Three years after his decorated Bates College career ended, Kyle Weber is getting his opportunity to play professional lacrosse.

Weber is one of seven midfielders on the 25-man active roster of the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.

Weber graduated from Bates with a double major in economics and mathematics in 2017, the same year he was named USILA Division III Midfielder of the Year. He has since been working for Nike while also keeping his lacrosse game sharp.

“One of the reasons why I always wanted to compete at the next level is to give my family, friends, my grandparents, an opportunity to watch me play again,” Weber said in a Bates College news release. “So I’m really excited to have that opportunity and I hope we make the most of it, play seven games, and give them the opportunity to watch as much lacrosse with me involved in it as possible.”

Weber was picked by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the 2018 MLL Supplemental Draft, but an injury on the first day of practice promptly ended his season.

He performed well in the Bayhawks’ 2019 camp but did not make the final rosters, making him a free agent.

To increase his value to pro teams, Weber, who scored 114 goals during his Bates career, showed he was willing to switch from offensive midfield to defensive midfield.

“Understanding I’m coming from a Division III school, when there’s a lot of guys that are still playing lacrosse that played ACC ball or Ivy League or whatever, just swallowing my pride a little bit and doing whatever is needed to contribute to a team,” Weber said. “That’s kind of how I refocused my preparation. I’ve been doing less of my shooting that you probably saw at Merrill all the time (at Bates) and more just agility and general athletic training.

“So it’s been a lot of fun, playing defense, getting on wings on faceoffs. It has just uncovered a different layer of the game that I wasn’t doing a whole lot of at Bates. So that’s been something I’ve really embraced.”

The majority of the Cannons’ coaching staff is made up of coaches with Division III backgrounds. Weber said that his own college coach, Bates’ Peter Lasagna, has been an advocate for his pro career.

Lasagna is excited to see the hard-working Weber get his chance.

“In a career filled with exceptional people, students and players, I put Kyle in the top 1 percent of all people I’ve ever coached,” Lasagna said. “When you combine superior technique, speed, power with exceptional intelligence and a capacity to out-work everyone else, you get the Division III Midfielder of the Year.

“Kyle is one of the most natural leaders and committed teammates I’ve ever known. When your best player is your hardest, most focused worker, great teams emerge. He was an upper-level Division I player, an Ivy student, who chose Bates. He is ready for this remarkable opportunity.”

The MLL season, which was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, will begin later this month. Each of the league’s six teams will play a five-game regular season at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The top four teams will advance to a two-day playoff.

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