Whenever he appears in games, senior pitcher Evan Farley helps his team win from the mound. Last Sunday, April 10, the left-handed Farley threw a complete game shutout against Thomas College to lead Bowdoin to a 12-0 win and give them a sweep of the two-game doubleheader.
He had 10 strikeouts and no walks in seven innings, with only two runners reaching base—both on singles. He faced one batter over the limit. Bowdoin, 13-6 after sweeping Sunday's doubleheader, now has an important three-game series against Trinity this upcoming weekend.
"After our series last Friday and Saturday at Bates," Farley said, "Coach Connolly told me I would be starting the next day's game. I kept my same mental attitude (throwing first pitch strikes and getting ahead in the count against batters), and relaxed the night before. No matter if I come out of the bullpen or start, I have the same mindset and always want to get ahead in the count."
"The team's hitting performances in my start were huge," he said, "because after a close first game against Thomas we really came out swinging to put pressure on them. That, in a sense, erased their confidence from the first game."
The Polar Bears had 17 hits in Farley's start, including three apiece by Brett Gorman '11 and Adam Marquit '11.
Farley, who currently has a 2.55 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 17.2 innings, is leading the team with seven appearances and leads qualified Bowdoin pitchers with a .212 batting average against.
Long before coming to Bowdoin, Farley fell in love with the game of baseball.
"I started playing ball when T-ball started early on, and first pitched in Little League when my coach realized that I shouldn't be playing shortstop since I'm left handed," said Farley. "I'm from Maine and we didn't have AAU ball, but I played Legion during high school summers and played on my school's team every year. I think baseball is the best sport of all time."
After walking on to the Bowdoin team, he came out of the bullpen his first two years before transitioning into primarily a starter last season. This year, however, he is getting most of his work in as a reliever.
"Whether I start or relieve depends on the situation, but my main role as of now has been to come out of the 'pen. Our pitching was spread a little thin with five games last weekend, and the rotation spot kind of fell on me. It was good to start again, and I enjoyed it."
"I'm most interested in taking on the role that best suits the team," he continued, pitching "however it is that will get us the most success. Nobody is set in stone with our pitching staff, and I don't know what the future holds for me this season but it'll all work itself out."
The NESCAC is split into East and West divisions, with the top two teams in each divisions going to the playoffs. Bowdoin is in the East Division along with Tufts, Trinity, Bates and Colby, and currently sits second in the standings. While the divisional games are the ones that count for NESCAC seeding, the non-conference games are also crucial for the overall record.
Through the Polar Bears were unable to make the NESCAC tournament in either of Farley's first two years at Bowdoin, they made it to the conference finals last year. Though the team lost to Tufts, it gave the Polar Bears hope for the future.
"I think we have a lot of potential, and although we have a young pitching staff I think age is irrelevant because it's a very strong, consistent group," said Farley. "I think that we aren't looking for anything less than a NESCAC championship—and beyond—this year."