Columbia
Penn
Postseason Berth Up For Grabs In Final Ivy League Series at Penn
5/2/2019 3:10:00 PM | Baseball
Columbia needs just one win to earn a spot in the Ivy League Playoff Series for the second consecutive year.
LEADING OFF
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
The Lions rallied from as many as seven runs down to earn a 15-12 at Army Wednesday to wrap up non-conference play. Columbia dropped 2-of-3 at Harvard last weekend, but remained tied for first place in the Ivy League standings needing just one win to clinch a berth in the Ivy League Playoff Series for the second consecutive season.
PENN'S STATUS
The Quakers have dropped three straight, including the final two games at Cornell and a midweek at George Washington. Penn trails the Lions and Crimson by three games with three to play and is behind Yale by one game in the conference table.
Penn checks in as one of the most potent offenses in the country, boasting a team batting average of .334. Matt O'Neill is hitting .410 ont eh year with 14 doubles and 34 RBI. Josh Hood leads the squad with eight homers and 42 RBI to go with his .341 batting average.
Six relievers have made 10 or more appearances on the year. Kevin Eaise boasts a 3.90 ERA and two saves and Joe Miller has racked up four victories and 38 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Columbia is 126-133-3 in the all-time series with Penn. Last year, the Lions won the series, taking the final two games of the three-game set at Robertson Field.
NEWS/NOTES
DIRTY HARRI-NGTON
Junior reliever Dan Harrington has not allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances, posting a 1-0 record with three saves and 13 strikeouts in 12.0 innings during this stretch.
HEY, JULES
Junior leadoff man Julian Bury is having another strong season, boasting a .323 batting average with 15 doubles and 25 runs scored. He is also currently riding a 10-game hitting streak. The doubles total put him tied for third in the Ivy League and is tied for the ninth highest single-season total in program history - six shy of tying the benchmark. Bury was tabbed Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in 2017.
CHANDLER BING
Senior Chandler Bengtson broke Columbia's all-time home run record with his 26th career dinger at Princeton on April 6. Bengtson has 11 homers, which is tied for the Ivy League lead. He is currently No. 5 on the Ivy League all-time list with 31 career long balls and is three shy of tying the record. Bengtson's 10 home runs in conference games has also broken the single-season Ivy League record. The Fresno, California, native was named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on April 1 and Ivy League Player of the Week twice. Four of Bengtson's career home runs have been of the grand slam variety, which is believed to be a program record. He currently leads the squad, hitting .330 with 33 RBI and 32 runs scored. Bengtson belted an Ivy League-leading 10 taters in 2018 en route to first team All-Ivy League honors.
