Pitching and Hitting Lack Consistency

Hall of Fame baseball player and Yankees great Yogi Berra once claimed that baseball is 90 percent mental-the other half is physical. While the math may not add up, the message is clear-it takes a strong mind-set and willpower to win baseball games. Willpower and mental strength are needed in the bullpen more than any other place on a baseball team, and so far this season, the Columbia men's bullpen has not played up to expectations, combining for an ERA of 12.66.

Most of the problems have come in middle relief, with the bullpen struggling to keep games close after an early exit by the starter. Unsteady seasons by Andrew Walther, who sports a 12.33 ERA and 22 walks in 15.1 innings, and Matt Berninger, who has struggled in his return from shoulder surgery, have reduced the number of reliable options in the bullpen for Columbia. Clay Bartlett, who leads the team in appearances with 13 and ERA at 3.86, has given head coach Brett Boretti someone he can trust in close and late situations. But beyond Bartlett, no pitcher has been able to consistently give the team solid innings out of the bullpen. As such, Boretti has had to lean heavily on his starters to eat innings, increasing the potential for fatigue down the stretch.

Offensively, the Lions have several great producers, led by outfielder Andrew Ward and first baseman Ron Williams. Outfielder Jason Banos has also been a key contributor for Columbia this season, with a home run and five RBIs in the second game of the Lions' doubleheader against Yale yesterday.

But this production has been inconsistent, which is a result of the Lions' hitting style. Instead of being patient, the Light Blue swing hard and often. This strategy can result in a lot of homers, but it also leads to a lot of strikeouts. In the second game of their twin bill on April 7, Lions hitters struck out 12 times, and a fair percentage of Brown starter James Cramphin's 11 strikeouts can certainly be attributed to the attitude of the Columbia batters.

Boretti has admitted that the Light Blue has an aggressive style of hitting, and Banos claims that "being aggressive is part of being a good hitting team," but in order to win games in the Ivy League they may have to modify their style of play to incorporate more patience and selectivity at the plate.

With an Ivy record of 5-7, the Lions are by no means out of the chase for the Gehrig Division title. If the bullpen can step up its level of play and Columbia can get a little more consistency from its bats, the Lions definitely have the potential to be successful in the league.