Mark Raynor was an exceptional shortstop for Barton College from 1991-95 who went on to play professionally in the Philadelphia Phillies organization for five seasons. Raynor is a native of Williamston, N.C. He still lives there with his wife, Joanna, and sons Tyler and Jake and is a senior mechanic with the Domtar Paper Company in nearby Plymouth.
He had a sensational career batting average in the upper .300s at Barton, where he was starting shortstop for four seasons on some of the greatest baseball teams in school history. The Bulldogs won both the conference regular season and tournament championships in 1993 and 1995 under the direction of head coach Todd Wilkinson. Raynor hit just over .300 his freshman season and was team co-MVP as a sophomore, when he batted .397 for a team that went 32-18 and was nationally ranked No. 24 by NAIA. His junior year, he hit just over .300 en route to All-CIAC and All-District 26 accolades.
He recorded one of the best baseball seasons in team history as a senior, when he batted nearly .500 and hit 12 home runs. As a result, he was named team MVP, All-CIAC, NAIA All-Mid South Region and was drafted in the 13th round by the Phillies.
“That ’93 team was the best team,” he said, rattling off teammates Jeff Bock, Dewey Scott, Chuck Sutton, Jody O’Neal, Scott Rybak, Angelo Cox, Dexter Harris, Keith Beaman and others. He also became close friends with basketball assistant coach Matt Painter, the current Purdue University head men’s basketball coach.
Raynor broke into the pro ranks in 1995 by playing in the short season in Batavia, N.Y. His best year as a pro was in 1996, when he played for Piedmont in Kannapolis, N.C., and earned a spot in the 1996 South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He led the league in fielding at .965 and led all Phillies minor leaguers in runs scored. His batting average of .304 was second in the league. He finished with 130 hits, including 21 doubles, two triples, four homers, 62 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
In 1997, he played in Clearwater, Fla., and led Florida State League shortstops in games (136), total chances (638) and assists (421). He batted .235 with 110 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, three homers, 45 RBI and eight stolen bases. Raynor started the 1998 season in Clearwater, and then was promoted to Reading, Pa., after one month. He was the team’s top hitter and ranked 10th in the league at .293. He notched 111 hits, had 31 RBI and stole seven bases and was honored as the “Hardest Out in the Eastern League.” He started the 1999 season in Reading, but got little playing time in the first 30 games. When he was asked to go back to Clearwater, he opted for retirement. Raynor finished his pro career with a .285 batting average.
