David Speer - Hall of Fame
David Speer
- Induction:
- 2026
- Class:
- 2014
Over four years, David Speer grew from a first-year pitcher finding his role into one of the top pitchers in Columbia baseball history. His dominance on the mound helped move the Lions from a team chasing contention to a program winning titles, and it opened the door to a professional career.
Speer made an immediate impact as a first-year, appearing 11 times with three starts. Then, he stepped into the weekend rotation as a sophomore and took his biggest jump as a junior where he went 6-3 with a 2.34 ERA and 66 strikeouts on his way to First Team All-Ivy League Honors
After a brilliant 16-4 regular season conference campaign in 2013, Speer started Game 1 of the Ivy League Championship Series against Dartmouth. He retired 16 consecutive Big Green batters, finishing with 12 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. The game went to extras, and Columbia won in the 10th before taking Game 2 to secure the program’s first Ivy League championship since 2008.
The following season, Speer was lights out. He established himself as one of the country's premier control artists, ranking second in Division I with an elite 10.7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Across 12 starts and 87 innings, the ace compiled a 7-2 record with a 1.86 ERA, racking up 75 strikeouts against only seven base on balls.
His seven victories fell a single win short of the school record, while his astonishing 0.72 walks per nine innings established a new school record. In Ivy League play, he was even better with a 4-0 mark in five starts, punching out 32 hitters while issuing just a single walk. He was the unanimous choice for Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and went on to earn ABCA All-Northeast Region team.
Throughout his decorated career, Speer etched his name across the Columbia record books, ranking third in victories (18), fifth in both strikeouts (198), ninth in ERA (2.96) and innings pitched (231), sixth in games started (35) and 10th in complete games (11).
That body of work translated to the next level. Speer was drafted in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians and began his professional career that summer. He spent six seasons in the organization’s minor leagues from 2014 through spring training in 2020, reaching Triple-A. He retired in 2021 due to injury, finishing with
At Columbia, Speer is remembered for the starts that changed weekends and the reliability that helped shift the program’s trajectory. When the margin for error disappeared, he consistently gave the Lions what they needed: a chance to win, and often, a lead to protect.
Speer made an immediate impact as a first-year, appearing 11 times with three starts. Then, he stepped into the weekend rotation as a sophomore and took his biggest jump as a junior where he went 6-3 with a 2.34 ERA and 66 strikeouts on his way to First Team All-Ivy League Honors
After a brilliant 16-4 regular season conference campaign in 2013, Speer started Game 1 of the Ivy League Championship Series against Dartmouth. He retired 16 consecutive Big Green batters, finishing with 12 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. The game went to extras, and Columbia won in the 10th before taking Game 2 to secure the program’s first Ivy League championship since 2008.
The following season, Speer was lights out. He established himself as one of the country's premier control artists, ranking second in Division I with an elite 10.7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Across 12 starts and 87 innings, the ace compiled a 7-2 record with a 1.86 ERA, racking up 75 strikeouts against only seven base on balls.
His seven victories fell a single win short of the school record, while his astonishing 0.72 walks per nine innings established a new school record. In Ivy League play, he was even better with a 4-0 mark in five starts, punching out 32 hitters while issuing just a single walk. He was the unanimous choice for Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and went on to earn ABCA All-Northeast Region team.
Throughout his decorated career, Speer etched his name across the Columbia record books, ranking third in victories (18), fifth in both strikeouts (198), ninth in ERA (2.96) and innings pitched (231), sixth in games started (35) and 10th in complete games (11).
That body of work translated to the next level. Speer was drafted in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians and began his professional career that summer. He spent six seasons in the organization’s minor leagues from 2014 through spring training in 2020, reaching Triple-A. He retired in 2021 due to injury, finishing with
At Columbia, Speer is remembered for the starts that changed weekends and the reliability that helped shift the program’s trajectory. When the margin for error disappeared, he consistently gave the Lions what they needed: a chance to win, and often, a lead to protect.
Saturday, October 31
Saturday, October 31
Friday, October 30
Friday, October 30
