Princeton University Athletics
Drawing The Shortstick
April 24, 2002 | Men's Lacrosse
April 24, 2002
Drew Casino pushed the opening face-off against Rutgers forward. Kyle Baugher scooped it up, raced right down the middle of the field and drilled it into the goal. 1-0 Princeton. Casino then pushed the second face-off forward. Baugher again jumped on it, and again he came right down the middle. This time, he fed Sean Hartofilis on the doorstep. 2-0 Princeton.
In 19 seconds, Kyle Baugher (pronounced BAW-ger) had a goal and assist. Those 19 seconds represent 13% of his career scoring. Watching him in those first 19 seconds, your first thought is why can't he do that all the time? Your second thought is that he could, but he's much more important doing what he usually does.
"I have other guys who can do the offensive stuff," says Baugher's coach, Bill Tierney. "I don't have anyone else who can do what he can do." Baugher plays perhaps the most obscure yet important position in all of sports, the shortstick defensive midfield position. His job usually is to shut down the other team's top offensive middie, and he does this knowing that much of lacrosse is based on the concept of isolating top scorers on defensive shortsticks.
Baugher is the latest in a long line of Princeton lacrosse players who have played this position well and come away with almost no public recognition. Baugher follows a group that in recent years has included players like Ben Strutt, Derek Katz, Gardner LaMotte, James Mitchell, Chris Berrier and perhaps the best of them all, Winship Ross.
It's a group that has much in common. They tend to fall into the same physical mold as the 5-11, 180-pound Baugher. They were multiple-sport athletes in high school - Baugher was an all-league football player who played linebacker at 170 pounds-who were all big scorers in lacrosse in the spring. And they all bought into the idea that they would give up any real chance at individual glory to be a key man in the Tigers' team defensive concept.
"It's a combination of athleticism and a mindset that makes you feel that this guy or that guy could be good at the most important position in our defensive scheme," Tierney says. "They're all unheralded, unselfish, very athletic, strong and knowledgeable about the game."
And they all have the same basic conversation with Tierney after the fall of their freshman year.
"When I was recruited, I was an offensive middie," says Baugher, who scored 60 points as a senior at Manhasset High on Long Island. "After the fall, I had a meeting with Coach Tierney. We talked about what I was doing well, and I was surprised by how well I was fitting in defensively. He told me that it would be a way to get on the field."
That's the trade-off they make: Playing time for individual stats. Baugher moved to the defensive side permanently, joining goalies who automatically get credit for defensive numbers such as goals-against and longsticks who make the biggest hits and dramatic checks.
"I figured I would do whatever I had to do to get on the field," says Baugher. "Coach Tierney is so fanatical about defense. Being a defensive middie, you know you're part of a great system. People try to pick on you because you're the shortstick, and you have a chance to prove them wrong when you're isolated."
Baugher played extensively as a freshman, especially as the No. 2 face-off man. He has taken fewer face-offs through his career as he has become more of a defensive force.
He really jelled a year ago, when he teamed with Ross to give Tierney his best pair of shortstick d-middies. Together they helped anchor a unit that led Division I in scoring defense. At season's end, goalie Trevor Tierney and defenseman Ryan Mollett were named USILA player of the year at their positions. Tierney, Mollett and defenseman Damien Davis were All-Americas, and those three plus defenseman Scott Farrell were All-Ivy. Ross and Baugher received no All-Ivy or All-America recognition.
"Last year was great," Baugher says. "It was so structured. Anytime there was a horn or a stoppage of play, Winship and I would go out there. It was great to be part of a defense like we had."
Baugher helped the Tigers to the No. 1 national ranking and then into the NCAA tournament. He broke his hand in the first quarter of the semifinal game against Towson, but he continued to play until it became displaced in the third quarter.
"I was called for a penalty in the third quarter, and when I came to the sideline, I was afraid to take off my glove," Baugher says. "B.J. [Prager] actually looked at it first. He told me it was pretty ugly and went to get George [O'Neill, the athletic trainer]."
Baugher's injury forced him to miss the championship game, which Princeton won by defeating Syracuse 10-9 in overtime.
"It was probably the most frustrating thing I've ever done in my life," says Baugher. "It was so unnerving. It was completely out of my hands. There is no bigger show than that in lacrosse."
This year, without Ross, Baugher has teamed with junior Owen Daly (who is playing more of an offensive role of late) and seniors Anthony Perna and Greg Golaszewski. In addition to the goal and assist in the first 19 seconds against Rutgers, Baugher has two other assists on the year. More importantly, Princeton's defense is still one of the best in Division I, and Baugher has turned into the best clearer that Princeton has ever had.
Princeton has righted itself after a 2-4 start and moved back into the top four in the national rankings.
"Every game, we're desperate for a win," Baugher says. "Since we lost to Yale, any loss could mean the end of our season. They've all be like playoff games. I think we've turned things around. The offense. We've found ourselves on defense. Each game has been like a playoff game, and this is the next big one."
Having Baugher is a big plus. "In many ways, he's our MVP," Tierney says. "He's so good at what he does. He'll go down in Princeton lacrosse history. In regular lacrosse history, people will look at him and say that he didn't score a lot of goals. That doesn't begin to talk about what he's done."
Hey, it's the nature of the position. At first, it was a way for Kyle Baugher to get on the field. Now, it's become simply what he does. Very well.
- By Jerry Price
Kyle Baugher's brother Spencer was a midfielder at Princeton before graduating in 1998. The Baugher brothers are just one of many pairs of siblings to play at Princeton under Bill Tierney.
"I'm always honored when the younger brother comes here," Tierney says. "That speaks loudly for the program."
The Baugher's are a "Four-Ring" family: Spencer won three NCAA championship rings, while Kyle has one so far. Among the multiple-brother, multiple-ring families at Princeton (this list does not include the 10-ring Tierney family with six rings for Bill Tierney as coach and two rings for Trevor Tierney and one for Brendan Tierney as players):
Six-Ring Family
The Katz Family - Derek '97 three, Craig '97 three
Five-Ring Families
The Harrington Family - John '98 three, Chris '01 two
The Hubbard Family - Andy '95 two, Jesse '98 three
The Mitchell Family - Andrew '95 two, James '97 three
Four-Ring Families
The Baugher Family - Spencer '98 three, Kyle '02 one
The Farrell Family - Jason '99 three, Scott '02 one
The Wynne Family - John '98 three, Brad '04 one