By Tom Haley
There was a different vibe around Saint Michael's College baseball this spring. The old doormat was no longer a welcome mat — a guaranteed victory for Northeast 10 Conference opponents — and the respect mounted with the victories.
The Purple Knights earned the first NE10 playoff spot in program history. The team set the program record with 20 victories.
The Knights finished 20-26 and 18-18 in the NE10, one of Division II's toughest baseball leagues.
That is a record that might not get shouted from the rooftops on most campuses, but if you know the history of Saint Michael's baseball, that record represents a remarkable step.
You could sort of sense the improvement coming in 2024 and 2025 but the past season exceeded all expectations.
"I don't know if you could really foresee going from eight wins to 20," coach Jim Neidlinger said.
Neidlinger's first year was the COVID year and the abbreviated campaign ended at 0-2.
Then came 2021 and the Purple Knights went 1-23.
"We knew the first seasons were going to be bad. The pitching was young," Neidlinger said.
The next two seasons was more of the same, 4-33 in 2022 and 5-30 in 2023.
Then, came some success. It was far from a home run, but you could call the results warning track power. They achieved a double-digit win total (11-13) in 2024 and went 8-29 in 2025.
A program that had been mired in futility most of its history had some life.
That set the stage for this spring's record breaking season that saw the first postseason berth and some series that branded the Purple Knights as someone to be taken seriously in the NE10. They swept a four-game series from American International College and won three of four against both Southern Connecticut and Franklin Pierce University.
"We have been adding to our pitching year by year and the seniors were becoming the leaders," Neidlinger said.
The Purple Knights achieved their unprecedented success this year with Sam Cavossa becoming the all-time hits leader.
They did not have a prolific lineup 1-9, but they did boast a pitching staff that shaved nearly two runs off last year's earned run average.
"The guys had roles and they executed them," Neidlinger said.
When you look for reasons that the program has climbed out of the NE10 cellar and has an opportunity for even better things ahead, count coaching continuity as one of the factors.
Neidlinger and assistant Matt Meunier came to the Colchester campus together seven years ago.
The staff's long-term commitment is beginning to catch the eye of former players, fans and alumni.
"The alumni had been a little bit disconnected. It is no fault of theirs," Neidlinger said. "Some of them had four different head coaches in four years.
"Now they see that a staff has been there for seven years and they see that it is coming to life."
Neidlinger has received texts and emails from alumni and former players that verify this new feeling about the baseball program.
He also credits a belief in the school's administration and that has helped to pulled other athletic programs on campus to new heights and some postseason excitement that had been so elusive in the past.
Neidlinger said that the most important contribution that he has made is surrounding himself with a great staff.
"Not just one person can do this," he said.
He pointed out that the bulk of his recruits come from the New England states, New York and Pennsylvania.
Many high schools in the Northeast have turf fields and that has become almost a necessity at cold weather college baseball programs.
Obtaining a turf field — or at the least a turf infield — is on Neidlinger's radar but he knows that the quest is expensive. He is willing to work toward the goal and follow administrator's advice.
"You have to have patience and have success as well. The two go hand-in-hand," Neidlinger said.
The staff has had some success recruiting southern Vermont and, in fact, Fair Haven's Andrew Lanthier is the Knights' all-time stolen base leader with 44 steals from 2021 through 2024.
Lanthier also made a catch while tumbling over the outfield fence that earned the Purple Knights some widespread TV exposure.
The 2027 campaign could be a very special one for Brattleboro's Jack Pattison if his health can return to being 100% after shoulder surgery.
"His athleticism gives him a chance to be our best player," Neidlinger said. "He is dynamic. He has speed and power.
"He plays with a chip on his shoulder. He is the kind of guy you don't want to play against. He is that player you need to make the team better."
Pattison had his at-bats limited due to injury but still batted .307 with three home runs, eight doubles and a triple among his 31 base hits.
Ryan Canty is not from southern Vermont. He played his high school ball at CVU, but likely has more relatives in Rutland County than Lanthier has stolen bases.
He was a senior pitcher for the Purple Knights and filled an important role as the middle and long reliever.
"He was not extremely fast," said Neidlinger, himself once a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "But he had great control. He could throw strikes when behind on the count."
Neidlinger and Canty have a long relationship. Canty had been coming to Neidlinger's baseball facility in Shelburne since he was 12 years old.
"Ryan holds a pretty special place in my heart," the SMC coach said.
It is obvious that the SMC baseball program also occupies a special place in Neidlinger's heart. You do not keep coming back for seven years after such a woeful start if it does not.
The commitment is there and prospective recruits have a successful building project that they can now look at when weighing their important decision.
"It is all moving in the right direction," Neidlinger said.
There is excitement on campus and around the state about the 2027 Saint Michael's College baseball season. There was a time not so long ago when nobody could see that coming.
