WATERVILLE — The Colby College baseball team is hitting in bunches.

And bunches. And bunches.

As a team, the Mules have a .336 batting average. The Mules also have a team on-base percentage of .430. As a club, Colby is, statistically, the best offensive unit in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).

“That’s definitely been one of the strengths of our team, our offense,” senior infielder Brady O’Brien said. “Our pitching has kept us in games. As an offense, we never feel like we’re out of a game. We’re just a really deep lineup and we’re confident with all the guys in there.”

“We’ve got a lot of experience,” senior outfielder Marcus Forrester added. “A lot of our guys have been playing all the way up, but we even have freshmen contributing. Our bench is so deep. We could put our bench out there and compete with just about anybody.”

Colby’s success at the plate has led the team to a 26-8 record, the best season in program history. It’s also the best record in the NESCAC. The Mules are currently No. 4 in Region I in the NCAA Division III regional rankings, and were recently ranked No. 24 in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA national Top 25 poll. Colby wrapped up its regular season with a 12-1 victory over Plymouth State University on Wednesday. The Mules host Wesleyan in the best-of-three NESCAC quarterfinals starting Saturday.

“From a coach’s standpoint, you just want consistent, good play,” said Colby head coach Jesse Woods, who has a 98-61 record in nearly six years of leading the program. “You want your best to show up every time we take the field. I feel like this team is very focused on that in every game this season. And they were rewarded for it with good play and a lot of good wins. I think it sets us up good for the postseason.”

Senior catcher Cole Palmeri leads the offensive charge. A two-time NESCAC All-Star selection, Palmeri not only is Colby’s top slugger, but he leads the NESCAC in slugging percentage (.876), OPS (1.397), doubles (15) and home runs (11). He also leads the Mules with a .416 batting average, a .521 OBP and 38 RBIs.

There’s just one problem: Palmeri recently injured his left wrist, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to play this weekend.

Thankfully for Colby, Palmeri is far from the only contributing hitter.

Colby hitters practice their swings during Wednesday’s game against Plymouth State in Waterville. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

O’Brien (.349 average, 15 doubles, 2 home runs, 28 RBIs) is fifth in the NESCAC in OBP (.486) and tied for first in doubles. Forrester (.367 batting average, 4 home runs, 26 RBIs)  is second in the conference in runs scored (42) and hits (51). Freshman shortstop Patrick Shrake is second on the team in batting average (.409) and third in OBP (.473). Junior utility player Ryan Grace is second in the NESCAC in RBIs (37). Senior infielder Noah Reichman is hitting .375 with 6 home runs and 30 RBIs.

“I think it’s been one of the deeper lineups I’ve been a part of,” O’Brien said. “I’d say we’re at least 12 or 13 deep, which is pretty impressive for sure, for what we have here.”

“We’re kind of pushing each other with the ‘next man up (mentality),'” Forrester added. “It’s great to see.”

O’Brien added that Woods and his staff have mostly been hands-off on hitting advice, letting individual hitters figure out their approach at the plate.

“I think (Woods’) strategy is to kind of let us do our thing,” O’Brien said. “Doesn’t want to get in our heads too much. If you ask (for advice), he’ll give it to you. But he lets you be you out there, just being aggressive and taking advantage of pitches we can handle.

On paper, it seems there’s almost no offensive hole in Colby’s lineup, a plus for a team looking to go far in the postseason.

“This team can hit, man,” Woods said. “It’s something they continue to work at, they continue to focus on. They don’t take it for granted, they show up every day and continue to improve and be better. From where I watch the game from, it’s nice to know that they’re working hard and getting rewarded for it.

“We’ve got a lot of good players here, any one of them can go into any position in a game,” Woods continued. “That’s something we’ve talked a lot about. It’s a long season, (injuries) happen. This team just continues to step up.”

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