Baseball

On Friday afternoon, while most students were hauling away their things and leaving campus, members of the Columbia baseball team were hauling in some prestigious postseason accolades.

The Columbia baseball team is the Ivy League champion. In the decisive third game of the Ivy League championship series, the Lions defeated the Big Green 7-5, earning the Light Blue its first Ancient Eight title since a split title in 1977 with Cornell. The victory gives Columbia the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

John Baumann’s first Ivy League start of the season was a one-run complete game victory over Dartmouth. In his final league start, with a chance to clinch the Ivy Championship, Baumann was pounded for 12 hits and 10 runs in the Columbia baseball team’s 16-15 loss Tuesday.

As freshmen and seniors alike lumbered off the team bus to their respective dorms and houses, every member of the Columbia baseball team shared a collective sigh. If the Lions want to win their first Ivy Championship since 1977, they will have to wait a little bit longer.

With the men’s golf team securing an Ivy League championship two weekends ago, the Columbia baseball team hopes to add more trophies to the Athletic Department’s collection when it travels to Dartmouth this weekend for the Ivy Playoff.

By virtue of hitting .507 against Ivy League opponents, senior outfielder Noah Cooper was awarded the Blair Bat, which is given to the batter who ends league play with the highest batting average and a minimum of 2.2 at-bats per game.

Although Columbia (20-24, 15-5 Ivy) and Dartmouth (24-14, 15-5) clinched the Lou Gehrig and Red Rolfe Division—respectively—on Saturday, there was still plenty of excitement in the final weekend of Ivy League play.

While the biggest accomplishment of the weekend for the Columbia baseball team was its second Lou Gehrig Division title, contributions from two players—its struggling first baseman and underappreciated catcher—showed why the Lions, who have already set a school record for league wins, expect to win in a playoff this weekend against Dartmouth.

For the first time in 15 years, the Columbia Lions will make an appearance in the Ivy League baseball championship. After its four-game sweep of Penn over the weekend, Columbia will take on Dartmouth next weekend in an attempt to win its first championship since the 1975-76 season.

Andy Coakley Field, named after the professional baseball player and former Columbia coach, will be renamed Robertson Field in a ceremony between the Columbia baseball team’s two games on Saturday.