The names on a roster and the faces in a dugout change or take on different roles with each passing baseball season. That has been true for as long as the game has been played.
In recent years, though, the Panthers of Middlebury College have worked to build a winning culture that lasts regardless of who is wearing the jersey. The past two seasons for NESCAC Coach of the Year Mike Leonard’s club have resulted in back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, the first as a result of the program’s second-ever NESCAC championship.
“What we’re learning is that the guys can change, but the expectations and the culture can remain,” said senior designated hitter Mitchell Schroeder (Brookline, Mass.). “We want to act like championship players and a championship team. … The attitude, the behavior, the discipline, that’s what we’ve learned from guys who have gone on to play high-level baseball.”
Several former Panthers are now Division 1 players including Middlebury’s first-ever All-American in catcher John Collins, two-way standout Alec Ritch, and pitcher Spencer Dessart, who are currently continuing their careers at Power Five schools Boston College, Cal and Washington, respectively.
