Dylan Presby from his playing days at Newbury College. (The Town Line file photo)
Dylan Presby, a China resident, was recently named the head baseball coach at Messalonskee High School, in Oakland. This is a great achievement for a 26-year-old to get a class “A” coaching job.
He has gone from All – Star shortstop in Little League (3-time District 5 champion), All-Star shortstop for Babe Ruth again a 2-time champion for the district and a state championship once. During his final season in Babe Ruth he was also the winner of the “Walter Golden Award”, which is given to the player who best exemplifies the true meaning of good sport and leader, and is the most sought after award for Augusta Babe Ruth league. Then he went on to Erskine Academy, in South China, played varsity and was named the Kennebec Journal player of the year his senior year. This all led to playing college ball for two years, at Newbury College, in Massachusetts, and during that time was awarded the division sportmanship award.
After college he came home and umpired a lot of games in the youth divisions, (and he still does), and became a teacher in the school district. His first year he got the seventh grade coaching job for baseball which he held for two years. After the second year he went on to the high school and coached the JV baseball team for two years and became a favorite with all that were involved.
Then came the opening of the varsity baseball job at Messalonskee High, which he applied for. After the school conducted the interviews he was given the job. This makes it full circle for him, from little league to high school he was a role model to all of those in the sport. He worked hard and is now doing what he was born to do, guide younger players into playing with a good attitude and being a good sport.
In an article published in The Town Line on November 27, 2017, Erskine Academy coach Lars Jonassen said, “Presby took on the role to be content to give the spotlight to the other players by simply doing whatever the Eagles needed to win. Jonassen called Presby “our best player.”
Jonassen continued by saying, “He was an unsung hero, and didn’t care that he never got any recognition.”
Presby wanted his senior year at Erskine to be something special. “I needed to work on my hitting, and not settle for being a decent fielder.”
During his senior season, Presby batted .490, and went 4-2 as a pitcher with two saves. His regular position is second base, although he did fill in playing center field.
Prior to that season, Dylan played for the Maine Lightning in the Elite Baseball League and prepared himself to play at a higher level. “ That really helped me get my swing down, get my mechanics ready for my senior year, and I felt like that really helped me out to start the season.”
For his accomplishment at Erskine, Presby was named the Kennebec Journal’s Baseball Player of the Year, an accolade that, it is believed, has never been given to a China resident before.
He then moved on to a higher level of competition. He has taken his baseball skills to Newbury College, in Brookline, Massachusetts, a Division III school that plays in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).
The 18-year-old freshman reflected on his high school experience and his coach, explaining that Jonassen kept drilling into Presby the importance of staying focused with the task at hand. And Presby attributes the way he plays with the persistence of his coach.
But, in college, he found more of the same, and then some. “The major changes between high school and college is how in-depth the college coaches critique your every move. I felt I was learning something new every day even though I have been playing ball ever since I can remember.”
His goal was to go to college and enjoy the experience. “Being on the baseball team only makes the experience better,” he said. He chose Newbury College because of the small school environment and the location of the campus.
In the same 2017 article, Newbury College head coach Kraig Kupiec said, “Dylan is doing great here at Newbury and, as a freshman, is fighting for playing time in a very congested and competitive outfield.”
Dylan credits his parents for playing a huge role in his development as a baseball player. “My dad was able to drill commitment in my head ever since I was younger. There was no excuse to miss practice. No excuse on why I can’t put extra swings off the tee. My dad was able to contribute to my maturing as a man, as I grew to understand my priorities.”
What about mom? “Mom helped me better myself every practice and every game because she is my number one fan and I always wanted to make her smile when I played.”
His love of baseball started at a young age. He played Little League in China since T-ball and was an all-star from ages 9-12 years old.
Outside of baseball, Dylan has realized that life outside of China, Maine, is much different, especially since he went to school in Massachusetts. “China is a small town where everyone knows everyone. I always like that because I love running into old friends.”
Dylan didn’t expect to play baseball after college, so he has turned to the next best thing, mentoring younger players in the game he loves.
Dylan is the son of David and Michelle Presby, of China.
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