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Princeton University Athletics
2000 Baseball Outlook
February 14, 2000 | Baseball
Feb. 14, 2000
PRINCETON, N.J. - The last time a baseball team from Princeton won an Ivy League championship Bill Clinton had just started his second term in the Oval Office, the New York Yankees had begun their run for the team's 23rd World Series crown and the seniors on this year's Princeton baseball team were getting ready to graduate from high school.
The Yankees are still world champs, this year's crop of seniors are getting set to graduate again and Princeton has a legitimate shot at another Ivy title. The only thing that might be changing is that there could be a Princetonian in the White House come November.
After coming within three outs of last year's Ivy championship, Scott Bradley has his team ready for some unfinished business. The Tigers lost a good amount of talent with the Class of '99, but Bradley's ability to recruit top prospects from around the country could shine through again as it did last season.
Matt Evans graduated last spring as the team's all-time leader for home runs, extra-base hits, doubles and slugging percentage. The Tigers also lost Jeff Golden, who shares the Princeton record for saves in a season, as well as leading base stealer Jason Koonin. The leadership qualities of this year's co-captains, Jason Quintana and Buster Small, and a veteran pitching staff, can go a long way in proving to the rest of the league that Princeton isn't rebuilding ... just reloading. The Tigers strength, as has been the case for the past several years, stands tall on the pitcher's mound. Princeton returns the three pitchers that started the three games in the Ivy League championship. Hard-throwing Chris Young went 4-1 for the Tigers and had an ERA of 2.38 as a freshman. Had he thrown 11 more innings, he would have ranked 11th in the country in the ERA rankings. Last spring the 6-11 sophomore became the first male in Ivy League history to be named Rookie of the Year in two sports. He ended the basketball season as the Princeton record holder for blocks in a season--a record he broke this season--and points and rebounds by a freshman.
Tom Rowland, Young's classmate, proved to be a pleasant surprise last year, when the walk-on was 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA that ranked him 12th nationally. He pitched 8.1 innings in the final game of the Ivy championship series and also held a powerful Miami (Fla.) lineup scoreless for three innings, posting four strikeouts.
Quintana, the final returnee who played a major starting role last year, led the team in strikeouts and has good control. This year's freshman class of hurlers is one of the school's best ever. Illinois native Scott Hindman is a hard-throwing left-hander who was drafted in the 48th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Ryan Quillian and David Boehle are two other rookies who might be in the rotation when the league season rolls around.
"All three of our freshman pitchers have the ability to help us out immediately," Bradley says. "They are all top prospects and have played against some top competition around the country."
Senior Jay Tedeman proved to be a good setup man last season, with an occasional start mixed in. He will have much of the same role this season as the veteran of the relievers. The rest of the relief staff will rely heavily on the sophomore class. Chris Higgins and Nick Pappas spent last season on the junior varsity squad and have developed to the point where they could see some innings. Tommy Crenshaw, who passed for 1,662 yards and seven touchdowns last fall, as Princeton's starting quarterback saw action between spring football workouts and should see some more this year.
Princeton has the luxury of having the top catching tandem in the Ivy League. Small and junior Casey Hildreth platooned last season and threw out almost 60% of would-be base stealers. Both are primed for a good season and should make a run for All-Ivy honors.
"We have the luxury of having two of the top catchers in the Northeast who can throw out a lot of runners," Bradley states. "I expect big things out of Buster and Casey."
The infield lost a bulk of talent on the corners. In addition to first baseman Evans, third baseman Chris Loving graduated last spring as well. Andrew Hanson platooned with Evans between first base and designated hitter. He has good fielding skills and can hit for power. Eric Voelker replaces Loving across the diamond. He saw limited action last season, mostly on the spring trip, and has the power to help fill the void left by Evans.
As a freshman last season, Pat Boran pinned down the shortstop position, where he showed flashes of brilliance with the glove and the bat. Tim Phillips and Jay Mitchell are both solid performers at second. Mitchell has a good baseball mind and is the veteran of the infield. Phillips platooned with Mitchell at second base last season and showed that he has power at the plate (.297 avg., three home runs). If needed, he can switch to third to spell Voelker. Junior Sean McNally is a versatile fielder who saw limited action last season. He could see more this season and help up the middle. Rookie Mike Chernoff could play his way into the lineup. The Livingston, N.J., native handles the bat well and has good range in the middle infield. He should get the needed experience during the spring trip.
The strength of the outfield will depend on the development of the sophomore class. Sophomore Ryan Achterberg had a solid rookie season, hitting .250, and has a strong arm and played all three positions. He should make a push for a starting role during the spring break trip. Max Krance, the 1998 Ivy Rookie of the Year, struggled with the bat last season, but he had a good summer in the Coastal Plains League for the Wilson Tobbs. How far Princeton can go hinges largely on how well Krance hits.
"Max is an important part of our offense," Bradley says. "His success in right or as a DH is important no matter where he is in the lineup."
Junior Mickey Martin also had a good summer in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. He can provide some offensive punch and make up for Evans' graduated run production.Sophomore Mark Grayson could be the most important member of the outfield corps. With the graduation of Koonin, Grayson could become the leadoff hitter. A switch hitter who can run, Grayson has the tools to fill that void. Sophomore Tony Dent, who spent last season on the junior varsity squad, has a strong left handed bat and can be a DH or play in the outfield.
There no national champions on the schedule as there was last season, but the calendar is just as tough. The spring trip takes the Tigers on a swing through Virginia to play Old Dominion, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia, William and Mary and V.M.I. Rutgers made the NCAA tournament, as did Monmouth, Delaware and V.C.U. All highlight the non-league schedule.
"As usual, our non-conference schedule is one of the top in the northeast," Bradley says. "VCU was a couple of runs from advancing in the NCAA tournament last season, which says a lot of the type of teams in that state."
After two solid years of recruiting and two division titles in two years at Old Nassau, Scott Bradley is beginning to see the fruits of his labor. Princeton was three outs away from an Ivy League crown in 1999. With the pitching that Princeton has and the recruiting class that Bradley brought in this season, that elusive championship could be only a few short months away.
"If you look at what we lost last season and the pitching and defense that we have this season, we have a really good shot at winning this thing," Bradley says with confidence. "It all depends on how much offense we can generate. We have the people who can do it."
If all the variables fall into place, the only thing that will be changing at Princeton in the spring will be a new Ivy League championship pennant flying at Clarke Field.