James Baker joined the Colby Baseball coaching staff in the 2021-22 academic year.
Baker graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, MA in 2006. There, he played baseball for four years (two with Coach Woods) and was the captain his senior year while playing in the 2006 National Championship game in the Division 3 College World Series in Appleton, Wisc. Also in 2006, Baker was named to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All League Team, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All League Team, the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-League Team, NEIBA All Star Game at Fenway Park and the All-New England Team. At Wheaton, he was 10-1 in his college career with 10 saves. Baker, along with Coach Woods and the rest of the 2006 baseball team was inducted into the Wheaton College Hall of Fame in 2019.
“I’ve known James Baker for almost 20 years now and I have been amazed at his work with people and players of all ages. His specialty is pitching development but he will impact in just about every aspect of our team. A person of unquestioned character, the highest-level of competency in pitching and team development and someone who’s passion is the care and growth of others – we are certainly lucky to have James in a Mules uniform.’ – Coach Woods
After graduation, Baker signed with the Nashua Pride, a professional baseball team in the Can-Am League and began his professional career as a relief pitcher. With Nashua, he went 3-1 with a 1.82 ERA. After one season, Baker signed with the San Diego Padres and went to minor league spring training in 2007. He has also pitched for the North Shore Spirit of the Can-Am League (4-1 record and a 1.37 ERA), the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League, the York Revolution of the Atlantic League and the Gary South Shore Railcats of the American Association for two seasons. In 2011, Baker went 3-1 in 42 appearances with 68 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in 49 innings. He finished his career with the Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association in 2012 after compiling a 2.49 ERA and helping the “Nuts” to the League Championship Series.
Outside of baseball, Baker graduated from the National Personal Training Institute in 2008 as a certified trainer and nutritional consultant. There, he completed hours of study in anatomy, physiology, Kinesiology, nutrition and program & business development.
Baker is the founder, manager and lead performance training coach of North Shore Performance Training, located inside the New England Premier SportsPlex building in Danvers, Ma. As a performance training coach, he specializes in athlete specific training, functional baseball training, pitching development, corrective exercise and educating clients on proper movement patterns that reduce the chance of injury. Baker is also the Founder and Pitching Coordinator for the NSPT-Pitching Lab. He is biomechanics certified by the National Pitching Association (NPA).
