CU Baseball Takes a Break From Ivy League Play

At 3 p.m. today, the Columbia baseball team will attempt to add a nonconference win to their 10-13-1 record as they square off against the Monmouth Hawks (11-8-1).

After splitting two league double-headers against Dartmouth and Harvard this past weekend, today's nonconference play will give Columbia a short break before they face their next Ancient Eight opponents.

The Lions have had more success against their Ivy League rivals than against their nonconference foes, posting a 5-3 league record through two weekends of play. With the exception of Campbell University, who is currently 6-24, Columbia's nonconference competitors have combined for a 96-87 record. Given that success, the Lions have managed only a 5-10-1 mark against those squads.

Pitching has been Monmouth's strong point this season as the Hawks have a combined team ERA of 4.36. Starting pitcher freshman Ryan Buch has been Monmouth's ace, anchoring the rotation with a perfect 4-0 record, 1.93 ERA, and 29 strikeouts.

Monmouth's strength has also been the Lions' weakness this season, as Columbia's pitchers combine for a 6.73 ERA. The recent bright spots in the rotation have been juniors Bill Purdy and John Baumann. Baumann pitched a gem this past Sunday, striking out seven while going the distance to gain his second victory of the year in the second game of the doubleheader against Harvard. Still, the Lions have had issues from the hill as the team has given up a total of 186 runs and 282 hits in their 24 contests this season.

While the Lions need a more consistent rotation if they are to pick up more wins, their hitters have been performing well. In game one against the Big Green, Columbia scored three runs in the first two innings off six hits, and broke the contest open in the eighth after a six-inning run drought. Three hits from outfielder and senior co-captain Andrew Ward, Henry Perkins, and sophomore third baseman Mike Roberts started the rally going in the eighth. Ward scored twice in both games with an RBI in game one, while Perkins and Roberts both had two hits in game two.

Even though every game of the season is viewed as an important one, today's tilt with Monmouth can be looked at as a warm-up for this weekend's Ivy League games. This is Columbia's only game of the week before its doubleheader against Brown (7-13, 2-2 Ivy) on Saturday, and Sunday's doubleheader against Yale (7-16, 1-3 Ivy). A win today would give the Lions a two-game win streak and provide momentum heading into the games against their Rolfe Division opponents.