By Rick Assad
Colby Bette is soft-spoken, confident and a competitor and these traits may have assisted the Burbank High baseball player to excel on the field.
“I approached the game as if it was just a game and I was playing with some of my friends, which essentially it was,” he stated. “This allowed me to play the game with some intensity and competitiveness, while still having fun. If it’s not fun, you probably shouldn’t be playing.”
Bette, who was on the varsity the last three seasons, will attend Los Angeles Mission College where he will be a pitcher and hasn’t decided on a major, said baseball isn’t easy and that miscues are going to occur.
“I realize that one mistake doesn’t always mean the end of the world,” he added. “I try to bounce back from my mistakes because I know that mistakes don’t define me as a person or player. It’s how I deal with those mistakes that define me.”
Bette, who batted .364 with an on-base percentage of .462, an on-base plus slugging percentage of .946 as a senior and a CIF Southern Section first-team pick after the team went 8-11 and 6-8 in Pacific League action, toiled at four positions for the Bulldogs.
“Out of all the positions I played (pitcher, catcher, middle infield and third base), I prefer pitcher,” he noted. “Pitching allows me to control the game by being involved in every play. Each pitch is another challenge to be won.”
When Bette, a two-time Bulldog Pitcher of the Year who finished with a 2.71 earned-run average with 58 strikeouts and 21 walks in 2025, took the field, his goal was to give everything he had.
“I would like to thank my parents [Jim and Pam] for instilling in me my competitive spirit. Even though sometimes it can be a little too competitive,” he admitted. “I try to carry the mentality of giving 100 percent effort to everything I do, whether it’s school, sports, or even playing board games with my family.”
Aside from talent and desire, Bette, who was tabbed All-CIF honorable mention twice, loves the game of baseball.
“I excelled because of my love of playing and watching baseball. Also, I have been playing since I was four years old,” he said. “I have had a lot of support from my family with my dad being my coach for most of my early years playing to knowing that my parents will always be in the stands watching my games and cheering me on. I have also put in a lot of practice, putting in many hours both on and off the field.”
Bob Hart has been the head baseball coach for two decades and offered high praise for Bette, who was also a scholar-athlete.
“His legacy will be that of a gamer. As someone who came out and competed every time. An excellent student and even a better person,” he said. “The thing that stood out to me was the bigger pressure situation, the bigger the game, the better he did. That’s a rarity and it shows a lot of character and resilience and ultimately a Bulldog attitude.”
There were victories and there were setbacks as Burbank went 29-36 and 20-22 in league games during Bette’s three campaigns, but a few contests stood apart from the several dozen Bette played in.
“I’ve had many memorable moments, but two of them really stand out. The first is our 2024 away game versus Burroughs. I pitched a complete game [1-0] shutout to win the game,” he recalled. “This was a highly charged and emotional win for both me and the whole team against our crosstown rivals. The other was this year’s away game against Crescenta Valley played at Stengel Field. I pitched eight innings in a close [6-2 in nine innings] overtime game and only gave up two runs.
Bette added: “Offensively, I was able to drive in two key insurance runs to help our team to victory,” he stated. “I feel like I was really able to contribute both offensively and defensively and it felt great to get that win.”
Part of being an athlete is also being accountable.
“Being a responsible person is top of my list and answering questions, even if they are sometimes uncomfortable questions, helps me to see the game from a wider view,” said Bette, who was on two teams that made the playoffs including 2023 when the Bulldogs reached the Division IV quarterfinals. “It is a great chance for self-reflection.”
Bette went on: “Talking about the games, win or lose, helps me to see what I can continue to do or what I need to do better in the future,” he said. “This helps me to be a better representative of the game as a whole.”
Looking back at his time in a Bulldog uniform was everything and more for Bette.
“I had big expectations for what high school baseball would be like and I wasn’t disappointed,” he said. “It exceeded everything I thought it would be and I could never have imagined the highs and lows I would experience and the camaraderie of my teammates that were there with me through it all.”
Having gone through the grind of practice and the game, Bette recalled what the Burbank skipper told him.
“Some advice that I will always remember came from Coach Hart. He told me to have the memory of a goldfish, meaning to have a short memory,” he quipped. “Don’t harp on any mistakes you make, forget them and move on focusing on the future.”
Now some words of wisdom from Bette.
“Some advice I would give to incoming freshmen would be that hard work can be greater than talent,” he offered. “Work hard and always hustle, and don’t forget to have fun.”
High school is no more but it will be something that Bette cherishes.
“I think I will miss my teammates the most. I have spent my whole high school baseball career with some of these guys and they have become like a second family,” he said. “They are some really great guys and some of my closest friends.”
