After a 9-1 rout of Rutgers on Tuesday, the Columbia baseball team (7-21, 4-4 Ivy) will head to Princeton (9-13, 2-6 Ivy) this weekend for a four-game set against the Tigers.
In the first two weekends of Ivy League play, the Lions have won all games on Saturday and dropped each of Sunday’s contests. But different from past weekends, this week’s matchup will mark Columbia’s first experience in 2009 with a opponent in the Gehrig Division. After two weeks of interleague play, Columbia’s is in first place in the Gehrig Division, despite its modest .500 record against teams in the Rolfe Division.
Princeton, tied with Cornell for second place in the Gehrig Division, is currently two games behind Columbia, while Penn—which has yet to win a conference game this year—is a distant fourth. This past week, the Tigers were shutout at home 6-0 by Rider.
This weekend is also unique in that Columbia will play Princeton four times in a row without visiting another opponent. The result will be an all-out competition where opposing batters and pitchers will become especially familiar with one another by games three and four.
Currently, Princeton’s pitching staff is the best in the Ivy League with a team ERA of 5.54 and a league-leading 160 strikeouts. Columbia’s team ERA stands at 7.24. However, it is important to note that the Lions played five more games against difficult nonconference opponents than the Tigers and the Columbia’s staff has hurled nearly 30 more innings then Princeton’s.
Consistent with past weeks, the back end of the Columbia pitching rotation will most likely be the decisive factor for the third weekend in a row. The Lions have struggled with their less experienced starters this season, but unlike past weeks, some members of the pitching staff will have the opportunity to scout opposing hitters on Saturday before toeing the rubber on Sunday.
Columbia will also need to rely on its offense, which has been fairly consistent in Ivy League play this season. In the overall statistics, Princeton boasts a team batting average of .293, compared to Columbia’s .264 average, which is the worst in the Ivy League.
With a lack of raw power, the Lions will need to continue doing the little things to score runs, such as stealing bases. Columbia leads the league in stolen bases this season with 33 while Princeton base runners have swiped just nine bases in 30 less attempts.
Columbia pitchers will need to pay extra attention to infielder Dan DeGeorge this weekend. Senior DeGeorge leads Princeton with a .361 batting average this season and he has also hit two home runs to go along with 15 RBI.
In their first eight Ivy League games, the Lions have relied on several players to power their offense. Freshman Jon Eisen leads all regular Columbia starters with a .301 average in his rookie season, and first baseman Ron Williams has been a steady run producer with 17 RBI this year.
Recently, sophomore Bobby O’Brien has provided a spark for the Lions. Last weekend, the outfielder went 7 for 16, including an important homer against Brown.
The Lions have shown the ability to beat opponents from the far more robust Rolfe Division, but in order to participate in the Ivy League Championship series, Columbia must make it out of its own division first. With a four-game series against the Tigers, this weekend presents a remarkable opportunity to capitalize on a struggling Princeton team and take a commanding lead in the Gehrig Division standings.
The first pitch will be thrown Saturday at Princeton at high noon.