i COLLEGE NOTEBOOK Denbow lighting it up
Morning Sentinel
COLLEGE NOTEBOOK Denbow lighting it up
BY MATT DIFILIPPO
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 03/30/2009

BY MATT DIFILIPPO

Staff Writer

Is Justin Denbow an outfielder, a designated hitter or a pitcher?

"He's a multi-tool player," said Matt Kutt, Denbow's coach at Eastern Nazarene College. "He's a very talented hitter and a very talented pitcher. It's kind of a tough assignment for a coach, where to put him day after day."

Denbow, a Maranacook Community High School graduate, has helped the Eastern Nazarene baseball team to a 10-8 record thus far in his sophomore season. He's not up to his usual standard on the mound (a 1-1 record with a 7.36 ERA) but has more than made up for it at the plate: In 36 at bats, Denbow is hitting .528 with 11 walks.

As a freshman, Denbow hit .338 and had a 2-5 record with a 6.43 ERA as Eastern Nazarene finished 9-25. But Kutt saw a left-handed pitcher with a fastball over 80 mph, a solid curveball and a top-notch change-up.

"We got him a Cape Cod tryout last year," Kutt said, referring to the high-level summer league for college players. "That's how good we thought it could be."

Kutt called last year "one of the most humbling seasons of my coaching career," but it was definitely a building block for Denbow, who batted in the heart of the lineup without a lot of protection and also drew starts on the mound against Eastern Nazarene's toughest opponents.

"Last year, I threw Denbow in the fire," Kutt said. "I'm a firm believer (that) you put guys in that opportunity and you trust them, that sophomore year, you might see something special. And that's what's happening this year."

Eastern Nazarene is starting six freshmen this spring, and Denbow is one of two sophomore starters. But the talent coming in was good enough that Denbow has even batted in the eighth spot in a handful of games.

"He's the kind of kid you can build a program around," Kutt said. "This year, he's got hitters around him."

Eastern Nazarene plays at the Division III level, but Kutt says that because of the rules requiring a player to sit out a season if he transfers between two Division I schools, the Crusaders face a lot of former Division I players who transferred to a D-III school. He believes Denbow could play at a small D-I school.

"He hits them all," Kutt said. "Whatever's out there, I'm very comfortable with him at the plate."

Denbow is a fine defensive outfielder, but Kutt has reservations about asking him to play outfield and pitch in back-to-back games of a doubleheader. It's a tough call, but not a bad problem to have for a coach.

"I'm working on trying to get him in a summer league right now," Kutt said. "Some guys want him as an outfielder. Other guys want him as a pitcher."

• • •

Former Messalonskee High School standout Megan Goodrow hit .392 for the UMaine-Farmington softball team last year. This season, Goodrow is an assistant coach as she fulfills her student-teaching requirement at Madison Junior High School.

"She's a valuable asset certainly to me as a first-year softball coach coming into the program," UMF coach Cyndi Pratt said. "She really does have a good knowledge of the game."

Pratt said Goodrow is working with UMF's infielders, most of whom are new to the starting lineup. Goodrow is also helping with the hitters.

"(She) certainly has a love for the game, and I think that enthusiasm kind of spills over onto our team," Pratt said. "It makes for a good atmosphere to be involved with."

• • •

Colby women's lacrosse is currently ranked third in the country in Division III in the laxpower.com computer ratings, which consider margin of victory and home-field advantage. The Mules are currently 6-1 and are coming off a 10-9, triple-overtime victory over powerful Middlebury.

The Mules have played both teams ranked above them in the laxpower.com ratings.

Colby defeated No. 1 Salisbury, 15-14, and lost to No. 2 Tufts, 13-9.

Kate Sheridan, the all-time leading scorer at Colby, leads the Mules this season with 14 goals and 22 assists. Other top goal-scorers for Colby are Kathleen Kramer, who has 13 goals, and Amy Campbell and Heather Nickerson, with 10 apiece. In all, Colby has 17 different goal-scorers in seven games, and goalkeeper Sarah Warnke was ranked 17th in Division III in goals-against-average through games of March 22.

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

Bookmark and share this story: digg del.icio.us Reddit

Reader comments

Click here to view or add reader comments