Former Deerfield Beach Bucks first baseman/starting pitcher Colby Lipovsky has announced his commitment to play college baseball at Florida State College in Jacksonville, Fla. with the Blue Wave. Lipovsky, a senior who transferred to J.P. Taravella to play his final high school season next spring, made his commitment official in an Instagram post on Nov. 12.
“I am beyond blessed and humbled to have the opportunity to play with Florida State College at Jacksonville next year. I first want to thank God and my parents as they supported me through this hectic summer,” Lipovsky wrote. “I also want to thank my friends and coaches who helped me reach this point, striving me to get better. My journey starts now.”
Lipovsky was a key piece on the Bucks varsity squad the past few seasons. His 2.80 ERA sparkled during the abbreviated 2020 spring season, where the Bucks went 8-2 en route to their first winning season in well over a decade. It all came crashing down when the season was forced to end early due to the pandemic.
Lipovsky also saw time at first base and often found himself hitting clean up in head coach Chuck Brown’s starting lineups. Colby has stated his intentions to market himself as a two-way player (both a strong hitter and pitcher, a rare commodity) upon entering college, but would settle for focusing exclusively on his lanky southpaw delivery.
Lipovsky models his game after MLB stars Clayton Kershaw and Christian Yelich. Kershaw is the Los Angeles Dodgers dominant ace and Yelich hits bombs consistently for the Milwaukee Brewers. Considering Lipovsky’s two-way status, one can see how he fits into both categories as a player. Lipovsky also changed his jersey number from 19 to 22 for the 2020 season, reflecting the jersey number of both pros.
Lipovsky’s time at Deerfield Beach helped prepare him for college-level baseball.
“The workouts we used to do [definitely helped]. The morning weight room sessions coach Chuck would hold at the school and at BARWIS [Methods, where the team often trained] both contributed to me getting stronger and faster. Coaches Brad [Stephenson] and Mike Rand also made sure I was practicing a safe and efficient arm care program,” Lipovsky said.
Lipovsky claims he does not envision himself as a “normal” American who works a 9-5 desk job. Using that as a driving force, he decided to seriously pursue baseball as an opportunity around his sophomore year of high school, refusing to let the pro ball dreams he has had since his early youth go down without a fight.
The 6’1” delivery driver who finds employment at Nick’s Pizza in Deerfield Beach also received interest from the University of Ohio, a Division 1 program. They were unable to make an offer to Lipovsky due to the backup of “redshirted” players caused by COVID-19.
Thus, Lipovsky headed into this past summer with an uncertain future. He had transferred to Taravella hoping to gain more scouting exposure and experience against better competition with the Trojans. Before he could even begin his tenure at his new school, Colby found himself playing summer ball for the Primal 9 travel program with his former Deerfield battery mate Marcus Gonzalez. That summer ball experience combined with his association with Crosbros Recruiting allowed Lipovsky and the Blue Wave to find each other.
“When my parents and I went up to [FSCJ] for a visit, [Brad] Frick, the head coach, was a really nice, genuine person. He believes that he has the ability to progress me as a player and push me to get to a D1 school, or possibly even get drafted,” Lipovsky said.
Although he will finish out his high school career as a Trojan, Lipovsky knows he will always be a Buck at heart.
“I have so many memories as a Buck. One being last year, with the program going 8-2. No one would have thought that was possible.”
Lipovsky also spoke of his memorable pitching performances during the 2020 season as fond experiences to look back on, including a 6 ⅔ inning masterpiece against Fort Lauderdale on Feb. 24 where he allowed just two hits, surrendering one unearned run while striking out six.
Lipovsky will become the second Buck in the last two years to receive a baseball scholarship. 2020 graduate and former Deerfield pitching ace C.J. Williams now plays at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Fla.
“Even though I have transferred to Taravella, I will still always consider myself a Buck. I just felt I had to have a fresh start and try out a different program,” Lipovsky said.
“Not a day goes by where I don’t appreciate what Coach Chuck and the coaching staff at Deerfield has done for me. They made me the player I am now.”
The ePathfinder wishes Colby the best of luck on his college baseball journey.
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