Colby thriving despite cold Maine temperatures

The Division 3 college baseball scene in New England is chock full of storied programs.

Up in the central Maine city of Waterville, Colby College has a baseball past that dates to 1876 and includes more than a decade of success under Hall of Fame coach John Winkin.

In terms of the NESCAC era, the Mules are in their golden age. They have set the single-season program record for wins in three straight years and last season reached their first Division 3 national tournament since the current format was established in 1976.

“I think these are all kids that chose Colby Baseball because of, I would say, the program that’s in place,” said seventh-year coach Jesse Woods (Reading, Mass.). “When I first got here, we were selling a vision and trying to show recruits, ‘Hey, this is how we’re going to do it.’ We’ve gotten to the point where we’re showing them how we did it and how we’re going to continue to do it, and hopefully build on the successes we’ve had.”