North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes' World: This Colt is a Stallion
3/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
By Tony Haynes
His name is Colt. He plays a sport that has produced "The Iron Horse," "Moose," "The Big Cat," and "The Bird."
In other words, the marketing department's job just got a lot easier.
Colt Morton, a freshman catcher for the NC State baseball team, isn't playing like a freshman. In fact, he's starting to look more like a stallion.
All he did in a three game series at Virginia last weekend was to go 8-for-13 with three homers and eight RBIs. For the season, the young Colt is now hitting .316 with nine home runs and 27 runs batted in. Makes you wonder why Coach Elliott Avent was having nightmares about his catching situation during the off-season.
But upon the graduation of Dan Mooney last year, Avent and his staff had every reason to be worried. After all, Mooney had consistently supplied much needed power to a lineup that wasn't exactly bringing back memories of murderers row.
Not only did Mooney tie for the club lead in homers last year, he was also generally considered the best defensive catcher in the ACC.
"Catching is the one spot we're concerned about because we feel like we lost the best catcher in college baseball," Avent said before the season.
Prior to the season, the candidates to fill the void left by Mooney were junior Sammy Esposito, Arkansas transfer Justin Riley, and freshman Conor Clougherty, the younger brother of former Wolfpack All-American Pat Clougherty.
Then there was Colt Morton, who galloped his way to Raleigh from King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. After batting .339 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs as a senior, Morton was selected in the 36th round of the 2000 June baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Fortunately for NC State, he decided that professional baseball could wait.
With his 6-5, 207 pound frame, Colt is unusually tall for a catcher. Yet, to this point, his work behind the plate has been a pleasant surprise. Then there's the vicious swing that certainly grabbed the attention of Virginia's pitchers over the weekend. When he wasn't crushing the ball over the wall or smashing line drives for extra basis, Morton was scattering the Uva bullpen with lasers that just happened to curve foul.
Morton has also demonstrated a flair for the dramatic in his freshman campaign. On March 16 in Raleigh, his two out, three run homer in the bottom of the ninth sent a game against Florida State into extra innings. In the opening game of the Virginia series, his two run double in the top of the ninth tied the score. In the seventh inning and later, he is 12-for-34 with four homers, four double and 12 RBIs. Morton's slugging percentage in the last three innings of games is .824.
At 12-13 overall and 4-5 in the ACC, NC State is a team that is in need of some good news. After undergoing shoulder surgery, talented pitcher and outfielder Mike Prochaska has been lost for the season. As a freshman last year, Prochaska batted .350 and gave the Pack a strong lefthander out of the bullpen. Also out for an extended period is relief ace Josh Miller, who suffered a knee injury while playing in a pick-up basketball game earlier this month. Given the recent history of Wolfpack hoops, Miller should have known that playing basketball at NC State usually leads to injuries.
Fortunately, Colt Morton has been like a breath of fresh air. Just like "The Iron Horse," "Moose," "The Big Cat," and "The Bird."
