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Princeton University Athletics
Baseball Season Just Over a Week Away
February 23, 2005 | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2005
The start of a college baseball season is laden with uncertainty. The previous season's seniors have graduated and there are now players who have waited in the wings who are ready to get their chances and freshmen looking to battle and play their way into the starting lineup.
For the Princeton baseball team, though, there seems to be one certainty, and that is that all the uncertainty works itself out positively. Three seasons ago, the Tigers lost several offensive players to graduation, and the following spring, the team pulled together, improved and won the Ivy League Championship. Two seasons ago, the Tiger pitching staff was hit hard by graduation, and relying on inexperienced arms waiting to show what they had, the Tigers won their second consecutive league title last season.
Princeton put all the pieces together last spring to snare its eighth straight Gehrig Division title, its fifth Ivy League title and its ninth NCAA tournament appearance. The season started strong on the spring trip in Virginia and North Carolina, hit a snag during the early Ivy League season and then finished strong with an Ivy League Championship and a win over NCAA Regional-host Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. The keys to Princeton's success were simple: offensive power and strong pitching. A lot of that power left once the season ended due to graduation and the Major League Baseball Draft. Princeton's pitching was also hit by graduation and the draft, but it is the Tigers' reaction to improving both the offense and fielding that holds the key to success for the 2005 campaign.
On the offensive side of things, Princeton lost four everyday players who were important contributors on and off the field. Catcher Tim Lahey, first baseman Ryan Reich, second baseman Steve Young and centerfielder B.J. Szymanski each were pivotal in Princeton's success last season.
Lahey developed into one of the region's top catchers and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He hit 18 home runs and drive in 56 runs over the past two seasons and threw out 26% of those trying to steal against him in that span. Reich became an everyday player last season and hit .339, driving in 35 with a .554 slugging percentage. Young, Princeton's leadoff hitter for the past three seasons, hit .354 and led the team with an on-base percentage of .485, and often came through with a clutch hit. The Detroit Tigers chose him.
Szymanski only played two seasons for the Tigers but demonstrated his prowess early and often and was selected in the second round of the draft. He hit .362 last season with 64 hits, 48 RBIs, a .610 slugging percentage and 24 extra-base hits.
To overcome these losses, Princeton head coach Scott Bradley and his staff will look for improvement from all of his players.
"Everyone will have to get better," says Bradley. "We have a solid group, and it is time for the younger guys to step up. We have a good set of returning players and it is the group's responsibility to fill in for those losses."
One of Princeton's biggest strengths will be its pitching staff. The Tigers return three of their weekend starters, plus the league's top closer.
"Pitching is a strength," says Bradley. "Last year we had to rely on a lot of inexperienced players at the start of the year and they got the job done. It is nice to start the season knowing that we have a solid staff, which will only get better as it gets more experienced." Princeton's pitching staff was not immune to graduation and the draft, however. Ross Ohlendorf, the ace of the 2004 staff, was a fourth-round selection. He had seven wins last season and a 3.46 earned run average with 79 strikeouts. Princeton also lost a utility pitcher in Brian Biegen, who was 4-1 in 13 combined appearances as a starter and out of the bullpen.
The Tiger coaching staff will look to its nine new players to help fill the roles of those departed. Four of those players are position players - Micah Kaplan (1B/OF), Keola Kaluhiokalani (C/OF), Spencer Lucian (Inf.) and Ryan Petrulis (Inf.). Five of those players are pitchers - Evan Alexander, Steven Miller, Reid Peyton, Stephen Richter, and Christian Staehely.
The Pitching Staff
All the uncertainty that hung over the Princeton pitching staff at the start of the 2004 season has dissipated and the staff should be one of the best in the Ivy League this season as three of the Tigers four weekend starters - junior Erik Stiller and freshmen Gavin Fabian and Eric Walz - return.
"All three pitchers have good control and can take over a game," says Bradley. "This is definitely one of our team strengths." Stiller, the most experienced of the group, moved from his role as weekday starter two seasons ago to weekend starter last season. He has put together a pair of good seasons and should do the same in 2005. He was 4-4 last season with a 3.96 earned run average in 10 starts.
Fabian and Walz also had strong seasons in 2004 and will be key starters in 2005. Fabian was 4-3 in 11 starts and had a 3.48 earned runs average. He led the team in innings pitched and has the best control of probably any pitcher in the league, walking just four batters in 75 innings last season. Walz, also a receiver on the Princeton football team, started 2004 in the bullpen, and then moved to a starter's role once the league season began. He was 3-3 in 13 appearances and had a 5.72 earned run average.
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Brian Kappel had nine saves last season. |
Senior Worth Lumry and sophomore Wills Sweney are coming off great offseasons and will make big contributions this spring. Lumry has continued to improve on his left-handed submarine delivery and will be used in many roles throughout the season, while Sweney has a chance at that fourth starting slot and has created a lot of attention for himself among area scouts.
Sophomore Michael Zaret, one of the few lefties in the Tiger bullpen, pitched well as a freshman and has recovered faster than expected from offseason surgery and will be available once the season begins. Also, senior Chad Tongue will see innings and help provide depth to the Tiger bullpen.
Beyond those players, the Tiger staff will have five freshman arms. Christian Staehely had the best fall of all the freshmen and looks ready to pitch important innings for the Tigers this spring. Reid Peyton is a right handed submariner, who with Lumry will provide the Tigers the ability to match up with hitters late in games.
Steven Miller had a good fall and will have the opportunity to pitch key innings in the spring. Evan Alexander and Stephen Richter were both injured in the fall, but both, when healthy, should be able to make an impact in the Ivy League.
Around the Horn - Behind the Plate
After two years of waiting in the wings, junior Zach Wendkos will take over the primary catching responsibilities following the graduation of Lahey. Last season Wendkos played in 20 games, posting 11 hits, including two home runs, in 58 at-bats. He is one of the most versatile players on the Tiger roster and can play most infield positions.
Also seeing time behind the plate this season will be sophomore Sal Iacono. Last season, Iacono was the Tigers' everyday third baseman, but began catching during practices and worked on it during the fall.
"Zach will play a lot behind the plate this season," says Bradley. "He is so versatile that we can switch him and Sal between third and catching very effectively this season."
Sophomore Ian Shannon and freshman Keola Kaluhiokalani will provide depth at the catching position. Shannon missed all of last season with an injury, while Kaluhiokalani, also a lineman on the Princeton football team, will work with the baseball team around the spring football practice schedule.
The Infielders
After the 2003 season, the Tigers lost the left side of their infield to graduation and started a sophomore and a freshman to fill the holes. Last season, it was the right side of the Tigers infield that was hit by graduation, as Princeton will look to solidify those positions this season.
Princeton has depth at all four infield positions and the lineup can change on a daily basis. Starting at first base, the Tigers will look to pick up the offensive slack left by the departure of Reich. Junior Stephen Wendell split time at first with Reich in 2004 and, along with junior Ryan Eldridge, the two will anchor first base for the Tigers this season. Wendell hit .247 last season in 21 games and was the only Tiger with 100 or more chances not to commit an error. Eldridge returns to the Princeton lineup after taking the 2003-04 school year off. He is a career .300 hitter with 85 hits and 47 RBIs.
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Aaron Prince will assume second base and leadoff duties this spring. |
"Aaron will be a big part of our team this year," says Bradley. "He has big shoes to fill, but he is extremely capable. After the finish to last season, it is his time."
At shortstop, junior Matthew Becker will patrol the left side of the middle infield as he did much of last season. He has plenty of experience and is solid both offensively and defensively after playing a full season in 2004.
Last year was one of the few times in Bradley's tenure that a freshman became the everyday starter at a position, and that was Iacono at third base. Iacono had a good season, batting .244 in 44 games with 23 RBIs, but played banged up most of the season after an early injury. With improved health this season, Iacono will look more like the player he was late in 2004 when he was finally able to get comfortable on the field. Iacono will also see time behind the plate and will switch positions with Wendkos on occasion.
Senior Paul Ackerman and freshmen Spencer Lucian and Ryan Petrulis will add depth to the Tiger infield. Ackerman is a solid left-handed hitter who can play second and third base. With all the left-handed bats lost to graduation, he will be an important part of the offensive game plan and will likely see time as the designated hitter as well.
Petrulis has a chance to become an impact player in the league at third base, but is also athletic enough to see time in the outfield. Lucian had a great fall and he has the ability to play any of the infield positions.
The Outfielders
The outfield is one of the strengths of the 2005 team, even with loss of Szymanski. Last season's everyday right fielder, junior Andrew Salini will slide over to center field with senior Adam Balkan returning in left field and senior Will Venable moving to right field after primarily serving as the D.H., last season. The trio will be the heart of the Tiger offense as all three have power and speed and bat from the left side of the plate.
"The pressure will be on the three of them," says Bradley. All three hit above .344 last season with Balkan leading the group at .345. Venable and Salini both hit .344. Balkan led the group with 60 hits, 15 doubles and 20 extra-base hits, while Salini led them all in RBIs with 31. Venable's numbers are a little lower because he missed the first several games of the season, while completing the men's basketball season as a starting guard on the Ivy League champion Tigers.
Because Venable will join the team after the season has already begun, Bradley will use the right-field position to cycle through several players and see who is ready to produce, both offensively and defensively, at the college level. The group will include sophomore
Kevin Liao and freshmen Micah Kaplan, Petrulis and Kaluhiokalani. Liao saw limited action last season and has another fall of experience behind him while Kaplan is a good versatile player. Petrulis is more of an infielder but is athletic and will have a chance to play in the outfield. Kaluhiokalani will also be available to the Tigers.