Tigers hit the road for break

When spring break rolls around, the baseball team is just a bunch of minor leaguers, a bunch of young ballplayers looking to hit their stride so they can step up to the next level. They live for the quiet yet piercing whiff of the bat or the umpire's decisive "Out!" No class, no midterms and no studying; all they have to do is live for the game. And they love it that way.

"Spring trip is great because it is a time to play baseball without the pressures of class," head coach Scott Bradley said. "We get to pretend that we are minor leaguers by riding the bus and playing games almost every day."

This Saturday, the Tigers (3-4) will begin their annual spring trip with a stop in North Carolina. The team will steadily work its way back up to New Jersey, but not before the players have tested their mettle, endurance and strength.

"A lot of people do not understand," Bradley said. "We play almost 20 percent of our games for the entire season while on break."

Princeton begins its seasonal road trip with a doubleheader this Saturday against Western Carolina (6-9). After finishing off the three game series on Sunday, the action will shift to Davidson (10-7) for a one game showdown. Princeton will close out its visit to North Carolina with a two game series against UNC Greensboro (4-14). Six games, five days, one state — and it doesn't end there. The Tigers top off their grueling road trip with a three game series against Navy (14-5-1), by far the most tested and challenging opponent it faces during the swing.

The lone day of rest for the travelers will be Thursday.

The numbers, once more, if you please: nine games in nine days, with the finale coming against extremely tough competition.

Bradley, though, insists that the aim of the trip isn't to wear the team down. Rather, the trip offers a sneak peak at both the present and the future.

"It gives me a chance to continue to play everyone and develop for the future," Bradley said.

Bradley can afford to give his youngsters valuable experience while allowing his team leaders to shake off the rust and prepare themselves for the onset of Ivy League play which, by the way, isn't so far off. Once the Tigers return from their road trip they will have a tuneup match against Rutgers before they launch into the highly competitive league play.

For now, though, the players can just sit back and play ball. Like most athletes, every baseball player has the dream of indulging in his passion and making it his job. That's what life will be for Princeton over the next week — bus, food, sleep and baseball.

The Tigers will look to gain some momentum as they head into league play, and they have last weekend's play against Richmond to build upon — for the most part. Princeton benefited from two solid performances on the mound. The vaunted rotation flashed its potential in the second series of the season.

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"Our pitching was solid this past weekend," Bradley said. "I would like to believe that we will continue to see improvement with each outing. By the time we start league play, each pitcher will have had three or four appearances."

Senior captain and pitcher Erik Stiller gave up two runs, one earned, on seven hits in five innings of work against Richmond. Though he came away from the game with a no-decision, junior reliever Michael Zaret ensured that his efforts did not go to waste.

Junior pitcher Gavin Fabian also put forth a stellar effort, giving up two runs on two hits in five innings of work, earning the "W" in the process.

Princeton had a chance to sweep the Spiders, but it played a sloppy final game in which it committed six errors and gave up a total of twelve runs. High-scoring, crazy games have not proven to be the Tigers' forte so far this season.

There's a fairly simple formula, actually: in all three of its wins, Princeton has held the opposition to three runs or fewer. In its four losses, it has given up an average of 11 runs. The Tigers aren't built to win high scoring shootouts, but the team excels when given efficient, workmanlike performances from the mound. When the team is kept in games, the offense comes through. When Princeton gives up too many runs too quickly, however, too much strain is placed on the offense. And that's why getting the rotation clicking on all fronts is so key to the success of the Tigers this season.

That's not to say that the offense has trouble manufacturing runs. Senior rightfielder Andrew Salini amped up his offensive production this past week season and was rewarded for his efforts by being named Ivy League Player of the Week. Salini bopped four homers over the past week to push his season total to five. He is also batting .375 with 12 RBIs on the season.

While the spring trip may be packed with fun and baseball, there's still a lot of work to be done before commencing league play. Before they know it, "spring ball" will be over, and these minor leaguers will no longer have the luxury of learning the ropes. This trip could potentially define the team's identity and allow it to prepare for the true tests that lie ahead. Center stage will be waiting upon the Tigers return.

That's when the real season begins.