Baseball: Tigers pin hopes on youth

“After four years of Ivy League play, I have seen what it takes to win an Ivy League championship, and we definitely have all of the tools,” Palms said. “This is the deepest freshmen class we have had in the past four years, and they will contribute significantly to a staff that has more talent than our teams my freshman and sophomore years, when we led the league in ERA. I am so confident I would go as far as to guarantee an Ivy League title this year.”

It suffices to say that few will echo Palms’ prediction this spring. But he is certainly in a position to know about the Tigers’ young talent; Palms, who has nearly twice as many career innings pitched as anyone else on the roster, will move to the bullpen after two years as a weekend starter to make room for a glut of talented underclassmen.

Sophomore Zak Hermans is the most experienced member of Princeton’s projected rotation. The right-hander was one of the team’s most effective pitchers as a rookie, posting a 4-1 record in league play while the team went 2-13 in games he did not start. Hermans’ signature outing came in his first conference game, in which he threw six shutout innings against eventual league champion Dartmouth.

Classmate Matt Bowman, also a right-hander, was effective in limited innings last season, striking out 19 batters in 21.2 frames, and is slated to be a weekend starter. Freshmen Mike Ford, a right-hander who will also see time at first base, and Michael Fagan, a left-hander who throws a low-90s fastball, round out the top four. If any of them should falter, another underclassman — sophomore right-hander Kevin Link — would likely fill his spot in the rotation.

“Right now, we’re probably looking at two freshmen and two sophomores,” head coach Scott Bradley said of his projected weekend rotation. “A lot can happen … but we’ll try to build up their innings to make them starters.”

Princeton will have more experience on the mound in the back end of games, as senior right-handers Matt Grabowski and junior Ryan Makis combined for 35 appearances out of the bullpen last season. They and other relievers will look to bridge the gap between the starters and Palms, who says he relishes his new role as the bullpen ace.

“I’ll be able to pitch in more pressure games and more high-pressure situations, which I really love,” Palms said. “Instead of having one game out of four to prepare for, you’re sitting there during all four games, wondering when you’re going to get in, which I’m really excited for.”

They will be pitching primarily to junior catcher Sam Mulroy, who was an offensive force in his first full season in the starting lineup. Despite playing the game’s most demanding position and often catching as many as 32 innings in a weekend, the backstop hit .300 on the nose for the season and led the team in home runs and slugging percentage. His performance behind the plate, however, left room for improvement — the Tigers allowed by far the most stolen bases and the highest steal percentage in the league.

The team hopes that another year of playing the position full-time and learning how to handle pitchers — Bradley, unlike the vast majority of college coaches, allows his catcher to call pitches rather than directing him from the bench — will help Mulroy’s defense.

“I think the extra year will give [Mulroy] a better idea of Ivy League hitters,” Palms said. “Just working in the winter, I’ve noticed a bit of a change in his pitch calling — it’s not as predictable. I think he’s starting to get a feel for college catching, and I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

In the field, four freshmen saw significant time in the starting lineup last season, and the Tigers will count on them to take the proverbial sophomore jump. Outfielder John Mishu led the team with a .304 batting average and outfielder Nate Baird hit .277 as a rookie, joining shortstop Bowman and switch-hitting second baseman Alex Flink as underclassmen with experience.

“The group of freshmen from last year ... really had a chance to be thrown in the fire,” Bradley said. “With a year of experience, to know what’s going on and everything else, we feel like they’re really ready to step forward.”

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Senior designated hitter Brian Berkowitz led the team with a .380 on-base percentage last season and blasted six home runs. Junior center fielder Tom Boggiano also brings rare experience to the projected starting lineup.

Gone are Noel Gonzales-Luna ’10 and Jon Broscious ’10, two mainstays of the batting order who graduated last June. Senior right-hander Dan Barnes, who led the staff with a 5.14 ERA last season, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 35th round in June and signed with the club.

Two incoming freshmen were also selected out of high school in the late rounds of the MLB Draft, but both declined the pros to attend college. Bobby Geren, who will see plenty of time at the corner infield spots this season, was drafted by Oakland in the 36th round, while Fagan was taken by San Diego in the 45th.

Princeton opens its season this weekend with a three-game series at No. 19 Louisiana State University (7-0). Those games are just the first of 18 non-conference road games in March, most of which will be played out-of-state in warmer climates more hospitable to early-spring baseball.

Ivy League play begins with a doubleheader against Brown at Clarke Field on April 2, kicking off a 20-game, 30-day conference slate. The Tigers visit defending champion Dartmouth in the second week of league play while fearsome Columbia looms two weeks later. According to most preseason projections, the Big Green and the Lions are the conference favorites.

Just don’t tell that to Palms.