Baseball: Division play begins at Clarke Field

Princeton (13-12 overall, 6-2 Ivy League) is coming off of a thrilling 10-inning home win against Seton Hall. The Tigers are hot right now, having won four of their last five games and ranking second in the Lou Gehrig Division of the Ivy League, but so are many of their rivals.

Princeton’s upcoming four-game series with Penn (14-13, 5-3) is crucial because of the way the Ivy League baseball schedule works. The conference is divided into two divisions, and teams play opponents from the opposite half first. Penn, which is one game behind the Tigers in the standings, is Princeton’s first opponent from the Gehrig Division.

“I wouldn’t say there is added pressure on us but rather a greater importance and sense of urgency for us,” junior pitcher Kevin Link said. “With the experience we have on our team from winning the championship last year, I think we will perform better under pressure.”

Some powerful hitters have led the Tigers this season. Princeton leads the Ivy League in home runs and is second in runs scored. Senior catcher Sam Mulroy ranks second in the conference with seven home runs and 26 RBIs; he is also in the top five in hits and batting average. Sophomore infielder and leadoff hitter Alec Keller ranks second in the league with a .400 batting average.

Princeton’s pitching has also been very solid so far. Junior pitcher Zak Hermans in particular has been stellar, ranking in the top 10 in the league in ERA and strikeouts throughout the course of the season. Sophomore Mike Ford and junior Matt Bowman have combined for four complete-game victories in four Ivy League starts, including one shutout apiece.

“Our starting pitching has been very good, especially at going late into games, giving us a chance to win and eating up innings to save some arms in our bullpen,” Link said.

Despite Princeton’s impressive performance to date, the matchup against the Quakers will be a difficult one. Penn fields a strong team, ranking third in the league in hits and home runs.

One of the main reasons for the Quakers’ success has been their pitching staff, which has the most strikeouts in the league. Senior Vince Voiro leads the conference with a 2.18 ERA, while fellow righty Cody Thompson ranks second at 2.53. Voiro is also tied for the league lead with 42 strikeouts.

An important matchup for this series will be Penn’s power pitching against Princeton’s power hitting. The Quakers lead the conference in strikeouts, while the Tigers lead in home runs. Whichever team wins this battle of strengths will have a great chance to win the series outright.

Link listed some advantages the Tigers will have this weekend.

“I think we match up well against Penn. They have a solid pitching staff, but a few right-handers, which we match up better against,” he said. “Also, we always love playing at home. We have a lot of confidence here and go in with the expectation of winning every game.”

The Tigers are in a good position to make a run at another conference title, which makes this upcoming series so important. These next four games will go a long way in determining whether Princeton has a chance to repeat.