Last season, the Columbia baseball team defeated Ivy League powerhouse Dartmouth en route to the school’s first baseball championship since 1977. But in their quest to defend the title, the 2009 team fielded a weaker squad that had trouble winning big games.
Before stepping into Ivy League play, the Lions started the season with 18 nonconference games against tough opponents. Over the first few weeks of the season, Columbia battled Lamar and Charlotte and emerged with just one win in seven games.
For spring break, the Lions headed to California where they played 10 games against three different opponents. Columbia then lost to local rival St. John’s in its home opener.
In Ivy play, the Lions got off to a fast start, sweeping Harvard in a doubleheader on March 28. But Dartmouth came to New York the next day and handed Columbia two losses. The same trend continued the following weekend when Columbia defeated Yale in both games at New Haven but was swept by Brown the day after at home.
On April 12, the Lions split a pair of games at Princeton, but dropped both contests to the Tigers the next day, slipping below .500 in conference play—a mark they would never attain again.
In a season-defining series, Columbia lost three of four games to Cornell at home on April 18-19. And although they had an outside chance at forcing a playoff for the Gehrig Division championship, the Lions again dropped three out of four games the next weekend to Ivy cellar-dweller Penn to end the season. The team finished with a lopsided 7-13 conference record (11-32 overall).
While the top teams in the Gehrig Division had mediocre 10-10 records, the Lions were unable to consistently produce on either side of the ball to win critical games. Columbia’s offense finished dead last in the league, hitting .275 on the season.
The pitching staff didn’t fare much better, finishing in sixth place with a bloated 6.78 ERA in 338 innings pitched. Light Blue hurlers allowed 445 hits and 138 walks, notching an eye-opening 1.72 WHIP for the campaign.
While the Lions featured strong individual performances from several players, no Columbia batter or pitcher finished among the top 10 in the Ivy League. Freshman Jon Eisen led Light Blue regulars with a .331 batting average in his rookie season and was Ivy League Rookie of the Week several times this year.
Senior Joe Scarlata was strong in his final season with a 5.52 ERA and a 4-5 record overall. Scarlata threw five complete games—including one shutout—and was the only Lions pitcher to go the distance all season.
Sophomore outfielder Bobby O’Brien ignited the offense in the second half of the season, hitting .337 on the year with two homers and 20 RBI in just 22 starts.
Senior Ron Williams finished his collegiate career with 205 hits, breaking an all-time Columbia record that was set in 1995. Williams also led the Lions with 27 RBI this year and was one of only two players to start every game.
While the Lions displayed the ability to beat tough opponents, the team was generally inconsistent on the mound and at the plate. Columbia did not have the pitching depth that took the team to the championship in 2008 and an injury to star outfielder Jason Banos severely hampered Columbia’s offense.
With seniors Scarlata, Williams, and Mike Roberts leaving, there will be sizeable gaps on Columbia’s roster. However, Eisen and O’Brien both had breakout seasons and, in conjunction with a healthy Banos, could form the core of the Columbia offense in 2010.
While some players stepped up this year, the Lions will need to put a much more consistent team on the field next season if they want to reclaim the Ivy championship.