Lions Find Success Behind Pitching

It’s no secret why the Columbia baseball team is 6-2 in the Ivy League this season: pitching.

Lots of runs are scored in the Ivy League, and while offense is certainly an important aspect of the game, more often than not, the winner of this league is the team that prevents its opponent from scoring a horde of runs.

Through the first two weekends of Ivy play, the Lions pitching staff has done just that. Currently, four pitchers stand with ERAs under 5.00.

John Baumann has allowed just one earned run this season on 10 innings pitched and has a complete game to his credit as well.

Henry Perkins’ pitching has greatly improved from last season. Going into Tuesday’s bout with non-conference Rutgers, the senior had fanned 11 batters while walking four in 12 1/3 innings pitched, along with a respectable 3.65 ERA.

Freshman starter Geoff Whitaker is also proving his worth by leading the Lions with a 4-2 record. While Whitaker has had some tough outings—visible in his 5.55 ERA—the rookie has turned into an innings eater, leading the staff with 35 2/3 innings pitched.
Columbia has been extremely lucky this season to have a wealth of options to go to late in game. Matt Berninger has made four adequate relief appearances and Max Lautmann has thrown 17 1/3 innings out of the bullpen thus far.

In addition, sophomore reliever Clay Bartlett may be one of the first Lions in quite a while to earn the title of closer. Bartlett has allowed just five earned runs, four extra base hits, and no homeruns over 11 relief appearances this season (18 2/3 innings). But the one stat that doesn’t appear in the books is the number of times Bartlett has entered a game in the final innings in a tense situation, and he has certainly excelled at that feat.

Although they are off to a rough season so far, freshman Dan Bracey and junior Joe Scarlata have also provided a boost when necessary. Scarlata threw his second complete game to beat Harvard over the weekend in what was ultimately a huge contribution to the Lions’ sweep of the Crimson, their first. If Scarlata and Bracey continue to get stronger as the season progresses, the Lions may find themselves with an opportunity to have some true success.

But the question mark on the staff right now is still senior starter Bill Purdy. Purdy, who was hailed as the team’s ace going into last season, has not yet found his rhythm in 2008.

The senior has a 1-3 record and a staggering 8.82 ERA at this point. Purdy was roughed up by Dartmouth over the weekend, and while the Big Green hitters provide some offensive might, Purdy will need to improve.

Purdy has allowed 33 earned runs to go along with 13 walks and 17 doubles that he has allowed. Opponents are hitting .371 against him, and Purdy has the dubious distinction of hitting eight batters this year.

While the Columbia offense has been fantastic this season with four starters hitting over .300, it is pitching that wins championships. The Columbia pitching staff has kept its team in the game for the most part and given the offense a chance to rally and win games.

As the Lions move into Gehrig Division play, the individual pitchers need to maintain this level of performance. Bill Purdy is also a key, and if he can regain his 2007 form, there will be five young guns in Morningside Heights.