The path to professional baseball from an NCAA Division III program is never an easy one. For a player coming from a team in the Northeast, that task is magnified even more. Middlebury's Colby Morris '19 has taken those odds head-on, inking a minor-league deal with the New York Mets back in February. The pitcher will report to the team's facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Monday, March 29, with players targeted to play at the Double-A and Single-A levels.

Morris's signing is more impressive with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) undergoing drastic changes prior to the 2021 season. A total of 40 teams throughout the various levels were cut, leaving Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations with only four minor-league clubs (Triple-A, Double-A, High Single-A, and Low Single-A).

"I am so proud of Colby and could not be happier for him," Panther head coach Mike Leonard said. "He has earned this opportunity through hard work and a relentless commitment to his goal of playing professional baseball. That, combined with how rare it is for a Division III athlete to sign a minor-league contract, is an even greater testament to what he has accomplished."

Morris got a taste of spring training, before the coronavirus pandemic derailed the sports world in 2020, with a free-agent tryout with the Mets. Despite not being signed, he kept in contact with the organization and took advantage of any avenue he could to improve.

"I made regular calls to the Mets' professional scouts, threw bullpens (bullpen sessions), sent video and data on my pitch metrics to them, which ultimately helped to get me to the finish line," Morris recalled. "I was fortunate to have access to a weight room and had friends that I could train and throw with, which was a relief without normal baseball competition in 2020."

Since signing his contract, he has been gearing up for the trip to Florida by doing everything he possibly can to be prepared. His last live pitching came in the fall with a brief stint with the Chicago Deep Dishes from the City of Champions Cup.

"I'm working with a mental skills coach to get me ready for in-game competition after the hiatus; honing in my pitches using advanced technologies that measure movement, spin rates, and velocities; tracking what I'm eating, my sleep, recovery, and my power in the weight room," Morris said. "I figure that if I can do everything in my power to get myself ready to play, then when I'm on the field I'll be able to trust that I'm ready to go and can have a singular focus of competing," he continued. "This has been my dream for as long as I can remember, and I think the best thing I can do is trust that I've done everything I can to get ready, enjoy as much of it as possible, and soak in every moment."

Morris said that playing Major League Baseball has been a goal of his for a long time, but the path has not been conventional. After a tough season as a first-year at Middlebury, he emerged as the team's ace on the mound and guided the Panthers to the NESCAC Championship game in two of the next three seasons. The right-hander was also a two-time all-conference honoree, as well as the 2018 NESCAC Pitcher of the Year.

Upon graduation, he began his professional career in 2019, playing for a number of independent league teams against players several years older. Morris finished strong that summer, playing nine games with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association, where he tossed 10 innings with 12 strikeouts and yielded just five hits.

"Independent baseball was a means to an end for me, and I had my heart set on getting signed by an MLB team the entire time, despite the wavering and slim odds of that happening," Morris said. "Since the majority of these players have played in either the minor or major leagues, I think it was a great way to prepare me mentally and physically for the challenges I'll face on the field with the Mets."

Regardless of how Morris fares at spring training, he certainly left his mark on the Panther program. The hurler owns the single-season standard for innings pitched (72.0) and starts (12), as well as career marks for wins (18), appearances (49), starts (39), and innings (256.0).

"Finding a school where I could get the amount of playing time I did at Middlebury was a necessity to keep the drive to improve my skills as a pitcher," Morris said. "Coach Leonard was instrumental in pushing me to get the most out of myself as an athlete. It's always a great day to be a Panther when you're surrounded by your best friends."