Bates Bobcast Episode 182: Catching up with All-American pitcher Thom Freeman '63

You can find Thom Freeman '63 all over the Bates baseball record book. He pitched 18 complete games in three seasons and struck out 181 batters -- both are program records to this day. In 1962, Freeman was the winning pitcher in seven of the Bobcats’ 12 victories, leading Bates to the Maine State Series title and the Eastern NCAA Finals. And in 1963, he was named a second team All-American in the college division by the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. Standing at 6'6'' or 6'7" depending on who you ask, Freeman also starred on the basketball court, helping Bates advance to the NCAA Regional Finals in 1961. Freeman graduated with a degree in psychology and a career Earned Run Average of 2.47. He then signed with the New York Yankees and played four seasons in their farm system. As a Yankee minor leaguer, Freeman learned from the great Whitey Ford and his height was even the subject of a Yogi Berra quote. The Hall of Fame catcher turned Yankee manager was quoted in The Sporting News as saying “These are the tallest kids I’ve ever seen in our camps. Good thing we don’t pay rookies by the inch.” Freeman went on to have a long career at IBM and in 2016 he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Today, he joins the Bobcast to reflect on his time at Bates, including his close relationship with famed Bates head coach William “Chick” Leahey '52.