Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
2007 Baseball Season Preview
February 27, 2007 | Baseball
The start of the 2007 Princeton baseball season is less than a week away when the Tigers travel to North Carolina for a three-game series at Elon. Princeton has won five of the last seven Ivy League title and will look to make it two in a row when the season begins.
2007 Season Outlook
After a slow start to the 2006 season, the Princeton baseball team put together a great run late in the year to win the Ivy League title, its fifth crown in the past seven seasons. The Tigers won the title back after a disappointing 2005 season that saw Princeton's run of nine consecutive Gehrig Division titles come to an end. The Tigers rebounded in 2006 as Princeton went to the Ivy League Championship Series for the 11th time in 12 years and went to its sixth NCAA tournament in the past 10 years.
Princeton enters 2007 ready to build off of its strong finish to the 2006 season, but will have to do so with a relatively young and inexperienced team. The Tigers lost three everyday players and the ace of their pitching staff to graduation, opening up opportunities for the many of Princeton's younger players, who saw limited playing time last season or are new to the program this season.
“The first thing you will notice about our team in the field and at the plate is that we have lost a lot of key players over the past few seasons,” says head coach Scott Bradley. “This will open up a lot of opportunities for the younger guys who have been waiting for their chances.”
The core of Princeton's lineup and defense will be based around seniors Sal Iacono and Aaron Prince. Iacono has been an everyday player since his freshman year, and Prince became one as a sophomore.
“We are fortunate to have two guys like Sal and Aaron who have played and experienced a lot for us,” says Bradley. “We will need to rely on them heavily because of how young the players around them are. They are both great leaders who will help to bring the lesser experienced players along.”
While Princeton lacks experience in the field and at the plate, the Tigers do boast an experienced group of pitchers. Princeton has four returning starters that have all started league games in the past, as well as some younger players who should figure in the mix.
“It is nice to have an experienced group of pitchers, especially when we are inexperienced in most other places,” says Bradley. “There will be great competition for our starting rotation. Barring injuries we have seven possibilities, and we will shape our bullpen as we go.”
The returning core and the cast of newcomers will have to work to overcome the losses of a season ago. Gone are three of Princeton's top five hitters and a four-year starting pitcher.
Zach Wendkos and Andrew Salini both hit above .300 as seniors and were everyday players in the lineup. Wendkos batted .339 as a third baseman and catcher and led the team in average, hits, doubles and home runs. Salini ranked third in average at .325, but was second in hits and home runs as the team's rightfielder.
Stephen Wendell, an All-Ivy choice last year as a designated hitter and first baseman, batted .278.
Erik Stiller, a mid-week starter as a freshman and a conference starter for the rest of his career, was the ace of the Tigers staff for the past two seasons. He compiled a career 15-14 record with an ERA under 4.00 and was 10-6 over the past two seasons. Stiller signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Indians following the season and began his minor league career last summer.
Despite the graduation of those four players, Princeton will start 2007 with a full roster and plenty of opportunity.
“I like the flexibility of our position players,” says Bradley. “ I call them just all-around good 'baseball players.' Everyone can play more than one position and that flexibility gives us the chance to let our team evolve over the first 20 games or so until league play begins.”
Princeton will add a talented class of nine freshmen to the mix in 2007.
“We had a great fall incorporating them into our ways of doing things and I think three or four of them have the chance to be impact players in our league,” says Bradley.
The Pitching Staff
Despite the loss of a weekend starter to graduation, Princeton returns four pitchers in 2007 that have weekend starting experience, as well as a few other returnees and freshmen who could factor into the mix for the starting rotation once the league season rolls around on March 31.
Junior Christian Staehely leads the group following a tremendous sophomore season that saw him go 5-2 with a 2.57 ERA at Princeton, then go 5-1 with a 2.09 ERA in the Cape Cod League. In all, Staehely pitched 125.1 innings last season with a 2.37 ERA and a 10-3 record. Staehely capped his Princeton season by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. He was named to the watch list for the Roger Clemens Award in December.
“Christian had one of the best years we have ever had a Princeton pitcher have,” says Bradley. “ He had a phenomenal year, and we expect more of the same from him this season. His experience pitching in the Cape Cod League, plus the job he did pitching against Arkansas in the NCAA tournament, should push him to the next level.”
A trio of seniors–Eric Walz, Gavin Fabian and Michael Zaret–join Staehely on the staff as returning starters. Walz, who had another strong year for the Tigers in 2006 in his third season as a weekend starter, was 2-2 for the Tigers last season in 13 appearances and he lowered his career ERA by more than a run. His best outing of the year came when he pitched 10 shutout innings for an extra-innings win at Columbia.
Fabian was one of the top pitchers in the Ivy League as a freshman and a sophomore, but arm troubles plagued him last season. He pitched in seven games and went 1-3 before being relegated to a pinch-hitting role later in the season.
Zaret transitioned from the bullpen to a starting role last season when Fabian's injury popped up. He pitched in 13 games, making five starts, and was 2-3, winning games at Richmond and Columbia.
“We have confidence in all three guys,” says Bradley. “Eric has pitched in big games for us for three years, and we expect more of the same from his as a senior. Gavin can be a very important player for us if he is healthy and can regain his form of the past, and Michael did a nice job moving to a starting role last season.”
Junior Steven Miller, sophomore Brad Gemberling and freshman David Hale will challenge the four returning starters though as the pitching staff takes shape during the early part of the season.
Miller, who pitched out of the bullpen as a freshman and sophomore, started games while playing baseball last summer. He was 2-7 with a 4.95 ERA last year and had three saves. Gemberling led the Tigers in appearances last season, pitching mostly in relief before starting a few mid-week games later in the season.
Gemberling went 2-2 with a 4.64 ERA and won games against Seton Hall and Cornell.
Hale, along with classmate Langford Stuber, are freshmen who could start games for Princeton this season. Hale will be a two-way player for the Tigers as he will also see time in the middle infield. Stuber is a crafty southpaw who can start as well as relieve.
“David is the first legitimate two-way player that we have had in my time at Princeton,” says Bradley. “He has a good arm, is versatile in the field and can hit.”
While the front end of the Princeton staff is relatively set, there is a bit of uncertainty in the bullpen, which will clear up as the decisions about the starters are made.
Junior Reid Peyton has pitched from the bullpen in two seasons and has provided the Tigers with solid relief. The right-handed submariner was 1-1 in 13 appearances and can be used to get late outs from right-handed hitters.
The remainder of the Tiger staff is comprised of players either coming back from injuries or new to the program. Juniors Evan Alexander and Stephen Richter both saw limited action early in their sophomore years after not pitching as freshmen but had arm troubles recur later in the year; both players will have a chance to get innings if healthy in 2007. Additionally, senior Wills Sweney suffered another setback with his shoulder and continues to work with the team, but will not likely be able to pitch as a senior.
Freshmen Jon Broscious and Ross Staine complete Princeton's group of pitchers. Broscious is another prospective two-way player for the Tigers, while Staine is a right-handed pitcher.
In the field
First Base
Princeton fans will definitely need a program to keep track of who is playing first base on a daily basis for the Tigers.
“We really have a lot of guys capable of playing at first base,” says Bradley.
The leading candidates include junior Micah Kaplan, sophomore Adrian Turnham, sophomore Eric Zaziski and freshman Brian Berkowitz. Kaplan spent time at first base last season while also playing in the outfield, while Turnham saw action all over the infield. Zaziski and Berkowitz are both newcomers as a knee injury kept Zaziski off the field as a freshman and Berkowitz is a freshman.
Kaplan split his time in 2006 between playing in right field and at first base. He appeared in 34 games and hit .271. Turnham hit .260 in 24 games for the Tigers last season as a switch-hitting utility player who will also see time catching and at third base.
Zaziski is a player that has a chance to be a solid middle-of-the-lineup hitter when healthy and Berkowitz offers a good left-handed bat and will get opportunities to play.
“First base is one of the positions this season where we will be able to adjust the lineup to the pitcher and get the right batter and the hot hitters into the lineup,” says Bradley.
The Middle Infield
Senior Aaron Prince and sophomore Dan DeGeorge settled in to the second base and shortstop positions for the Tigers early last season and formed a solid defensive middle infield for the Tigers. An influx of new talent, however, means there will be different combinations in the middle of the infield early in the season as junior Spencer Lucian and freshmen David Hale and Greg Van Horn will work into the positions.
Prince had a career year as a junior, batting .327 for the season and never falling below .300 at any point of the season. DeGeorge developed into Princeton's leadoff hitter, batting .271 with a .312 on-base percentage.
“Aaron and Dan were both solid all year for us,” says Bradley. “Aaron will be looked to as a leader since he has been here for awhile and has big-game experience, while Dan emerged as a catalyst in our lineup and we look for him to continue to improve.”
Lucian, who saw most of his time in the outfield last season could also work his way into the middle infield. He came on late in the season and proved to be one of the Tigers top hitters for average and power in the second half of the season. He hit .286 for the year with 19 extra-base hits.
“Spencer put together a good run last year,” says Bradley. “He went from maybe being the fourth outfielder to one of our team's most important players. Our team started coming together when he started to turn the corner.”
Both Prince and Lucian bring added versatility as both have played and are very capable outfielders.
Hale and Van Horn will factor into the mix as well. “Both are solid hitters and good all around players,” says Bradley. “They will both be very successful players at the college level.”
Freshman Noel Gonzales-Luna will also add depth at the two positions.
Catching and Third Base
Senior Sal Iacono and freshman Jack Murphy will platoon as the team's third baseman and catcher, while Turnham will work into the mix as well.
Iacono started his Princeton career as an everyday third baseman, but started catching as a sophomore and has gotten more and more experience behind the plate since, splitting time with Zach Wendkos the past two seasons. Last season he hit .278 as he started all 46 games for Princeton at either third or cactching.
“Sal has been a solid player over his career for us,” says Bradley. “He has played in important games, and the team will look to him as a leader.”
Murphy is a talented hitter and catcher who has a big-time arm. Additionally Murphy can play at third base, which will give Bradley and the coaching staff the ability to switch him and Iacono between the two positions.
“Jack is a legitimate switch-hitter who has the potential to be an impact player at this level,” says Bradley.
Turnham will also see time behind the plate and at third base, in addition to time at first base and as the designated hitter. “Adrian will probably be an everyday player in our lineup,” says Bradley. “But that said, it could be at a different position every day. He had a really strong freshman year and his versatility is a great tool that will let us play him all over the field.”
Senior Ian Shannon, who has suffered through major injuries all three years of his career, will also add depth behind the plate.
The Outfielders
Princeton's outfield could also look very different on a game-to-game basis as the team has several solid options to fill the three positions. Spencer Lucian leads the group thanks to the way he finished the 2006 season.
“Spencer will be an everyday player in the lineup,” says Bradley. “The only question will be where he will play.”
Joining Lucian on the roster of experienced outfielders are sophomore Derek Beckman and junior Micah Kaplan. Beckman played most of the season in centerfield, batting .188 in 43 games as a freshman, while Kaplan will also see time at first base.
“Considering it was his first year as a switch hitter, I feel that Derek had a pretty good freshman year,” says Bradley. “Coming into this year, we expect a big jump in his performance.”
Freshman Brandan Englert, sophomore Andrew Doupe and sophomore Eric Zaziski and freshman Jon Broscious will also compete for playing time in the outfield. Englert is a sold left-handed hitter who will find his way into the lineup, while Doupe showed spurts of good power as a freshman. Zaziski missed last season with an injury.
“This group will all compete for playing time,” says Bradley. “The nice thing about having the depth we have in the outfield, as well as the infield, is that we can cycle through the lineup and let our lineup set itself out. The outfield positions, first base and designated hitter will be areas where we can run out several players and get players their at-bats.”