Two outs was all the baseball team needed from Jeff Golden '99. It was the final game of the Ivy League Championships, and the Tigers held a two-run lead over archrival Harvard. An NCAA berth hung in the balance.
Golden, the Tiger closer and eventual All-Ivy first team member, had relieved then-freshman righthander Tom Rowland with two runners on base and one out. He only had to do what he did all year for the Tigers: get a couple of outs and earn the save. But against a talented Crimson team, that was no easy task.
Two singles and three runs later, Golden and his Princeton teammates were looking at a 5-4 loss and the end of the season. No win. No Ivy championship. And no NCAA bid.
Such is the nature of the sport. Almost one year later, as the Tigers get ready to embark on another season, they can look back on that three-game series loss and realize that they have gleaned two things: experience and motivation.
With all three of that series' starting pitchers returning this year — senior captain Jason Quintana, sophomore first team All-Ivy Chris Young and Rowland — Princeton could have one of the best rotations in the league.
"We have a very good pitching staff," head coach Scott Bradley said. "We're very deep on the mound."
Talented trio
In addition to the returning starters, the Tigers' pitching staff expects production from a talented freshman class. Headed by Cincinnati Reds 48th-round pick Scott Hindman and rounded out by Ryan Quillian and David Boehle, the class could contribute early and often.
"[Hindman, Quillian and Boehle] have a lot of talent," Bradley said. "They are very deep with what they are capable of doing."
Back up the staff with a consistent defense, account for a solid bullpen, and Princeton should have no trouble limiting opposing teams' run production.
Bradley's only concern comes on the other side of the ball—Princeton's own prowess at the plate.
"[The season] is really going to depend on what we can do offensively," Bradley said. "We need to get some run production from somewhere."
Key losses
With the graduation of Matt Evans '99 — who left with a laundry list of Tiger batting records — leadoff hitter Jason Koonin '99 and third baseman Chris Loving '99, Princeton lost some pop in the batter's box. Juniors first baseman Andrew Hanson and right fielder Max Krance are expected to step in and lead the offense this year.
Sophomore shortstop Pat Boran could also contribute significantly to the offense after leading the team with a .297 batting average in his rookie season.
Rounding out the infield is a tandem of catchers that combined to throw out 60 percent of potential base stealers last year. Senior captain Buster Small and junior Casey Hildreth will platoon behind the plate, as they have done effectively for the last two seasons.
The Tigers have very few seniors on the team but boast a veteran lineup. They have been to the postseason, they have played in the big games. They have the pitching staff to get there again. But this time around they know what it feels like to see the elusive Ivy championship sift through their fingers. This time, they'll try not to let it happen again.
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