Columbia
Fresno State
Columbia Squares Off at Fresno State to Begin 2020
2/27/2020 3:58:00 PM | Baseball
The Lions and Bulldogs will meet for the first time in program history out in California for a four-game set.
LEADING OFF
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
The Lions open up the 2020 campaign this weekend after reaching the Ivy League Playoff Series for the fifth time in the past seven seasons. Columbia went 19-23 overall and 13-8 in Ivy League play last season and return six positional starters and five pitchers that appeared in 10 or more contests.
INSIDE THE SERIES
This weekend will be the first meetings between Columbia and Fresno State.
FRESNO STATE'S STATUS
After a season opening series win over UC Irvine, the Bulldogs were swept by Washington last weekend. Fresno State picked up a 13-0 victory over Cal Poly Tuesday.
Zach Morgan is hitting .381 with five RBI through the squad's first seven games. Ryan Higgins checks in wiith a .360 average and four doubles and Nate Thimjon has belted four homers for a team-high eight RBI.
Nik Cardinal has been the most-used reliever on the staff, appearing in five games with a 3.60 ERA and 4 strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
NEWS/NOTES
HEY, JULES
Senior Julian Bury had another strong season in 2019, boasting a .314 batting average with 16 doubles and 29 runs scored to pick up second team All-Ivy League honors. He takes a 15-game hitting streak in to this season. In 2017, Bury was named Ivy League Rookie of the Yea rand a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.
McGILL'S BACK
Another strong returner for the Lions is senior Liam McGill, who has been a staple in the middle of the lineup the past three seasons. A Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in 2017, McGill has earned All-Ivy League honors in all three seasons with Columbia and hit .299 with four homers and 24 RBI in 2019.
NEW ROTATION, WHO DIS?
Columbia will unveil a brand new weekend rotation after losing Josh Simpson and Ethan Abrams to graduation and Ben Wereski to injury. Wereski was injured in his final start of the season at Penn and underwent Tommy John surgery over the summer.
All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial. Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.
FOLLOW COLUMBIA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For the latest on the Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
