In the Maine Baseball Firmament there is no brighter galaxy than the Woodbreys and no brighter star in the cluster than Gorham’'s Mark. The son of Ed Woodbrey, a stellar player himself who later coached and scouted, Mark learned his lessons well and was a standout of Gorham High. He won 11 letters in soccer, basketball, and baseball and received the coveted Knapton Award as the Ram’s top scholar-athlete in 1971. He was also a rare All-American soccer selection in his senior high. While in high school he was also a top-notch second baseman with Jim Burrill’s Manchester Post nines. Mark joined another Pine Tree native, coach Bill Thurston, at Amherst college and fashioned a fabulous record with the Lord Jeffs. He lettered all four seasons in baseball and won Amherst MVP honors in both junior and senior years. In both years Mark was selected 1st Team All-New England and second team All-American.
He was selected in 1975 to receive the Howard Hill Mossman Cup for bringing the greatest honor in athletics to Amherst.
While starring on the diamond, Mark was also a soccer stalwart and holds a unique distinction for Maine products, he was drafted for two professional sports. Both the American Soccer League (Rhode Island) and North American Soccer League (Boston Minutemen) selected Mark while the San Francisco Giants also drafted the Amherst Ace.
From 1975 to 1979 Mark cavorted in the Giant farm chain. He began as a second baseman at Cedar Rapids (A) lowa. He soon moved to centerfield and was a California League All-Star centerfielder at Class A Fresno. He played Double A ball at Waterbury and Shreveport where a broken finger on his throwing hand (second injury of the same digit) ended his season at .245 and his pro career at 26.
Mark and his wife Vicki are the proud parents of a one-year old son, Craig, and Mark is operating the Lovell Lumber Company.
Posted May 9, 2010
Solloway: He got lost in the pile, not the shuffle
STANDISH – Craig Woodbrey was on the ground and in survival mode, drawing his knees to his chest and covering his head with his arms. One by one his St. Joseph’s teammates jumped on him. It was a classic dog-pile celebration.
This is what happens when it’s your hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that drives in the run that not only wins the game, but claims the Great Northeast Athletic Conference baseball title for your team.
Somewhere at the bottom of that dog pile you’ll find Craig Woodbrey, whose hit with two outs in the ninth drove in the winning run for St. Joseph’s in a conference final last Sunday.
Somewhere at the bottom of that dog pile you’ll find Craig Woodbrey, whose hit with two outs in the ninth drove in the winning run for St. Joseph’s in a conference final last Sunday. St. Joseph’s College Photo
This is what happens when everyone knows the road you took to this juncture was filled with potholes and detours.
He’s being set up, thought St. Joseph’s Coach Will Sanborn, as Woodbrey walked to the batter’s box last Sunday. Not to fail, but to succeed.
High school baseball fans remember the hard-hitting senior who played in the outfield and pitched, helping lead Gorham High to the Class B state championship in 2005. He hit .324 for his high school career. He led his conference in the unlikely combination of saves and triples in his junior year.
Just tell me what to do, coach.
Older fans will remember his father, Mark Woodbrey, a talented infielder drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 14th round out of Amherst College. Andre Dawson was selected three rounds earlier that year by the Montreal Expos. Dave Stewart was taken in the 16th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The elder Woodbrey played five seasons in the Giants’ farm system. He left baseball after two seasons at the Double-A level. His minor league career average was .263
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