Ivy League baseball mid-season report: Lou Gehrig Division

Lou Gehrig Division – Penn (11-1), Columbia (9-3), Cornell (6-6), Princeton (4-6)

Unsurprisingly, it’s been the Gehrig Division that’s seen the most success this season. The four Gehrig clubs have won a combined 30 games compared to the 16 victories the Red Rolfe Division possesses. Also, three Gehrig squads (Penn, Columbia and Cornell) are playing at least .500 ball, while only one team in the Rolfe Division (Yale) fits that description.

In what has been the Ivy season’s biggest surprise, Penn (11-1) is leading the Ancient Eight and slugging up a storm.

 

After returning veteran arms such as Connor Cuff and Dan Gautieri, the Quakers were expected to be strong on the mound, which they have been.

However, few could have expected the Red and Blue to have the best offense in the conference.

Led by Rick Brebner, Jeff McGarry and Mike Vilardo, the Quakers top the Ancient Eight in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.281), slugging (.437) and home runs (29).

After starting the season slowly at the plate, the Quakers have gotten timely hits more consistently, and seen everybody in the lineup make key contribution.

The Red and Blue made easy work of the Red Rolfe division, sweeping each one of its four clubs to start the Ivy season 8-0 (good news if the Quakers make it to the championship series).

Penn then won three out of four games against Cornell this past weekend, as the club’s offense was able to get to the Big Red’s strong pitching staff.

After beginning conference play 2-3, Columbia has molded into championship form, winning its last seven Ivy contests.

Most recently, the Lions put up 33 runs in a four game sweep of Rolfe division foe Princeton.

The Lions’ offense – one of the most potent units in the Ivies – possesses both speed and power, and has seen balanced contributions thus far.

Outfielder Jordan Serena is the squad’s most electrifying player. The junior is hitting .309 with a team-high nine doubles and a league-leading 16 steals.

Led by George Thanopoulos (4-0) and David Speer (3-2), the Lions’ pitching staff has shined in Ivy play.

Columbia will play four games in Ithaca against Cornell this weekend before squaring off against Penn in what is shaping up to be a showdown with the Gehrig Division on the line.

Given that the Lions’ trail the Quakers by two games in the conference standings, they will likely need to take three games from Penn in the final regular season series to go on to the Ivy championship.

Cornell (6-6) has played some strong ball, but hasn’t been consistent enough to put itself in contention.

Things were looking up for the Big Red after they beat Penn 9-0 last Saturday afternoon for their fifth straight win. However, Cornell’s playoff chances took a huge hit over the next day as the squad dropped three straight in Philadelphia and Columbia surged ahead in the standings with a sweep of Princeton.

The Big Red will have the chance to regain some ground against the Lions head-to-head when they square off in Ithaca next weekend, but it will be difficult.

Cornell boasts one of the strongest pitching staffs in the Ivy League, which had been able to keep conference bats in check before last weekend’s series with Penn. The Quakers were the first Ivy club to score over five runs against the Big Red, posting nine or more runs twice in the four game series.

Junior transfer Ryan Karl, who hits third, has given Cornell a lift on offense. The outfielder leads the team with a .302 average and six home runs.

Cornell veterans Tom D’Allessandro and JD Whetsel have proven to be the Ancient Eight’s most daunting duo on the basepaths, as they are the only teammates in the conference each with double-digit steals.

Princeton (4-6) came out hot with four straight conference wins (vs. Dartmouth and Brown), but has since been swept by Yale and Columbia on consecutive weekends.

The Tigers’ pitching staff, led by senior lefty Michael Fagan, had been solid in Ivy play before getting pounded by Columbia’s offense for 33 runs this past weekend.

Senior second baseman Alec Keller, who leads his team with a .343 average and three triples, has made a strong case for a third straight All-Ivy selection.  Meanwhile, freshman first baseman Zach Belski has made a splash, as he is hitting .325 with 13 RBI.

The Princeton offense is averaging just one extra base hit per game, and has had difficulty getting big hits recently.

Princeton has a chance to get back on track this Wednesday against Harvard, but finishes the season with tough series versus Penn and Cornell.

Stay tuned to the Buzz for the Mid-Season Report on the Red Rolfe Division.