Pair of Two-Sport Stars Hang Up Their Spikes

Middlebury’s prospects for the 2014 season were dealt a serious blow last week when both Hunter Merryman ’15 and Dylan Sinnickson ’15 decided not to play. The pair of swingmen for the basketball team was given a weeklong grace period after basketball suffered a NESCAC tournament loss during the first weekend of March. However, both were expected at practice on Monday, March 10. But Merryman’s decision was made clear when he didn’t show up that afternoon. Sinnickson seemed much more on the fence, coming to two practices before calling it quits. Sinnickson, having missed the 2012-13 basketball season due to injury, practiced with the baseball team all of last winter, which paid off in a second team All-NESCAC performance in 2013.

The two players tied for the team lead in hitting last year at .379, with Sinnickson additionally leading the team in steals, slugging percentage and on base percentage. He provided a powerful presence in the top third of the order for a team largely devoid of home run threats. He also provided breathtaking athleticism on the base paths and in the outfield, running down fly balls that would have been sure doubles had the centerfielder been fully human. Often his speed made up for bad jumps on the bases and mediocre breaks on fly balls. Merryman joined the team after its spring break trip to Arizona last year, after traveling with the basketball team to Salem, Virginia for the NCAA Elite Eight, but immediately proved he belonged. The ability to step in with so little practice and rake like he did is a very rare quality, and Merryman possessed that gift. He and Sinnickson seemed poised to make up a 3-4 punch this season that would rival the NESCAC powerhouses. Both cited the grind of the basketball season as the determining factor in their decision.

That begs the obvious question; how does Middlebury go about recovering from losing their two best hitters in a three-day span? How do they replace those key cogs in the machine? The short answer is, they can’t, at least not right away. Sinnickson and Merryman were too important, and the players who will be vying for the spots are too young for it to be a fair expectation. However, there is potential there. Freshmen Ryan Rizzo and Mike Yang will get the first shots at the outfield spots vacated by Sinnickson and departed captain Tom Driscoll ’13. Rizzo is another athletic specimen and two-sport player (he’s a wide receiver on the football team in the fall), and Yang also brings above-average speed. The two frosh have been among the most consistent hitters during spring intrasquad scrimmages, and optimism for their futures is high. The corner infield spots, one of which Merryman occupied in 2013, will go to Johnny Luke and Joe MacDonald, two returning sophomores. Both players have potential and have hit well in the pre-season, but will need to make major strides offensively in real games to even hope of replacing the production of Merryman. Furthermore, another promising freshman looks to factor into the mix, as California-native Jason Lock hopes to garner some at bats at 1B or DH. Lock could be the best power bat on the roster right now, but, as most freshmen do, will need to refine his approach before taking on a major role in the offense.

The loss of these two stars is a possibly devastating blow, something that no other NESCAC club has had to deal with. On paper, it seems to doom the Panthers’ season, with no hope of a full recovery.  But, to use a cliché, that’s why they play the game.