Around the Ivies: Baseball

We’re already well into the season for the baseball teams of the Ivy League. With league play just around the corner, we take a look at how teams across the Ancient 8 have positioned themselves so far in the standings.

Cornell Big Red(6-7 overall): Despite coming off of their straight losses in their series against the University of Central Florida, the Big Red have started out the year strong, particularly in pitching. Averaging nearly nine strikeouts a game, they look far removed from the squad that has lurked near the bottom of the standings the last 3 seasons.

Harvard Crimson(7-9): The Crimson have come out of the gate hitting well, holding first place in runs of the season. They certainly wouldn’t be where they are without the stellar hitting of John Fallon, who leads the Ivy League in both runs batted in and home runs on the season. His play will be crucial as the Crimson open Ivy League play against Cornell this weekend.

Penn Quakers(7-10): Another team that has been solid offensively to start. Penn’s batting average and total runs rank second only to the Crimson so far. The Quakers’ season came to a heartbreaking end last year, as the men of Philadelphia fell in their divisional playoff match to Columbia. This year, as always, they look to topple their perennial rivals’ recent stretch of League domination.

Princeton Tigers(6-10): Despite facing struggles in recent seasons, the Tigers look in solid form as they head into league play, having won in 4 of their last 7. They’ve been one of the better pitching squads this year among the Ancient 8, getting solid contributions from players such as junior Chris Giglio, and junior Chad Powers and senior Cameron Mingo, all pitchers.

Brown Bears(4-10): Also having faced struggles in recent years, the Brown Bears are looking to turn things around in the 2016 season. Their offensive struggles, however, do not bode well for them so far – the Bears are posting the lowest batting average so far among the Ivies.

Columbia Lions(5-13): Having represented the Ivies in the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons, the Lions will have similar hopes come this year. Despite having lost last year’s co-Ivy League Player of the Year Gus Craig, the Lions retain talent such as reigning Rookie of the Year Will Savage. Despite a less than impressive record out of league play to start the year, you can’t count out a team that’s proven itself to be at the top of the league.

Dartmouth Big Green(5-13): Just on the cusp of making the NCAA tournament last year, Dartmouth heads into Ivy League play looking to take their just missed opportunity. Their team has shown promise, going toe-to-toe with one of the top programs in the nation (University of Florida), and hope to start league play right against the Tigers this weekend on Princeton’s Clarke Field.

Yale Bulldogs(4-14-1): A team that has consistently struggled to make itself a contender in the league, the Bulldogs did not open the year the way they wanted. Particularly troubling has been the pitching–the Bulldogs have given up the highest ERA across the Ivies so far this year.