Baseball: Ivy play starts where 2011 series ended

Fast-forward to this weekend, and the Ivy League tensions are building once again. The Tigers (6-9) will open Ivy League play with a four-game homestand, taking on Dartmouth (3-10) in a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a twinbill against Harvard (2-16) on Sunday.

The Tigers are led at the plate by sophomore second baseman and outfielder Alec Keller, who has posted an impressive .439 batting average in 12 games played. He is followed by senior catcher Sam Mulroy, who leads the team with five homers and 20 RBIs. Mulroy, who is also batting .397, ranks in the top five of almost every major hitting category in the Ivy League.

On the mound, the Tigers are led by juniors Zak Hermans and Kevin Link. Both hurlers were part of last season’s starting rotation and have posted an ERA below 5.00 so far this season. Hermans and Link will each get a start this weekend, along with sophomore Mike Ford and junior Matt Bowman.

As the Tigers return 21 players from last year’s winning roster, including all four starting pitchers, they will be looking to capitalize on their experience to play smarter in league play.

“The experience I’ve gained from the past two years means that I shouldn’t be surprised by anything,” Hermans said. “I’m very familiar with the teams and hitters we will be facing.”

One of those hitters is Ennis Coble, the designated hitter that leads the Big Green offense. Coble is hitting .326 with only three strikeouts in 43 at bats. However, Ennis has also been caught stealing on six of eight attempts — so if he does reach base, perhaps Mulroy will be able to throw him out.

The Big Green offense focuses more on the small game; while Dartmouth has seven hitters above .300, it has only one home run, compared to 11 for the power-hitting Tigers.

While Dartmouth is favored to be the biggest competition for the Tigers this season, every Ivy League win is a crucial one. Princeton will therefore be looking for a Sunday sweep against the Crimson, which has won only two of its first 18 games.

Harvard is led by upperclassmen on the mound and underclassmen at the plate. Senior left-hander Brent Suter has appeared in six games and compiled a 3.47 ERA, while juniors Joey Novak (2.55) and Zack Olson (0.84) have the lowest ERAs on the team. The offense, however, has not given Harvard’s pitchers much support. The Crimson only has three hitters above .300, one of whom is a freshman who has only played in nine of the team’s 18 games, and it has scored a league-worst 3.2 runs per game.

The Tigers swept Harvard last year but were swept by the Big Green in regular-season conference play. After surprising the league by going last-to-first in 2011, this year’s title is the Tigers’ to lose.

“I’m most looking forward to defending our title as conference champs,” Hermans said. “We know that everyone is going to be saving their best for us this season, and to have the challenge of repeating should be fun.”

Princeton will take on Dartmouth on Saturday and Harvard on Sunday, with both doubleheaders starting at noon. The Tigers are looking to open Ivy League play in the same fashion that they ended it last year: with a win at Clarke Field against the Big Green.