“We try to load up on as many games as we can,” head coach Scott Bradley said. “The four games over each weekend will get us ready for how we will play in the Ivy League games.”
The Tigers (3-2) aim to continue their early-season success and build off their series win over William & Mary last weekend. In preparation for the Ivy League season, which consists of four games every weekend from March 28 to April 26, Princeton will play the two-weekend series against Norfolk State (3-5) and Navy (4-5-1) like it would a four-game league weekend. This means that the four top Tiger pitchers, senior David Hale, senior Brad Gemberling, sophomore Dan Barnes and junior Langford Stuber, will start both weekends but not during the week against UNC (12-2) or North Carolina A&T (3-8) as preparation for what the Ivy League season will be like: During the weekday games, younger pitchers will be given the opportunity to start games.
“The midweek games are much different from the weekend,” Bradley said. “We will never rearrange our pitch so our top guys will rest on the weekend. We’ll give the young guys experience [during the week].”
Throughout the week, Princeton hopes to continue the consistency it displayed last weekend against William & Mary. In those four games, the Tigers got contributions across the board from both veteran and new players. Bradley credits this to the depth of the Tiger lineup and pitching staff.
“We have four switch hitters on our team, and three play all the time,” Bradley said. “It’s a nice mix. Hale picked up where he left off last season, and the young guys each produced some hits.”
Hale, sophomore infielder Greg Van Horn and junior outfielder Brian Berkowitz have batted exceptionally well in this young season, all holding batting averages above .400. Luckily for Princeton, Van Horn’s recent injury, which was thought to be a broken bone, turned out to be a severe bruise. This is reassuring for the team, as Van Horn hit two home runs in as many games last weekend and has been a key part of the Tiger lineup.
“Hopefully [Van Horn] will play a bit this weekend,” Bradley said. “He’s playing so well right now as our three-hole hitter, and we’re fortunate that it wasn’t worse.”
In the first weekend series on Saturday and Sunday at Norfolk State, Princeton will face a team with a potent offense but an impotent pitching staff. Spartan infielder Anselmo Cantu is Norfolk State’s biggest threat in the batter’s box, batting .567 and slugging 1.000 so far this season. Infielders Brandon Hairston and Jermaine Berry are also batting .400 or better. The Spartan pitching staff is another story, however, with a team ERA of 6.33 as opposed to Princeton’s 3.72.
After a day off on Monday, Princeton will travel to UNC to play the Tar Heels in a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday. While facing UNC will be intimidating, the Tigers will use these games as more of an introduction to the world of top-level college baseball. None of Princeton’s top four pitchers will see action during the two-game UNC series. Instead, Bradley said, the team will be exposed to what the best competition is like and will attempt to do its best against one of the foremost teams in college baseball.
“[In the UNC games], the results don’t matter,” Bradley said. “We just want the team to see what that top-level environment is [like]. If we have a chance to play in NCAA regionals, then we’ll know what it’s all about.”
The Tar Heels are incredibly strong opponents, posting a .328 team batting average and a 2.98 team ERA over their 14 games this season. UNC also has an inherent advantage because it has played 14 games already compared to the Tigers’ five. The Tigers’ season starts at least a week later than most other schools’ do, giving opponents an advantage in the early part of the year.
After a one-game stop at North Carolina A&T on Thursday, the Orange and Black will travel to Annapolis, Md. on Friday to play a four-game series against Navy. This will be Princeton’s final weekend series before the start of the Ivy League season, and the Tigers will play it as much like a league series as possible. The starting pitchers will have much looser pitch counts and will pitch deeper into games.
Navy is led by infielder Kendall Bolt, who is slugging .543 while batting .343 this year. Bolt also leads the team in RBI, with 13, and has one home run on the season. The Midshipman pitching staff is varied: Its best starter is Wes Olson, who holds an ERA of 4.24 and a record of 1-2, but Navy’s team ERA is a mediocre 5.86. The Tiger lineup will aim to capitalize on the weak Midshipman pitching.
The grueling upcoming week should help prepare the Tigers to face their Ancient Eight foes when they return to campus.
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