Junior pitcher Colton Book’s is currently one of the most dominant pitchers in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The St. Joe’s baseball coaching staff wanted redshirt junior pitcher Colton Book to be a Hawk out of high school in 2021. It just took him a few years to get there.
“It was great to get him, great to have him,” said head coach Fritz Hamburg. “He’s done a terrific job, and we’re happy he’s circled back to be a Hawk.”
The southpaw transferred to St. Joe’s this year from Stony Brook. “Needing a change,” Book said he was drawn to the school’s proximity to his home in Manheim, Pennsylvania, the quality of the education and the coaching staff.
He’s been dominant for the Hawks, with a 2.17 ERA in his 37.1 innings pitched this season, as of March 24. His average of .80 walks plus hits per innings pitched and record of 4-1 has quickly made Book an ace for the Hawks, who lost a number of arms in the off-season to graduation, the MLB draft and the transfer portal.
“Every outing, he’s given us great starts,” Hamburg said. “[We’re] just being super cautious with him because we don’t have a lot of length in our pitching staff, so we need him healthy.”
Book currently leads the Atlantic 10 conference overall in strikeouts with 55, is third in ERA and has the second most innings pitched. But last season with the Seawolves, he was putting up much different numbers, finishing the season with a 10.52 ERA across 25.2 innings. He credited the work he did in the fall with former St. Joe’s pitching coach Jeremy Hileman as a big part of his growth from last season.
“That development piece was really big for me,” Book said. “And getting my confidence back on the mound was also very important.”
Fifth-year catcher Aidan Duda has played baseball with Book since they were around 13, playing for Pennsylvania travel team the Keystone State Bombers, and has recognized Book’s command on the mound from back then.
“Growing up with him, he’s always just been in the zone attacking. He has an amazing pick off move,” Duda said. “His fastball’s got so much life on it and speed that he’s just able to dominate.”
One of Book’s most dominant appearances came at the expense of his younger brother, Nolan Book, a first-year at Mount St. Mary’s. Book threw a no-hitter through the first six innings but gave up one on the second batter of the seventh inning. Whenever Book’s brother came up to the plate, Duda said “it was the only at bats [Book was] showing emotion.”
With his brother knowing everything he was throwing, Book said he “tried to level it up” against his brother. And he did, securing a shutout win after a ground out from his brother.
“My hardest fastballs of the day were to him,” Book said. “It was more like I didn’t want him to beat me, out of anybody.”
Already a two-time A-10 pitcher of the week and named College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Week Feb. 25, Book gave credit to his teammates behind him on the diamond.
“When I’m out there throwing, I have all the confidence in the world that the people behind me are going to make the plays and they’re going to do what they can to help me out,” Book said.
Described as a quiet guy by both Duda and Hamburg, his coach said that even though he keeps to himself, Book is still a huge part of things for the Hawks.
“He’s a super conscientious guy, really diligent about his work,” Hamburg said. “He fits great, fits right in, and we’re super glad he’s here.”