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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Baseball Season Opens This Weekend in North Carolina
February 25, 2009 | Baseball
The Princeton baseball team opens the 2009 season this weekend with a three-game series at UNC Greensboro. Princeton enters the 2009 season looking to build off of what Princeton head coach Scott Bradley described as the best fall and winter conditioning program of any of his teams in his 12 years at Princeton.
Princeton has finished with an 11-9 Ivy League record in each of the past three seasons, but is without an Ivy League title since the 2006 season, the freshman year of the Class of 2009. The Tigers return a talented core of players that is led by its four-player senior class. The four players?Derek Beckman, Dan DeGeorge,
Brad Gemberling and Adrian Turnham?were freshmen back in 2006, and their hunger to regain the Ivy League title and return to the NCAA tournament has driven them and the team during the offseason.
“The four seniors have been key contributors since they were freshmen,” says Bradley. “They have an excellent work ethic, are demanding of their teammates, and have developed into excellent leaders for our program.”
In addition to the four seniors, throw in a pair of talented juniors in David Hale and Jack Murphy, and Princeton has a solid group of six players that is talented, tested and experienced.
“David and Jack are both top pro prospects,” says Bradley. “They have had a great two years for us and have developed into key contributors. They deserve a lot of the attention they are getting from professional teams.”
Princeton will also return a pair of juniors who missed last season. Greg Van Horn had an excellent campaign as a freshman and his return to the lineup will help strength both the Tiger infield as well as its batting order. Another key returning player will be Brian Berkowitz, who appeared in just four games last season. Berkowitz gives the Tigers an added left-handed bat, which will give Princeton more balance since last year's lineup was predominantly right-handed.
The Princeton lineup will also fluctuate throughout the season as the Tigers have 12-13 players who will see significant playing time as opposed to a set lineup.
“The last few years we have pretty much played the same eight players on a day-in, day-out basis,” says Bradley. “One of the nice things about this team is the depth and experience we have. We are strong in the field, at the plate and on the mound. We have a lot of flexibility in the lineup.”
In addition, the Tigers will be better equipped to play according to situations.
“We have a better left-bat/right-bat balance and can match against hitters better,” says Bradley. “We also will have the ability to pinch run and make late defensive changes, something that has limited us in the past few years.”
The Pitching Staff
Despite losing two starting pitchers from last year's team to graduation, the Tigers pitching staff enters 2009 with a chance to be one of the most dominant in the league. The staff is led by three established starters in Gemberling, Hale and sophomore Dan Barnes.
All three will have a chance to play professional baseball one day and can throw their fastball in the 90s consistently. Gemberling had the lowest ERA among Princeton starters last season with a 3.60 ERA in 45 innings of work. He was 2-1 and struck out 45 batters and has a career mark of 7-3. Gemberling has been a key contributor since joining the Tigers in 2006, making mostly relief appearances as a freshman before starting as a sophomore and junior. Baseball America ranked him as a preseason all-league, the league's preseason Pitcher of the Year, and listed him as the league's fourth-ranked prospect.
Hale, who was simply dominant at times during his sophomore year on the mound.Hale is ranked as the Ivy League's top prospect by Baseball America and is expected to be drafted in the first three rounds in June. Hale works in the mid-90s and is beginning to command his secondary pitches better as he focuses on pitching. Last year Hale played in the outfield between starts, batting at .339, but this year he will serve as the team's designated hitter when not playing so that he can focus on pitching and not have to worry about running and throwing in the outfield.
Barnes jumped onto the scene last season as a starter early in the season before shifting to the bullpen. He was 2-4 with a 4.58 ERA in 37.1 innings of work and added two saves. He will return to the starting rotation this spring.
In addition to their experience in Princeton, all three have faced some of the nation's elite playing over the summer. Gemberling and Hale each pitched in the Cape Cod League, while Barnes had a great summer in the Coastal Plains League.
“We will look to those three to set the tone for our pitchers,” says Bradley. “They are all very experienced and have great stuff.”
Princeton's weekend rotation to likely be filled out by one of two lefties, either junior Langford Stuber or sophomore David Palms. Both players had good seasons for Princeton last year.
Stuber was 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA, although eight of his 18 earned runs came in his first start. Removing that outing from his season stats lowers his ERA to 3.00. Stuber served as Princeton's mid-week starter late in the season and often face potent lineups against the likes of Rutgers, Seton Hall and St. John's.
Palms came on to the scene as a freshman and was effective immediately. He had the lowest ERA of any pitcher on the team at 3.23 as he made a team-high 14 appearances. He was 2-2 and was one of only two Tiger pitchers to average more than one strikeout per inning. He also adds versatility to the Tiger staff as it wouldn't be surprising to see him in relief on the Saturday of a league weekend and starting a game the following day.
Sophomore Matt Grabowski will likely be at the back of the Princeton bullpen as the team's closer. Coming off a great fall that saw his velocity and effectiveness rise, he has the chance to become Princeton's first pure closer since Brian Kappel graduated in 2005.
The Tiger pitching staff will be bolstered by sophomore Tim Feess, who will likely see his role increased in 2009. Feess is crafty, knows how to pitch and will be used in many different situations. He made nine appearances last season.
Junior Ross Staine and sophomore Chad Ohlendorf did not pitch last year as each fought injuries. Both are healthy as 2009 begins and will compete for innings early in the season. Sophomore Matt Welsh suffered a broken collarbone in the offseason and will not be available until later in the season. He is likely to get some innings late in the year.
A pair of two-way players, junior Jon Broscious and sophomore Matt Connor, will also see time on the mound. Broscious made several appearances as a freshman before playing predominantly in the field last year, while Connor has not yet pitched at Princeton. The Tigers added flexibility in the field will provide both the chance to pitch during the season.
The staff will be joined by a pair of freshmen in Ryan Makis and Stephen Elmore. Both will compete for innings in their freshman years.
The Infielders
The Princeton infield will feature four players who are very experienced at their positions, bolstered by a platoon at third of some very capable back-ups.
Turnham starts things off at first base. A good defensive player and a solid fielder, Turnham has lived in the middle of the Tiger batting order for the past few years and has delivered on the field. Last year he batted .306 while playing in all but one games. Also as a junior, he saw his power numbers rise, plus he was one of only three Tiger batters to draw more walks than strikeouts.
DeGeorge will move to his natural position of second base this season after spending time as shortstop for most the first three years of his collegiate career. He is the only current Tiger senior who has been an everyday player since his first game in the Orange and Black. A .273 hitter last year, DeGeorge tied a Princeton record for runs scored in a season with 47.
DeGeorge's move to second base is made possibly by the return of Van Horn at shortstop. The junior had as a good a freshman year as any on record, batting .323 with 11 doubles, four home runs, eight stolen bases and a team-high 30 runs scored. Van Horn hit leadoff that season but is likely to hit in a power spot this season.
Murphy will complete the list of mainstays in the Tiger infield. Murphy started all 42 games behind the plate for Princeton and caught all but three innings last season. A preseason All-Ivy and the league's second-ranked prospect by Baseball America, Murphy was also listed as the league's most-feared hitter in a coaches poll on CollegeBaseballInsider.com. He batted .391 a season ago and led the team with eight homers and 40 RBIs.
Although clearly capable of catching everyday, Murphy will be able to get the occasional day off as freshman Sam Mulroy will slot in and catch. A good all-around athlete, it will be important for Mulroy to get college experience behind the plate for next season. Additionally, it will give Murphy, a very capable first and third baseman, to have the chance to play in the field on occasion and give a rest to others at those positions.
The Tigers will likely use a platoon at third base between sophomore Matt Connor and freshman Andrew Whitener. Connor saw time in the infield last season and strengthened as the season progressed, while Whitener comes to the Tigers as all-league shortstop and third baseman from Washington, D.C. Whitener offers the Tigers an added left-handed bat in the lineup.
Additionally, junior Noel Gonzales-Luna, who played in 19 games last season, will add depth up the middle, while sophomore Kyle O'Donovan gives the Tigers a third catcher.
“Our infield flexibility really is nice,” says Bradley. “We can really move the guys around and adjust our lineup according to the situation. Seven guys will be able to contribute at the five positions on a fairly regular basis.”
The Outfielders
Princeton will rotate four outfielders through the three outfield positions for much of the 2009 season. The ?Killer B's'?Beckman, Berkowitz, Broscious and freshman Tom Boggiano?have a chance to be one of the best defensive outfields in recent Princeton baseball history.
“Our defense in the outfield will be really strong,” says Bradley. “We have some good arms and athleticism out there and you won't see too many balls falling in for hits.”
Beckman emerged as an everyday outfielder last season and also settled in as the team's leadoff hitter. Batting .266, he led the team in stolen bases and bunted for several base hits throughout the season when the Tigers needed base runners.
Berkowitz will return after missing most the 2008 season. The junior had a great freshman season, batting just under .300 while providing some pop from the left side of the plate. He can also play at first base.
Broscious is the other returning member of the Princeton outfield, primarily playing in right field last year. Broscious broke out as a power hitter, with 17 of his 31 hits going for extra bases. He hit seven home runs and drove in 27 runs.
Boggiano will complete the group. The freshman is described by Bradley as the team's top defensive outfielder. He can run and throw exceptionally well and will have plenty of opportunities in the outfield.