Ryan Kolben was half of Greely Excessive Faculty’s pitching duo this spring because the Rangers went 18-2 and returned to the Class B South championship sport.
However because it’s been since his introduction to the game greater than a decade in the past, catching is the place Kolben’s baseball ardour resides and a giant cause the 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior was named the thirtieth recipient of the Dr. John W. Winkin Award symbolic of Maine’s Mr. Baseball on Wednesday night.
“I’ve been catching all my life, since Farm League and Little League up till now,” mentioned Kolben, who plans to proceed working behind the plate on the College of Massachusetts.
“Catching I get the ball each pitch, I’m at all times within the sport. I by no means actually had any pleasure standing within the infield and never getting the ball or within the outfield the identical approach. There’s at all times motion.”
Kolben’s honor was introduced between video games of the Maine Excessive Faculty Baseball Coaches Affiliation’s senior all-star doubleheader performed at Saint Joseph’s School in Standish.
“It means so much,” mentioned Kolben, solely the second Greely participant to obtain the award, following Brandon Brewer in 1997. “All the laborious work I’ve put in all my life led as much as this and my subsequent 4 years and I couldn’t be happier to have some type of {hardware} to indicate that it’s paid off.”
Kolben, additionally the Western Maine Convention Class B South participant of the 12 months, was considered one of two Mr. Baseball finalists from Greely of Cumberland Middle together with pitcher Zach Johnston, who’s certain for Wake Forest College within the fall.
Different finalists have been pitcher-outfielder Cody Bowker of Class A state champion Thornton Academy in Saco, pitcher-outfielder Colton Trisch of Bangor, pitcher-infielder Ty Giberson of Class C state champion Bucksport, pitcher-infielder Hunter Brissette of Lisbon Excessive Faculty and pitcher-outfielder Blaine Cockburn of Freeport Excessive Faculty.
Kolben made a verbal dedication to attend UMass earlier than his junior 12 months at Greely regardless of seeing restricted varsity motion as a freshman after which watching because the 2020 season was canceled as a consequence of COVID 19.
His play with the Maine Lightning membership program helped pave the best way to the UMass scholarship supply, however his efforts at Greely over the past two springs validated that early curiosity.
Kolben batted .340 with three residence runs, seven doubles and a team-high 22 RBI as a junior for the Rangers final 12 months.
After throwing out 16 of 24 would-be base stealers throughout the 2021 season, only one baserunner even bothered to aim to steal towards him this spring, and whereas that daring runner was profitable, Kolben thinks the steal might have come on a curveball.
Kolben additionally batted a strong .510 for coach Derek Soule’s membership as a senior with 4 residence runs, 12 doubles and simply 5 strikeouts throughout the common season and an on-base proportion of .650 whereas batting third within the Greely lineup for the second straight 12 months.
“I wish to assume I’ve gap-to-gap energy and am laborious to strike out,” Kolben mentioned. “When guys get on I have a tendency to maneuver them over or rating them. I feel I’m simply an all-round polished hitter who likes to place the bat on the ball.”
When he wasn’t batting or catching, Kolben teamed with Johnston to steer a pitching employees that fired 10 shutouts throughout the common season — together with six straight to conclude the schedule — and added two extra scoreless video games throughout postseason play.
In his first spring of pitching, Kolben went 6-2 and fired back-to-back, five-inning 11-0 no-hitters towards Cape Elizabeth and Freeport in mid-Might.
The precise-hander additionally pitched within the Class B South title sport, yielding two first-inning runs earlier than settling down to permit simply two hits over 6 ⅔ innings with 12 strikeouts within the top-ranked Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Freeport — the Falcons’ second upset victory over Greely within the regional ultimate in as a few years.
“It stung a bit of bit,” Kolben admitted. “I feel on paper we have been in all probability the higher workforce each years and developing quick damage. It damage the day of and the day after, however after that it’s all behind you and also you look ahead to what’s subsequent.”
What’s subsequent is the possibility to play Division I baseball within the Atlantic 10 Convention at UMass.
“Hopefully I’m stepping into there able to play as a freshman,” he mentioned. “Catching and hitting, I’ll do the perfect I can to assist that program and see the place it takes me.”
