Baseball Returns Home for Series With Cornell This Weekend
4/16/2015 3:04:00 PM | Baseball
NEW YORK - The Columbia baseball team returns to Roberston Field at Satow Stadium for a four-game series with Cornell on April 18-19. Both days of doubleheaders are slated for 12 p.m. starts on the Ivy League Digital Network.
• Please note, northbound 1-Train Service will be suspended at 96th Street this weekend.
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
The Lions had another winning weekend, topping Princeton three games to one in a four-game series on the road to keep pace with Penn for first place in the Gehrig Division standings. Columbia played a mid-week game at Rutgers, falling 7-4 on Wednesday.
CORNELL'S STATUS
The Big Red have dropped five of their last six and lost last weekend's series to Penn, 3-1, at home. Most recently, Cornell suffered a 9-2 setback to Siena on Tuesday.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Columbia is 102-33 all-time against Cornell. The Lions have won six-straight and 7-of-8 in the series. Last season, Columbia swept the Big Red and posted three shutouts in Ithaca.
UNLEASH THE SAVAGE
Sophomore Will Savage exploded to hit .529 with a double, home run and five RBI in four games at Princeton to earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors on April 14. Savage hit safely in each game and finished the series with the Tigers with a 3-for-6, five-RBI performance.
'ATTA BOY, ROY
Junior Kevin Roy pitched his second consecutive complete-game shutout in a 4-0 win over Princeton in game one of a doubleheader on April 12. He allowed just three hits and struck out seven to improve to 3-2 on the year. In an 8-0 win in game one over Brown on April 6, the Houston product tossed another three-hitter. He has a scoreless inning streak of 15.2 innings, dating back to his March 20 start at USC Upstate.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Columbia outscored Yale and Brown on April 5-6 by a combined score of 44-8 and are either first or second in the Ivy League in numerous offensive categories (see page five). The 16 runs in game one at Yale was the most runs for the Lions in a game since they scored 17 at South Alabama in 2011.
BORETTI REACHES COLUMBIA MILESTONE
Brett Boretti picked up his 200th victory as head coach of Columbia with a game one win at Brown on April 6. Last season, the skipper who is in his 10th year, won his 300th career game.
CRAIG HEATING UP
Senior outfielder Gus Craig has heated up since the team returned north, hitting .436 with an .782 slugging percentage in 15 games. Craig, who was named Ivy League Player of the Week on March 31, is one hit shy of 100 for his career.
COOK-IE MONSTER
Senior third baseman David Vandercook is also coming on both with the bat and the glove. As the fourth member of Columbia's “murderer's row” of lefties in the heart of the lineup, Vandercook is hitting .436 with four doubles, eight runs and 15 RBI in Ivy League play. At the hot corner, he has gone error-free in his last 16 games and has made miscues in just two contests this season.
DIRTY HARRY
Also honored on March 31, was first-year pitcher Harrisen Egly who was tabbed Rookie of the Week. The 6-4 righty factored in to three decisions with two saves and a victory in four shutout innings of relief. He currently is tied for the Ivy League lead with four saves on the season.
SERENA-TY NOW
Senior Jordan Serena has arguably been Columbia's most consistent player this season. He has hit safely in all but five games this season. Serena stole his 71st career base at Princeton to take over possession of second on the all-time list. He is 18 shy of the all-time record held by Garrett Neubart. The Parker, Colorado, native also cracked into the top-10 in runs scored (119) and is on the verge of ranking in hits and games played.
