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Jersey Number 6
Colton Bender
- Position:
- Catcher
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Lebanon, Conn.
- Previous Team:
- Lyman Memorial
- Height:
- 5-9
- Weight:
- 195
2019 NEIBA All-New England Third Team
2019 All-MAAC Second Team
Three-time MAAC All-Academic Team (2019, 2020, 2021)
2019 All-NECBL First Team
Two-time Buster Posey Award Watch List (2019, 2021)
As a Senior in 2021
As a Junior in 2020 (Season Cut Short Due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
As a Sophomore in 2019
As a First Year in 2018
Prior to Quinnipiac
2019 All-MAAC Second Team
Three-time MAAC All-Academic Team (2019, 2020, 2021)
2019 All-NECBL First Team
Two-time Buster Posey Award Watch List (2019, 2021)
As a Senior in 2021
- Named to the MAAC All-Academic Team
- Named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team at Catcher for a second straight season
- Named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List for the second time in his career
- Slashed .266/.349/.436 in his fourth season as a Bobcat
- Led the team with seven doubles and ranked second on the team with three home runs, 25 hits, 15 runs scored, 11 walks and his .436 slugging percentage
- Ranked third on the team with 19 RBIs
- Recorded seven multi-hit games on the season
- Had a season-best three hits as he went 3 for 5 with a home run, double, two RBIs and two runs in the final game of a four-game series with Monmouth on March 21
- Went 2 for 2 with a double, home run, four RBIs and walk in game two of a doubleheader at Fairfield on April 7
- Blasted a three-run home run as he went 2 for 4 in the final game of a doubleheader with Siena on April 10
- Recorded four RBIs in the season-ending doubleheader at Marist on May 15
As a Junior in 2020 (Season Cut Short Due to COVID-19 Pandemic)
- Named to the MAAC All-Academic Team
- Named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team at Catcher
- Slashed .235/.245/.353 as he went 12 for 51
- Had four extra base hits with three doubles and a home run, along with eight RBIs and four runs scored
- Started all 13 games he played in and had four multi-hit games
- Went 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI in a loss at UTA on Feb. 16
- Recorded two doubles and a home run as he went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored in a loss at James Madison on Feb. 23
- Had a second straight three-hit game as he went 3 for 4 with a double and a walk as he had two RBIs and one run scored in a win at VMI on Feb. 28
- Ended the season with a pair of singles in a win at Kennesaw State on March 11
As a Sophomore in 2019
- Named to the NEIBA All-New England Third Team
- Named to the All-MAAC Second Team as a Designated Hitter
- Named to the MAAC All-Academic Team
- Named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team
- Played for the Newport Gulls of the NECBL where he was named to the All-NECBL First Team
- Named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List
- Had four hitting streaks of at least seven games in 2019, including a 10-game hitting streak to close out the season
- Led the Bobcats with a .322 batting average
- Also finished tied for second with 14 doubles, third with a career-high 66 hits and was fourth among qualifiers with a .373 on base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage
- Opened up an eight-game hitting streak with a double a Wake Forest on Feb. 24
- Recorded a career-high four hits with a double, two runs scored and an RBI at FGCU on March 10
- Tied his career-high with another four-hit game with a double, RBI and run in a win vs. Canisius on April 7
- Went 2 for 4 with his first home run of the season and four RBIs at La Salle on April 14
- Had six hits, including two doubles and a home run, four runs and five RBIs in a series sweep of Rider from April 27-29
- Opened his 10-game hitting streak with two hits, two runs and an RBI in a win at Fairfield on May 11
- Went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a double to clinch a share of the MAAC Regular Season Championship
- Had six hits in the NCAA Tournament Greenville Regional, including a 4 for 5 aftternoon with a double vs. Campbell
As a First Year in 2018
- Appeared in 34 games, including 28 starts, as both a catcher and a designated hitter
- Hit .299 with 11 RBI on the year
- Had a huge two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score in a 7-6 comeback win over Siena in the MAAC Tournament
- Hit 3-for-7 in the MAAC Tournament overall, including a 2-for-3 effort against Monmouth
- Broke a 0-0 tie with an RBI single in the last at-bat of a 3-0 road win over Canisius
- Homered in a road game at Marist
- Batted 4-for-6 in a doubleheader with Rider in the regular season finale
- Was 2-for-2 in a road game at Bryant
- Had RBI in both games of a doubleheader with Niagara
Prior to Quinnipiac
- Played baseball at Lyman Memorial High School
- Hit .646 during 20-game regular season as a senior, ending the year with a .609 average and 59 hits.
- Hit a grand slam in the state finals
- Finished with a four-year batting average of .461
- First-team all-conference catcher all four years
- All State selection as a junior and senior
- Norwich Bulletin Player of the Year as a senior, and an all-area selection from the Norwich Bulletin as a junior and senior
- Eastern Connecticut Umpire Board Sportsmanship Award winner as a senior Backus Hospital Player of the Week
- Connecticut High School Coaches Association All Star Team as a junior and senior
- Selected to represent Connecticut in an all-star game against Massachusetts as a senior.
- Played club baseball with the CT Blue Jays, earning MVP honors in 2014 and a batting title in 2016
- Helped Lyman Memorial to a runner-up finish in the state championships as a senior.
Personal
- Son of John and Jamie Bender
- Has an older sister Jordan
- Majoring in health science
- National Honor Society member and honor roll recipient all four years of high school
- Has worked with children with special needs through the Little League Challenger Division, and mentored a child with Down's Syndrome during basketball season while in high school
- Lists fishing, hunting and golf as his favorite hobbies.
Baseball vs. Niagara (April 4)
Saturday, April 04
Baseball vs. Niagara (April 3)
Friday, April 03
Baseball vs. Niagara (April 2)
Thursday, April 02
Baseball vs. Rhode Island (3/24)
Tuesday, March 24
