“Basically, this series is either going to make or break the season for us,” junior outfielder Brian Berkowitz said. “If we don’t win at least three games, we’re in a pretty hard spot. If we win three, we’re going to end up even with them. If we win four, we’ll be two games ahead of them.”
Princeton was one of only two teams in the Ivy League to have a winning record at the start of conference play.
Since then, the Tigers have hit a quagmire due to the team’s inconsistency at the plate.
Though Princeton currently sits fourth in the league standings for batting average, the team has failed to string together a series of strong-hitting games. Last weekend’s series against Harvard and Dartmouth was an example of these struggles. Princeton scored only nine runs in its first three games before 12 Tigers crossed the plate in a 17-inning loss to the Crimson.
“Usually you have a couple guys in a lineup slumping at one time,” Berkowitz said. “Our team is going through a pretty big slump as a whole.”
Berkowitz explained that the team has been struggling against lefthanders. “Even thought against Rider we didn’t put up any runs, we started to break out of the slump against Harvard. Fortunately, Columbia doesn’t have any lefties. Hopefully we’ll keep hitting like we did against Harvard and skip the Rider game,” he added.
Princeton should have plenty of opportunities to break its midseason slump against the Lions — none of Columbia’s projected starters has an ERA below 5.80.
When the Tigers are at bat, they are led by junior catcher Jack Murphy, who has been on a tear after a slow start to the season. In Ivy League play, Murphy has hit an eye-popping .441 with two home runs and nine RBI after just eight games.
Senior infielder Dan DeGeorge has been a consistent presence at the second spot in the batting lineup, leading the team with a .361 batting average and nine doubles on the season.
“Out biggest focus is just to relax. We have one of the better lineups in the Ivy League if we relax,” Berkowitz said. “A lot of times when we get to the Ivy League, we press and get nervous, and that can [result in us] not hitting well.”
The strength of Princeton’s team is its starting rotation. The Tigers currently lead the Ivy League with a 5.54 team ERA and boast an intimidating one-two punch in senior righthander Brad Gemberling and junior righthander David Hale. The two pitchers are projected to start the Saturday doubleheader, and strong performances on the mound could give Princeton an early edge in the pivotal series.
“Our pitching is going to be there,” Berkowitz said. “Even after losing one of our top four pitchers to injury, we have one of the lowest ERAs. The pitching is definitely there. We all think that if we break out, we can definitely win the Ivy League.”
Though the Tigers have a definite advantage on the mound, the team needs to do a better job of giving its starting pitchers run support. In Hale’s two Ivy League starts, Princeton has mustered just one run. The dearth in run production has put an inordinate amount of pressure on the pitching staff.
“[Head coach Scott Bradley] was reassuring us that he’s had plenty of teams win the Ivy League that went into the division a game or two behind,” Berkowitz said. “We’re having practices where we’re trying to have more fun, to loosen up.”
One positive change for Princeton of late has been its improved play in the field. Though the Tigers are second-to-last in the Ivy League with 49 errors, they have made only 12 errors in conference games. In the team’s 6-0 loss to Rider on Tuesday, Princeton made no errors, and its ability to turn double plays and throw runners out kept the game close.
Princeton will be further motivated by the presence of a large number of baseball alumni at Clarke Field this weekend. Last Sunday, Connor O’Gorman ’01, a former member of the Princeton baseball team, died when a car hit him as he crossed the street. There will be a ceremony to honor his memory at Clarke Field this weekend.
“A lot of the baseball alumni guys will be at the games this weekend,” Berkowitz said. “We’ll try to play inspired and play for [O’Gorman].”
With only 12 games left in the Ivy League season and the pressure rising, all the pieces are in place for Princeton to make a push to win the league title.
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