Light Blue Searches for Wins Down South After Poor Start

After an 0-8 start on the road against Duke and Pepperdine, the Columbia baseball team will try to notch its first win of the young season this weekend against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia.

The Eagles, who began a six-game homestand last night against USC Upstate, are currently playing .500 ball in their nonconference matchups against the likes of Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Michigan.

The Lions will play their third four-game set of the season, taking on Georgia Southern for one game each on Friday through Monday. Columbia then heads north for a two-game midweek series against Davidson in North Carolina.

The Light Blue will then make a stop in Lynchburg, Virginia to battle Liberty for four games over the weekend, before returning to New York on March 25 for the annual pre-Ivy League season matchup with local rival St. John’s in Queens.

Although Columbia has no wins thus far, the Duke and Pepperdine series provided important experience against nationally ranked opponents. But in order to gain the confidence to contend in the Ivy League, the Lions will need to step up their intensity and score some victories over spring break.

While the Columbia pitching staff allowed eight fewer runs against Pepperdine than in its first performances at Duke, the staff will need to solidify if the Lions are to keep themselves within striking distance in games. Starter Bill Purdy was roughed up last weekend and must bounce back with solid starts over the next 10 days.

Although the staff ERA stands at 7.51, sophomore reliever Clay Bartlett has a 2.70 ERA over his first four relief appearances this season. Bartlett’s services will be extremely important to the Lions, who will need late-game stops to win close battles against league opponents—his solid start is definitely reassuring.

The staff will also be improved by the addition of senior ace John Baumann, who rejoins the team after the conclusion of the Ivy basketball season.

Columbia’s pitching will need to improve, and so will its bats. The Lions are in need of some energy at the plate, having managed just 16 runs over their first eight games. Two runs per game will not suffice in the Ivy League, and although the pitching will be more hittable, the Columbia lineup needs to establish some fluidity in order to put productive rallies together.

The Lions have managed just 11 extra-base hits, and only junior first baseman Ron Williams is hitting over .300. Henry Perkins is off to a hot start with a .276 batting average and three extra base hits including a triple.

But Columbia will need sophomore standouts Jason Banos and Dean Forthun along with veteran teammates Mike Roberts, Noah Cooper, and Jake Summerhays to come out of their current slumps. Roberts is hitting a mere .143, and Cooper and Summerhays are each hitting below .100.

While the Columbia baseball season has not yielded any wins, this spring break could see the Lions bring their offense and defense together for a few victories. If the pitching gets stronger with the addition of Baumann and the offense scores some much needed runs, the Lions could come back to school with the necessary confidence to contend in the Ivy League.