Colby hires Plummer as interim baseball coach

Dale Plummer, who pitched in the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets organizations, has been named the interim baseball coach at Colby College in Waterville for the 2007 season.

Plummer was the pitching coach for Colby last spring and helped the White Mules improve by 10 wins over the previous season. Plummer’s guidance also helped the pitching staff lower the team earned run average by nearly three runs per game.

“Dale did a terrific job and major impact on the pitching staff in just one season,” Colby athletic director Marcella Zalot said in a press release.

“He is a proven coach and has a vast amount of baseball experience in the college and professional ranks. With Dale working with the team last year, it should make for a smooth transition for this year as he takes over the head coaching responsibilities.”

Colby head coach Tom Dexter will be on a sabbatical for the 2007 season.

Plummer was selected in the 1988 amateur draft by the New York Mets after graduating from the University of Maine. He earned the Mets’ Class-AAA Most Inspirational Player Award in 1993 and that same year was honored with the Webster Award for being an outstanding minor league representative of the Mets both on and off the field.

Plummer compiled a 38-19 record with 29 saves in his minor league career with the Mets and Red Sox organizations.

During his playing career, Plummer started the Professional Baseball Experience to administer and direct baseball academies in Maine. He still runs his business and has trained young pitchers individually. Mark Rogers, a fifth-round selection in the 2004 amateur draft and a Gatorade National Player of the Year honoree, worked extensively with Plummer.

Before arriving at Colby last year, Plummer served as an assistant at Bowdoin College from 2001-05. The Polar Bears set school records for victories in a season in three of Plummer’s five seasons as an assistant.

Plummer’s last head coaching job was at Gardiner Area High School from 1996-2000 and led the Tigers to three consecutive playoff appearances.