Easton's Jeff Babbitt evolved into a pro ultimate frisbee MVP. Now, he joins hometown team

Legendary Oliver Ames boys basketball coach Don Byron told The Enterprise in 2012 that Jeff Babbitt is "a natural athlete."

Babbitt was a linebacker-turned-center for the Tigers at that time. He was a 6-foot-2 senior who spent time on the JV team the year prior as he burnt out from playing football in 10th grade. Babbitt, that lone season as a starter, was a low-post threat tasked with playing stand-up defense and controlling the boards. A career highlight was hauling in a whopping 25 rebounds in a thrilling win over Sharon.

“If you saw me play really any sport, I play most of them the same way," Babbitt said. "Jumping around. Diving around. Running fast. Defense.”

Not much has changed.

Babbitt, 30, has played professional ultimate frisbee for the past seven years, all with the New York Empire of the UFA (Ultimate Frisbee Association). The Empire, last season, capped a dynastic span of winning three titles in the past four seasons and Babbitt won the league's MVP award. New York carries an active 30-game winning streak into the new season, which starts on April 26.

But, after unsuccessful contract extension talks, Babbitt, a UMass Amherst alum, is changing sides. It was announced last week that he will return home and sign with the Boston Glory.

“It feels like it’s been a lifetime, truly. I’ve lived a different life since 2016 and before that. To come back, it’s so different and there’s a lot of nostalgia to it," Babbitt said. “There were a lot of draws for us to be in Boston. We’re excited to come home to family.”

Babbitt's wife, Tulsa, is a club ultimate frisbee player in the Boston area. They met in college while coaching the NUTC (National Ultimate Training Camp) on campus in Amherst in 2017.

Babbitt committed to play ultimate frisbee at UMass after playing on a club team at Oliver Ames, which his older brother Patrick petitioned to faculty for, and founded. His other older brother, Matthew, was on the team at UMass and introduced Babbitt to ultimate frisbee at the approximate age of 14.

There was a steep learning curve at first.

“I hit (Matthew) right in the face with a forehand throw," Babbitt said with a laugh. "I figured I’d never play again after that. ... Obviously things changed and I got better. He’s probably still mad at me about it, too.”

Things did change, as Babbitt tried out for the Rhode Island Rampage, a now disbanded UFA franchise, about one year later and soon found a spot on Matthew's UMass team in the summer while still in high school.

“I was having a real amount of success as a scorer and an effective player," Babbitt said. "I realized I could compete with guys four, five, six years older than me. But I knew I had a lot to get better at, and a lot to learn about the sport.”

Ever think of turning pro? Let alone an MVP-caliber pro?

“I didn’t expect it. Ever," Babbitt said. "Even as it was happening, it was surreal. I knew the league existed, but there wasn’t any money in it. People were not making a living. But what I did from 2017 and on in New York was something I never would’ve guessed as a kid.”

There is no first-year player draft in the UFA, so Babbitt found his way to New York through former college teammates Ryan Holmes and Kevin Norton, who played for the Empire and connected Babbitt to the team's ownership group as he was one of the top players in the 2016 class.

He was promoted to team captain the next season, and held the title for the next seven seasons as the Empire went on its championship tours.

Next stop: Boston.

The Glory open the season against Montreal on April 26 at Hormel Stadium in Medford at 7 p.m.

"(The franchise) is four years old. I've been in the league longer than it has existed," Babbitt said. "It's pretty wild to be back around where I grew up, around a lot of people I went to school with."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Easton's Jeff Babbitt joins Boston Glory after ultimate frisbee MVP