Former Lyman star Colton Bender still living out his baseball dreams

Colton Bender occasionally pauses for a moment of appreciation while at the ballpark.

Not too far in the past, Bender was playing baseball at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon dreaming about the possibility of pursuing a professional career.

Now he’s in his fourth season as a minor leaguer in the San Diego Padres organization.

“I’m just so grateful for just the opportunity of having a jersey and doing what I grew up always wanting to do,” Bender said. “There’s times when I’m in the bullpen and I just look at the field and realize this is what I’ve been dreaming about doing my whole life.

“Sometimes you forget about it because you’re at the ballpark every single day. But it’s really important just to take a step back and appreciate what you have, no matter what it is.”

For the second straight summer, Bender is a catcher for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a High-A affiliate of the Padres in Indiana.

The 25-year-old Bender still faces a long climb to achieve his goal of wearing a major league uniform. He remains optimistic and continues to work hard every day as he’s done throughout his journey from Lyman Memorial to Quinnipiac to now.

“I’m just grinding away still,” Bender said. “It feels like I’ve been doing this for a while. But things are great. I’m having a lot of fun.”

Bender, who checks in at 5-foot-7, 195 pounds, has experienced the typical ups and downs of minor league baseball life.

After being selected by San Diego in the 10th round of the 2021 Major League draft, Bender was assigned to the organization’s rookie league team in Arizona and also spent time playing for the Lake Elsinore Storm, a Single-A team in California. He advanced to Fort Wayne last season.

Bender is one of four catchers on Fort Wayne’s roster. Playing time is divided up, making it challenging to get in a groove at the plate.

His daily routine helps him maintain a sharp focus.

“For me, it’s honestly keeping a process-oriented routine, coming to the park and doing the same things and not wavering from my routine,” Bender said. “If I do (waver), that’s when you start tinkering with your swing, you start overthinking things. For a guy in my situation, you have to be real stable with your routine and your process.”

On Thursday, Bender was in the starting lineup for a road game against Peoria (Illinois), going 1 for 5 with an RBI in a 6-4 loss in 10 innings. His two-out single in the eighth inning temporarily put the TinCaps ahead.

Overall, he is batting .174 with six doubles, one home run and 13 RBI in 39 games.

He’s learned a great deal about patience.

“You’re not getting the opportunities of an every-day guy, so you have to be very patient and wait for an opportunity,” Bender said. “It could be the next week, it could be the next day. And so you just have to be where your feet are every single day.

“Patience is something that I’ve learned in the last three years.”

As a catcher, Bender has plenty on his plate even when he’s not playing.

He usually arrives at the ballpark for a night game at around 1 p.m. He works with pitchers in the bullpen, does defensive drills and takes his turn during batting practice.

His joy for the game hasn’t diminished despite the the constant battle for survival in the minor leagues.

“I absolutely have the same passion and desire,” Bender said. “That’s never going to go away. I think the game just gets harder and you have to either sink or swim at that point. I have to fight every single day.

“Guys get drafted behind you and they’re coming up through the system. If you let up on the gas a little bit, they’re going to sneak up on you.”

Bender is in a good place overall.

He enjoys living in the Fort Wayne area and playing at Parkview Field, the home of the TinCaps. Road trips in the Midwest League are a reasonable distance, the longest being about six hours.

“It’s an absolute blessing to be a part of,” Bender said.

While back home during the all-star break, Bender stopped by a baseball camp run by Marty Gomez, his former high school coach. He spoke to the campers, signed autographs and handed out some Padres caps.

“To see the impact that Marty has had throughout the years and has continued to have, it’s just amazing,” said Bender, who attended Gomez’s camp as a kid. “It sparked up my love for the game more and gave me more appreciation for what he has done. It was a really good experience.”

Gomez appreciated Bender’s message to the kids.

“His message was basically to love the game and put a lot into the game because you never know where the game is going to take you if you put your heart and soul in the game and work hard,” Gomez said.

When the minor league season ends in early September, Bender will likely return to Connecticut. He’ll take some time off to rest and recover from a long season and then begin to work out again.

His future is uncertain.

One thing for sure, he still plans on chasing his dream.

“It’s hard to look down the road just because it will drive you nuts,” Bender said. “I’ll give myself a shot. As long as they give me a shot, I’ll keep going. I always said that they’re going to rip my jersey off. I’m not going to be the one to decide.”

g.keefe@theday.com