers as he led the team in hitting with a .363 average. He also had a team-high 135 at bats, 49 hits and nine stolen bases. Gaeta was second on the team with five home runs, 71 total bases, 14 walks and finished third with 24 runs batted in and fourth with seven doubles, slugging .526. He started and played in all 37 games for the Chargers and finished the regular season ranked 15th in TCCC batting average while also being named as named TCCC Player of the Week.
Hartery also earned his first all-conference award as he started all 37 games for the royal blue and white. Hartery led the team with nine doubles and finished the season second with 131 at bats, 43 hits, 32 RBI, five home runs and three triples. He was third on the team in runs with 28, and his .557 slugging percentage was also good for second. He also had three home runs and was named TCCC Player of the Week and ECAC Player of the week the last week of the regular season.
Besides Ramsay, five other seniors played their final season at Colby-Sawyer, as Lee Chubet (Arlington, Vt.), John O'Neil (Burrillville, R.I.), Justin Sakovitz (Stoneham, Mass.), Andrew Wadleigh (Sharon, Mass.) and D.J. Woodman (Farmington, N.H.) all finished their playing careers.
Chubet finished third on the team in batting average, hitting .340 on the season. He tallied seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and finished fifth with 20 RBI. Chubet's six stolen bases tied him for second on the team.
O'Neil played in 19 of the Chargers 37 games on the season, hampered by an injury. He hit .317 in 41 at bats and tallied two doubles and an RBI. Sakovitz finished the season with a 1-4 record on the hill as the lefthander appeared in seven games, starting six. He posted a 9.90 ERA in 30.0 innings, allowing 41 runs, 33 earned, and struck out 13 of the 130 batters he faced. Wadleigh batted .222 on the season, appearing in 28 games. He registered 20 hits, eight of them doubles and one home run en route to driving in 13 runs. Woodman finished with a .256 average in 86 plate appearances, registering 22 hits, five of them doubles. He slugged .337, drawing 10 walks and two hit-by-pitches.
Chris Baker (Essex Junction, Vt.), Ben Sweeney (Narragansett, R.I.) and Vinny Vilardi (Boxford, Mass.) rounded out the junior class for the Chargers.
Baker finished the season with a 4-5 record on the mound for the Chargers, posting a 3.59 ERA in 10 appearances. He tallied 16 strikeouts in 47.2 innings of work as the Chargers workhorse on the mound. His 10 career wins also place him sixth all-time in the Colby-Sawyer record book. Sweeney finished with a .222 batting average in 18 plate appearances, registering four hits. Vilardi finished the season with an 0-2 record in eight appearances on the hill. He tallied nine strikeouts in 19.1 innings of work and opponents hit .341 off him.
Three sophomores joined Hartery on the 2008 roster, as Jarrett Lowe (Sudbury, Mass.), Carter Malpass (Plymouth, Mass.) and Chris Smith (Lisbon, N.H.) all saw significant time for the Chargers.
Lowe started 36 of 37 games for the Chargers this season at shortstop. He hit .267 in 120 at bats, registering 32 hits including six doubles and one home run. He was also second on the team in assists with 88.
Malpass appeared in eight games for the Chargers on the mound, compiling a 3-2 record with at 5.33 ERA. He pitched 27.0 innings, striking out 17 and allowed 16 earned runs. Smith made 10 appearances on the mound for the Chargers, including seven starts. He went 2-4 with an 8.70 ERA in 40.1 innings of work. He struck out 24 on the year.
Eight newcomers joined the Colby-Sawyer baseball team this season, including Mike Bertuccio (Millstone Township, N.J.), Matt Corvo (Stratton Mountain, Vt.), Kevin Corkum (Broad Brook, Conn.), Kevin Emerson (Hinesburg, Vt.), Michael Guanci (Bedford, Mass.), Shane Hoagboon (Mayfield, N.Y.), Brandon McFadden (Dummerstan, Vt.) and Mike Schilling (Middletown, R.I.).
Bertuccio finished the season with nine appearances on the hill for the Chargers, posting a 1-3 record and a 5.04 ERA in 30.1 innings of work. He struck out 17 and opponents hit just .286 off the right hander. Corvo finished with a batting average of .333 and led the team with a .471 on-base percentage. He played in 23 games, knocked in 12 runs and tied for the team lead with 15 walks.
Corkum appeared in seven games and scored five runs, primarily as a pinch runner. Emerson appeared in eight games, starting two and registered four hits, including one double. Guanci appeared in 12 games on the hill for the Chargers and was used mostly in a middle relief role. He posted a 1.17 ERA in 15.1 innings of work, striking out 10. Hoagboon appeared in 25 games for the Chargers, serving as the team's primary catcher. He started 20 games and tallied 13 hits and 13 RBI in just 67 at bats.
McFadden appeared in 14 games, starting nine. He tallied four RBI on five hits, one of them a double. Schilling appeared in two games on the mound for the Chargers in Florida before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury.
