An Ivy League Championship. The Ivy League Pitcher of the Year. Princeton's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1965.
The baseball team will have a difficult time matching last year's achievements, but that does not mean it will fall into mediocrity.
"Of course it would be nice [to get back and win in the NCAA tournament], but that's almost too far away to even think about," head coach Scott Bradley said. "The division is our first thought."
In its opening weekend, Princeton dropped three of four games to an Old Dominion team that had already been in 11 contests. Playing in a cold northern state such as New Jersey means that a squad must play a non-conference schedule against teams that have already been playing for up to a month.
Bradley tries to use the situation to his advantage.
"We know we're not getting an at-large bid coming out of the Ivy League, so I can schedule really good teams knowing that our overall record is insignificant in the scheme of things," he said. "We were a very good team last year, but when we went into the NCAA Tournament, we were a game under .500."
The Tigers will have to put together a strong run to match last season's accomplishments. Here is a position-by-position assessment of the 2002 team:
Pitcher
Princeton is led by 2001 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, Ryan Quillian. The junior went 6-3 last year and shined in Ivy games, giving up just six runs in five outings. He notched four complete games in league competition.
"It will be very difficult for him to improve in terms of statistics in how he pitched in league games last year," Bradley said. "He just has to go out there and try to pitch."
The team will be without junior David Boehle, who went down for the year earlier this spring with a torn ACL. Boehle was projected as the No. 2 pitcher.
Bradley, however, said the pitching staff is deep and veterans such as senior Tom Rowland should be able to shoulder the loss.
Catcher
Sophomore Tim Lahey will handle the majority of games with junior Jon Miller also catching a number of games. Lahey hit .220 last year, starting 13 games. Miller is also expected to be the team's designated hitter.
First Base
Freshman Ryan Elderidge has big shoes to fill. Graduated is Andrew Hanson, Princeton's best power hitter from last year with eight home runs and 46 runs batted in.
"Elderidge has a chance to be a real good hitter for us," Bradley said. "I don't know if he's quite ready yet to produce the power numbers that Andrew Hanson had, but I think he'll be a real solid hitter with the power coming later in his career."
Second Base
Junior Mike Chernoff will start at second, though sophomore Steve Young will get considerable playing time. Chernoff hit .280 last year, and Young, who hit .385 in limited action, looks to be the team's top utility man, getting action all over the field.
"Steve's a guy who'll be in the lineup everyday," Bradley said. "He just might be playing a different position everyday."
Shortstop
Senior Pat Boran is no doubt the team's leader. He hit .335 last year and led the team in hits, runs and doubles. The team captain is likely to be drafted this June, Bradley noted.
"He's such a physical presence and that's why he's a pro prospect," Bradley explained. "When you think of a shortstop, most of the time you don't think of 6'3'', 200 pounds. He just carries a presence to him that makes everyone else feel more comfortable and more confident.
Third Base
Senior Erik Voelker will again start at third for the Tigers. He started 32 games last year. Sophomore Ryan Reich is also expected to see some action.
Outfield
The Tiger outfield has undergone a major makeover in the off-season. Gone are star players Mickey Martin, Max Krance and Jon Watterson. In their places are freshman Adam Balkan in left and Reich in right. Balkan had three hits and two RBI in a loss to Old Dominion to start the year.
In center is sophomore Eric Fitzgerald, who started 24 games last year and hit a home run in the NCAA win over The Citadel.
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