The Big Green baseball guide used only two lines to talk about newcomer Mike Conway '99, noting that the transfer from the University of San Diego would "provide depth to the infield."
Teammate and All-Ivy League selection Eric Anderson '99 thinks of Conway not only as a baseball player, but as a politician.
"When he first came to the team, he was always shaking our hands and smiling," Anderson said. "We all think's he's a politician that always walks around with the goofy grin and a handshake."
Put the two images together and you would think Conway transferred to Dartmouth to sit on the bench, flash his smile and talk about taxes. Or maybe Conway came to Dartmouth to put together one of the best seasons in Big Green history.
After switching to third base from his native second base during the preseason, Conway earned a spot in the starting lineup that he won't relinquish until he graduates. Batting leadoff, Conway gave opposing pitchers nightmares by batting .399 for the season while accumulating 61 hits, eclipsing the previous school record of 55. Not satisfied with breaking one record, the third baseman scored 43 runs, two more than the former Big Green mark. All of these statistics led Conway to be named a unanimous choice to the All-Ivy League first team, the only unanimous choice in the league.
"During the season I never paid attention to my statistics, thinking I needed two runs in this game or that game to break the record. But looking back it's nice to see," he said.
After receiving honors and praises from coaches around the league, his teammates decided that they would bestow one upon him as well, team co-captain for the 1998 season.
"Conway is the type of player we all model ourselves after, both on and off the field," Anderson said. "On the field, he is a great hitter and plays outstanding defense. Off the field, he is a great guy who is focused on his training and his academics. The team looks to him for leadership in all aspects."
"The personal honors really aren't that important but to be selected as a co-captain by my teammates is a great honor," Conway said.
This all came as a change for Conway, who left the warmth of San Diego for Hanover on a whim because he coveted a chance to play and a chance to study.
"I was basically redshirting at San Diego and just wanted to play ball," Conway remembers. "While at home over Thanksgiving freshman year, after talking with my coach I decided to apply to Dartmouth and figured I'd see what happened. I'd never even seen the school or read anything about it."
What happened was a team high17 game hit streak, 14 multiple-hit games and six games where he pounded out three or more hits.
Even with all of those accomplishments, the feat many will remember his year by was his two homer performance against Brown, one of them a leadoff homer, which tied the school record.
"Wow, I don't know where that game came from. I haven't hit two home runs in my career, not to mention in one game," he said.
"Dartmouth has been wonderful, I couldn't ask for anything more."Conway said. "When I came here I wanted to play and work my way into the system, and next thing I know I'm leading off and playing third base. I was more than surprised because I don't consider myself very talented or that great of an athlete. The only thing I have going for me is my work ethic, the fact that I'm always going the extra step to make myself better. But I always knew I wanted to do more than provide depth, I took a lot of ribbing for that at home when people read the media guide."
Part of the surprise is that Conway played the entire season at the hot corner, a position he had never held in his life.
"Early on in pre-season practice they moved me to third from second base, where I had always played," he said. "It was a tough adjustment and for awhile I felt as if I was going to misplay every ball I booted so many grounders. But eventually I got more comfortable there."
Joining the transfer on the left side of the infield to form an All-Ivy pairing was freshman Brian Nickerson, who led the team in hitting and earned a spot on the Baseball America All-Freshmen squad.
"Playing next to Brian was great because he is so talented," Conway said. "But I'd like to move back to second base sometime and turn some double plays with him."
While Conway discovered how to play third, the Big Green discovered how to win. This year's squad reeled off a 16 game win streak before finishing the year 22-16 overall. The winning wasn't anything new to Conway, who has never experienced a feeling of defeat in his career.
"It's hard for me to imagine that I'm excited about a season where we went 22-16 because I don't think I lost 16 games in my four years of high school combined," Conway, whose high school team was ranked sixth in the nation during his senior season, said. "But it's great here because during our win streak, I got to see the faces of guys who had never tasted that kind of success. To come into a program and help develop it into a winning program is a nice feeling."
Although you would never know from looking at him, Dartmouth hasn't been all smiles for Conway. The ballplayer from Englewood, Colorado wants to be known more as an economics major than an infielder.
"The work here is tough, nothing like I've ever experienced before and certainly a different level than UCSD. People here say all I do is eat, sleep and drink baseball, but I'd rather eat, sleep and drink economics."
Don't get him wrong, though. He'd like to use the economics aspect to negotiate a fair major league contract.
"Playing ball after college in the minors would be a dream come true," Conway said. "I'd love to do that for a few years, but if I never got to the majors, I know it would be time to get out of baseball."
For now, Conway has no thoughts of getting out of baseball, out of Dartmouth or out of class. And next year he is guaranteed to once again have two lines in the back of the media guide, on the records page.
