For summer baseball, Chris Burke '11 traded his metal bat for wood, the choice of various collegiate summer leagues that showcase potential professional ballplayers.

In high school, Chris Burke '11 didn't attract much attention from college baseball coaches, and his freshman year statistics at Bates were typical for an unballyhooed player. He played in nine games and made seven plate appearances, good for a single, a double, and a walk.

Still, the experience made him feel like a legitimate Division III player. Sort of. (more...)

Bates College catcher Gordy Webb '11 earned New England Small College Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week honors in early April, batting .611 (11-for-18) with a .632 on-base percentage and a 1.111 slugging mark while not committing an error behind the plate during the Bobcats’ 3-2 week.

Morgan Maciewicz '10 celebrates a goal during a game against Colby. Bates lost the game but earned the sixth seed in the NESCAC Championship.

The Bates College softball team celebrates an 8-1 NESCAC East Division victory against rival Bowdoin.

"It's a great day...to give to a Bobcat!"

That might well be the cheer of the Friends of Bates Athletics, a new initiative aimed at allowing alumni, parents, and friends of the College to — in the words of Director of Athletics Kevin McHugh — "give to what they're passionate about."

(more...)

Izzy Alezander '09

During her first year as a Bates runner, Isabel Alexander ’09 always sprinted clear of her teammates. Usually that’s a sign of great talent. But Alexander was doing it during warmups.

Apparently unaware of the potential for showing up her teammates, Alexander seemed to have just one speed — top.

(more...)

With 4:34 remaining in the first half of the men's basketball game vs. Bowdoin on Jan. 23, 2009, Neil Creahan '10 of Hingham, Mass., drives between Bowdoin defenders and dishes to Jimmy O'Keefe '10 (not pictured) of Lexington, Mass., for the layup. "The play was for Neil to go one-on-one, to let him operate," explains head coach Jon Furbush '05. Creahan picks up the story: "I beat my man, then was met by the second line of defense. With two guys on me, I found O'Keefe on the basket." The Bobcats won, 57–54, giving Furbush his initial NESCAC coaching victory before a rambunctious home crowd in Alumni Gym.

Photograph by Phyllis Graber Jensen

Senior forward Val Beckwith's driving layup went around the rim and dropped in as time expired, giving the Bates College women's basketball team a 73-71 victory over Colby College at Alumni Gymnasium.

Women's basketball teammates converge after the final buzzer reveals the Bobcats as 73-71 winners over rival Colby in a fiercely contested Jan. 13 Alumni gymnasium contest.

The team finished the regular season with a 62-51 loss at No. 18 nationally ranked Tufts University on Feb. 14 at Cousens Gymnasium.The Bobcats finish 16-8 overall and 5-4 in the conference, and earn the fourth seed in next weekend's NESCAC Championship. Bates will host fifth-seeded Trinity College (16-7, 4-5 NESCAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, in the tournament quarterfinals.

Read the latest news on the Bates Women's Basketball team.

Neil Creahan '10 drives and dishes to Jimmy O'Keefe for a layup in the first half of the men's basketball team's 57-54 NESCAC victory over Bowdoin College on Jan. 23.

Neil Creahan '10 drives and dishes to Jimmy O'Keefe for a layup in the first half of the men's basketball team's 57-54 NESCAC victory over Bowdoin College on Jan. 23. After defeating NESCAC rival Tufts 77-65 on Feb. 14, Bates finishes the regular season at 13-11 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Bobcats have earned the sixth seed in the NESCAC Championship and will play at No. 3 seed Williams (16-7, 6-2) Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m. in the conference playoff quarterfinals.

Read the latest news on the Bates Men's basketball team.