How do you top the story that the Tigers gave us last year? Princeton baseball will begin writing the next chapter of their history in just a few short weeks when they take the field in North Carolina.
To say last year’s season was a Cinderella story would not do it proper justice. Princeton entered 2016 fresh off a year of only seven wins. Only a handful of NCAA teams had fewer wins than that. But, in 2016, the Tigers took everyone by storm. Throughout the course of the season, they battled their way to the top of the Ivy League standings and earned a date with Yale in the conference championship series. Despite losing game one of the series, the Tigers swept a doubleheader the following day to win the conference championship. They joined only four other teams in league history to lose game one and win the Ivy League series.
“The heart we showed bouncing back from last season is a testament to our coaches, our senior leadership and everyone buying in” said senior outfielder Danny Baer.
Head coach Scott Bradley commented, “We developed this resilience at the beginning of the year. Our guys just care so much about each other, they deserve this.”
Now, Princeton comes into the 2017 season looking to repeat the success they had last year. Fresh off an NCAA Tournament appearance and the 2016 Ivy League crown, the Tigers will try to use the same formula of last year to have another successful season this year.
The Tigers have the benefit this year of returning many of their starters from last year. Princeton had a very balanced roster last season, combining upperclassmen leadership and experience with younger talent. This year, most of the starters return with a year more of experience. This year’s team looks to be led by seniors who took the field during last year’s tournament run, including first baseman Nick Hernandez, infielder Zack Belski, outfielder Paul Tupper and pitcher Chad Powers, who posted a 2.45 ERA during the 2016 campaign.
Adding to this mix of seniors will be new freshmen that look to make an immediate impact, including Chris Davis,James Proctor, and Eric Rojas.
A non-senior returner is sophomore outfielder Jesper Horsted. Horsted batted leadoff last year and bat an impressive .326 for the season. His batting skills will prove critical as the Tigers look to spark their offense early and often in games.
This season, the Tigers will truly put their experience and skills to the test. Their non-conference schedule does not include a single home game. The Tigers will begin with non-conference play before the Ivy League slate on the road traveling up and down the East Coast to test their skills.
First up is a road trip to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils and UNC-Greensboro. Duke, like Princeton, was a tournament team last season, though the Tigers did not play them in the tournament.
Following the North Carolina trip, Princeton will travel south again to take on Maryland and Old Dominion over spring break. Then they will travel to Annapolis to take on the Naval Academy, another tournament team from last season that Princeton played during the regular season. This will be the second straight year the Tigers make the trip to the academy.
The non-conference schedule also features a peppering of games against more local teams throughout the Ivy League season. Princeton will take on in-state rivals Monmouth and Seton Hall, and nearby Rider. They will also travel to New York to take on the St. John’s Red Storm.
The Ivy League schedule begins only six weeks from now with a rematch at home against Yale. Until then, the Tigers will continue to practice and prepare for their season opener against the Blue Devils in two weeks when they look to start the next chapter in their history.
