The last time Columbia's All-Ivy forward John Baumann suited up against the Quakers, he let up six runs on five hits in 6.1 innings.
That's not your typical basketball stat line. Baumann was on the mound for the Lions, not the hardwood.
By excelling at both sports, he joined an elite group of athletes when he was named All-Ivy first-team in basketball and second-team in baseball for the 2007-08 season.
Even though Baumann may have higher league honors in basketball, he's always had trouble choosing between the two sports he began playing at age five.
"Both sports are so different that it's really tough to compare the two," he said. "I pitch in baseball, which is much slower-paced, while basketball is such an up-tempo, fast-paced game. It's a great contrast for me going from one to the other."
In his senior year of high school, Baumann was being recruited by a number of schools, including Penn, primarily for basketball. However, due to his concurrent recruitment for baseball, the Westport, Conn. native made it a priority to play both sports.
Columbia basketball coach Joe Jones and then-baseball coach Paul Fernandes were able to work out a schedule to allow him to play both, a schedule that he still keeps.
In the fall, Baumann throws only once a week, until basketball season when he stops practicing baseball altogether. In February, he attends baseball practice on Sundays, the basketball team's off-day, until he joins the baseball team full time.
Both coaches say that there is never a conflict, even though the seasons generally overlap for at least a week.
"John is just one of those rare student-athletes who's never going to miss anything," Jones said. "A lot of times I didn't even tell him he had to come [to meetings during baseball season], and he would be there."
"He's a great teammate, an excellent leader and our guys love going to see him play basketball," said current baseball coach Brett Boretti. "They look forward to having him join us on a full-time basis when he's done with that; he's a guy we love having on the hill."
Last week's Ivy League Player of the Week, Baumann has averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, both tops on the team by a wide margin. He also leads the team in field-goal percentage.
And on the hill last season, he led the team in wins and strikeouts, and was second in ERA.
Baumann, who wears different uniform numbers in each sport, is not the first Ivy League athlete to excel at these two sports. Princeton's Will Venable in 2005 and Chris Young in 2000 both earned All-Ivy second-team honors in basketball and first-team honors in baseball. Young now pitches for the San Diego Padres, while Venable is an outfielder for their AA affiliate, the San Antonio Missions.
The future for Baumann is a little more uncertain.
"I think that right now my big thing is not ruling anything out . I think the big thing for me is to really enjoy everything that's going on now and to leave all doors open, then to be able to make a decision after all seasons are over."
