CASTLETON, Vt. -- Next up in Castleton's Senior Spotlight series is baseball's, Davis Mikell.
Mikell, a native of Williston, Vermont, was a four-year member of the program and the Spartans' first-ever All-American selection. Throughout his career, Mikell appeared in 135 games for the Spartans, collecting 173 hits in 467 at-bats (.370 batting average), 116 runs batted in, 98 walks, 35 doubles, five triples, and 21 home runs. He also made 27 appearances on the mound as he compiled a 7-6 record while pitching 102.2 innings, recorded 127 strikeouts, and tallied a career earned run average of 2.63.
Mikell began his career off with a bang as he helped lead the Spartans to a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) title in 2017. As a freshman, Mikell played in 44 games for the Spartans and batted .313 (45-for-144) with 10 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 34 runs scored, 32 runs batted in, 26 walks, and eight stolen bases. His batting average of .313 was third-best on the team while he led the team in home runs and slugging percentage with .597.
Along with his strong batting, Mikell also flourished on the mound during his freshman season. He made nine appearances on the mound during the 2017 season which included eight starts. He compiled a record of 6-2 while earning a save and throwing three complete games. His earned run average of 1.64, which was second-best on the team behind senior Devin Hayes while earning a K/9 of 11.95. Mikell's best game on the mound that season came against nationally-ranked Cortland State on March 18, 2017. After the Red Dragons downed the Spartans 13-4 in the first game of the doubleheader, the Spartans turned to Mikell to help salvage a split as he made his first-ever start. Mikell did not disappoint as he earned the win, pitching a nine-inning complete game, giving up only one earned run while striking out nine batters as the Spartans defeated the Red Dragons 6-3.
As the Spartans finished the season with a record of 34-8, Mikell was one of the main centerpieces in the Spartans' championship run. In five games, Mikell tallied six hits including a double and two home runs, five runs batted in, four walks, scored five runs, and stole one base as the Spartans defeated New England College twice to earn a fourth straight NAC championship. He also earned the save against Husson to help propel the Spartans to the championship round and followed that up with a 10 strikeout performance over seven innings in the first game against New England College.
As a result of an outstanding freshman season, Mikell collected several awards including NAC Rookie of the Year, NAC Second Team All-Conference at first base, NAC All-Tournament Team, ABCA/NEIBA/D3Baseball.com Second Team All-Region, and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Rookie of the Year.
After a stellar freshman season, Mikell improved coming into his second season of action. As a sophomore, Mikell led the team with a .371 batting average which included 52 hits, 43 runs scored, and five home runs. He also tallied 12 doubles and one triple, drove in 36 runs, and stole six bases. His best game during the 2018 season came against New England College in the NAC championship game. As the Spartans earned a fifth straight title, Mikell outperformed the field as he tallied four hits in five at-bats which included two doubles and one home run for a season-high six runs batted in as the Spartans defeated the Pilgrims 22-5.
Mikell was named NAC Player of the Week twice during the 2018 season while also being named First Team All-NAC, NAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and NEIBA/ABCA Third Team All-Region.
As the Spartans transitioned over to the Little East Conference (LEC) for the 2019 season, Mikell had the best season of his career. He led the LEC last season with a .446 batting average which also ranked 11th in the nation. Along with his stellar batting average, Mikell reached base at .552 clip to lead the conference and ranked seventh in Division III. He finished the season with 62 total hits, including 10 doubles, two triples, and six home runs for a slugging percentage of .676, ranking him third in the LEC. He also recorded hitting streaks spanning 16 and 22 games at different times throughout the year while recording a hit in 33 of his 38 games with 19 multi-hit games.
As a dual-threat player, Mikell tossed 17 innings from the bump during the 2019 season and recorded seven saves which was good for top 25 in the nation. He also struck out 19 opposing batters, limiting their batting average to just .234, while posting a career-best 1.59 earned-run average.
After his stellar junior season, Mikell was named to the D3Baseball.com All-American Second Team, D3Baseball.com and ABCA First Team All-New England, and First Team All-LEC.
Through 11 games this past season, Mikell was on his way to having another spectacular season. In 44 at-bats, he tallied 14 hits for a .318 batting average while also collecting a team-high 15 runs batted in. His best game during his senior season occurred on March 8 as the Spartans defeated Bard College 23-14. In six at-bats, Mikell tallied three hits, scored one run, and a recorded a career-high seven runs batted in.
"His [Mikell] impact on the field has obviously been enormous, head coach Ted Shipley stated regarding his All-American senior. "He has been a dominating pitcher, a feared hitter, and an outstanding defender. He competes at an intense level and his ability to perform at a high level is incredible."
"He is as clutch as they come, and excels when the challenge increases."
