Dan Benz '09

Williams College has a long and storied baseball tradition, having played the first intercollegiate game in 1859 and claiming as graduates such recognizable baseball figures as New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, former Major League Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent and current VP for Baseball Operations for the Baltimore Orioles, Jimmy Duquette.

Each year the varsity baseball season officially gets underway on February 15 with indoor practices in Towne Field House, a facility spacious enough to accommodate both a regulation size infield and four batting cages. Full indoor scrimmages are common.

Fortunate to be one of the very few schools with a two-week long semester break, the baseball squad takes full advantage, enjoying 16 days in south Florida or Arizona every March. In 2005 we played the majority of our games at the New York Yankees’ major league facility in Tampa.  The last two seasons we have traveled to Arizona and spent two weeks in and around the Phoenix area.  Our spring training is as extensive as any school in the country competing in 16 – 20 games.

The regular season northern schedule begins during the first week of April and ends the second weekend in May. That's a week later than virtually any other college in New England, allowing for more games in warmer weather.

The league schedule consists of three-game sets on the weekends followed by the NESCAC tournament in mid-May. In 2001, the first year of official league play, Williams won both the NESCAC regular season west title and post-season tournament with an 18-1 mark, advancing to NCAA tourney for the second time in three years. The Ephs lost in the regional semifinals and ended the season with a nation's best 33-5 record, ranked 17th nationally.

Max Pinto '08

In 2007 Williams won the NESCAC west tile and earned the right to host the league tournament, which was won in the minimum three games.  The Ephs advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA New England Regional, posting a 2-2 record and finished the season 27-10.

From an athletic standpoint, the varsity baseball program seeks players with Ivy League ability that might prefer the small school atmosphere or want the opportunity to play two sports on the college level. Most years, over half the baseball team also participates in football, basketball or hockey.