Friday, June 3
Blacksburg, Va.
1:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
Gonzaga
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Lions Ready For The Blacksburg Regional; Open Against Gonzaga
6/2/2022 11:33:00 AM | Baseball
Columbia Baseball begins its Road to Omaha with the first game of the Blacksburg Regional, with a 1 p.m. first pitch against Gonzaga set for Friday, June 3.
BLACKSBURG, Va. — For the seventh time in program history, sixth time since 2008, Columbia Baseball (30-16) is set to compete in the NCAA Regionals with its first game at the Blacksburg Regional, against Gonzaga (36-17), set to get started at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 3 at English Field at Atlantic Union Bank Park.
Columbia will then face either the hosting Virginia Tech Hokies or Wright State in the next game, scheduled for Saturday, June 4. Entering the regional, Columbia is the No. 3 seed, while Gonzaga is the No. 2 seed. Virginia Tech carries the No. 1 seed (No. 4 seed in the nation) and Wright State rounds out the regional as the No. 4 seed.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and via radio with Ryan Young handling the call on gocolumbialions.com.
"We are excited to be in Blacksburg," said head coach Brett Boretti. "Our group was rewarded with the three seed and that's a credit to them and the year we had. I feel like our guys are ready to go. These guys have done a really good job, and we were away from it longer then most.
"To be able to come back and put the year we did together is a credit to the team and our senior class. We had an opportunity to gel and I think the older guys were important for that."
COLUMBIA'S STATUS: Columbia enters the regional on a three-game winning streak, having swept the ILPS winning doubleheader against Penn and beating Army in a picked up game ahead of selection Monday.
INSIDE THE REGIONAL: The Lions enter the Blacksburg regional as the three seed and match ups with Gonzaga and a possible match up with Wright State would be the first in program history. The Lions did see Virginia Tech in 2010.
VIRGINIA TECH'S STATUS: The No. 4 seed in the tournament and host team, Virginia Tech comes in as the No. 2 team in the country as ranked by D1 Baseball. The Hokies, who won the ACC Coastal Division championship, lost to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship game.
GONZAGA'S STATUS: Ranked No. 12 in the country by D1 Baseball, and the No. 2 seed at the Blacksburg Regional, Gonzaga enters the weekend as the runner up in the WCC Tournament. The Bulldogs lost to San Diego in the championship game to wrap up their season ahead of the Regionals.
WRIGHT STATE'S STATUS: The Horizon League Champions, Wright State beat Oakland twice to win the Horizon League and come into the Blacksburg Regional as the No. 4 seed.
COMEBACK SERIES: Columbia used a doubleheader comeback sweep to catch and beat Penn to win the Ivy League Playoff Series and earn their spot in the NCAA Regionals for the seventh time in program history. The Lions dropped the opening game on Saturday (May 21) to set up the Sunday comeback.
The Lions used a big 8-2 double play in the eighth inning of the first game to muscle the momentum away from Penn and went on to sweep the DH and win the Ivy League Playoff Series Championship.
TOP COACH: For the third time since 2015, the year the Ivy League created the award, Brett Boretti was unanimously named the Ivy League Head Coach of the Year following Columbia's title winning season.
10 ALL-IVY: Following the top year for the Lions, 10 members of Columbia were named to the All-Ivy League team, the most since 2015. Weston Eberly (C), Hayden Schott (OF) and Cole Hage (OF) were all named to the first-team, while Joe Sheets (P), Anton Lazits (3B), Andy Blake (SS), Joshua Solomon (OF) and EJ Kreutzmann (DH) were named to the second-team. Both JD Ogden (P) and Tyler MacGregor (1B) earned honorable mention honors.
ARMY AGAIN: Ahead of selection Monday, the Lions picked up a game against the Patriot League Champion Army Black Knights, the second time the two have faced this season. At home for the last time this season, Columbia took care of Army, bouncing back from giving up four runs in the first inning to win the game, 8-5, giving them 30 wins on the season.
CHAMPIONS: With a game two win over Dartmouth, powered by five winning innings by Sean HIggins in the restarted game (weather halted the game the day before after four innings), Columbia locked up a share of the 2022 Ivy League title. It was the 15th title in program history and the sixth title under current head coach Brett Boretti.
REWRITING THE BOOKS: The Lions have done a job this season rewriting the program record books, setting six program records in home runs, runs scored, doubles, total bases and RBIs. Columbia has also cracked the top-five in five other categories, wins, slugging percentage, fielding percentage and stolen bases.
ROOKIE HAGE: Over the weekend at Dartmouth, Cole Hage's solid performance at the plate earned him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors, becoming the third Lion in the season to earn the nod. Hage hit .467 from the leadoff spot, adding a two-run home run, three doubles, five RBIs and 13 total bases. Hage becomes the seventh Lion to earn Ivy League weekly honors this season.
NUMBERS ARE IVY: Columbia's individual numbers in the Ivy League have been solid putting the Lions in first place in the league.
· Cole Hage: .395 BA 4 HR 10 2B 22 RBI
· Tyler MacGregor: .373 BA 13 2B 1 3B 11 SB 20 RBI
· Weston Eberly: .370 BA 4 HR 7 2B 3 3B 24 RBI
· Hayden Schott: .364 BA 8 HR 11 2B 32 RBI
· Anton Lazits: .364 BA 2 HR 4 2B 17 RBI
· Andy Blake: .330 BA 5 HR 5 2B 4 3B 19 RBI
· Joshua Solomon: .314 BA 6 HR 2 2B 1 3B 20 RBI
· Austin Mowrey: .280 2 HR 2 2B 1 3B
SCHOTT AT THE IVY BOOKS: Hayden Schott's eight home runs ties Columbia's Gene Larkin (1984) along with two others with the most home runs in a conference season.
Schott has also collected 67 total bases which ties him for first for most total bases in a single conference season.
STREAKING LIONS: Columbia won 19 straight games from Apr. 2-May 14, and the 15 consecutive Ivy League victories they had in the stretch is an Ivy League record. The stretch sets a program record, breaking the previous streak of 15 games set in 2014.
HITTING NATIONALLY: The Lions' hitting has put them in the top 50 nationally in several offensive categories, sitting 25th in slugging percentage, 28th in batting average and 23rd in scoring. Columbia is also sitting 10th in the nation in doubles per game and 40th in triples per game.
NATIONALLY FAST: Nationally ranked 43rd in stolen bases per game and 76th in total stolen bases, Columbia sits second in stolen bases and stolen bases per game in the Ivy League.
THIS CATCHER CAN SCOOT: Weston Eberly has shown some power and speed during Columbia's 46 games, smacking five triples over that stretch. He ranks fourth nationally in total triples and his triples per game average puts him eighth in the nation. Eberly is also tied for the most triples by a catcher in the country.
WERESKI IS ROYAL: Former Lion pitcher, Ben Wereski '20CC was signed by the Kansas City Royals organization on Apr. 14. Wereski will pitch for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
THE BIG 300: Brett Boretti reached the 400-win plateau last season and during Columbia's home opening win over Manhattan on Mar. 23, he got his 300th win with the Lions. He sits second all-time, with Boretti making the move up from third in Columbia's weekend at Davidson. Boretti became only the second coach in program history to ever reach the 300-win milestone.
Boretti's 185 Ivy League wins and .612 winning percentage in conference play are both program benchmarks.
PRESEASON PICKS: Columbia was picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason poll. The Lions, who tied with Yale for the most first-place votes at five, finished six points ahead of Penn, who were picked to finish third.
2022 Ivy League Baseball Preseason Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Yale – 107 (5)
2. Columbia – 102 (5)
3. Penn – 96 (4)
4. Harvard – 92 (2)
5. Dartmouth – 72
6. Princeton – 47
7. Brown – 35
8. Cornell –25
DID YOU KNOW: Every student-athlete that has played for head coach Brett Boretti's in his 17-year tenure, and remained on Columbia's roster for at least three years, has either won a conference title or competed in an Ivy League Playoff Series.
LIONS IN THE PROS: Columbia currently has two players in the professional ranks as Josh Simpson '19CC, a left-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2019, remains in their system having spent time pitching as high as Single-A ball and Ben Wereski '20CC, who joined the Kansas City Royals organization during the week of April 12, 2022.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Baseball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsBaseball), Instagram (@culionsbaseball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Columbia will then face either the hosting Virginia Tech Hokies or Wright State in the next game, scheduled for Saturday, June 4. Entering the regional, Columbia is the No. 3 seed, while Gonzaga is the No. 2 seed. Virginia Tech carries the No. 1 seed (No. 4 seed in the nation) and Wright State rounds out the regional as the No. 4 seed.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and via radio with Ryan Young handling the call on gocolumbialions.com.
"We are excited to be in Blacksburg," said head coach Brett Boretti. "Our group was rewarded with the three seed and that's a credit to them and the year we had. I feel like our guys are ready to go. These guys have done a really good job, and we were away from it longer then most.
"To be able to come back and put the year we did together is a credit to the team and our senior class. We had an opportunity to gel and I think the older guys were important for that."
COLUMBIA'S STATUS: Columbia enters the regional on a three-game winning streak, having swept the ILPS winning doubleheader against Penn and beating Army in a picked up game ahead of selection Monday.
INSIDE THE REGIONAL: The Lions enter the Blacksburg regional as the three seed and match ups with Gonzaga and a possible match up with Wright State would be the first in program history. The Lions did see Virginia Tech in 2010.
VIRGINIA TECH'S STATUS: The No. 4 seed in the tournament and host team, Virginia Tech comes in as the No. 2 team in the country as ranked by D1 Baseball. The Hokies, who won the ACC Coastal Division championship, lost to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Championship game.
GONZAGA'S STATUS: Ranked No. 12 in the country by D1 Baseball, and the No. 2 seed at the Blacksburg Regional, Gonzaga enters the weekend as the runner up in the WCC Tournament. The Bulldogs lost to San Diego in the championship game to wrap up their season ahead of the Regionals.
WRIGHT STATE'S STATUS: The Horizon League Champions, Wright State beat Oakland twice to win the Horizon League and come into the Blacksburg Regional as the No. 4 seed.
COMEBACK SERIES: Columbia used a doubleheader comeback sweep to catch and beat Penn to win the Ivy League Playoff Series and earn their spot in the NCAA Regionals for the seventh time in program history. The Lions dropped the opening game on Saturday (May 21) to set up the Sunday comeback.
The Lions used a big 8-2 double play in the eighth inning of the first game to muscle the momentum away from Penn and went on to sweep the DH and win the Ivy League Playoff Series Championship.
TOP COACH: For the third time since 2015, the year the Ivy League created the award, Brett Boretti was unanimously named the Ivy League Head Coach of the Year following Columbia's title winning season.
10 ALL-IVY: Following the top year for the Lions, 10 members of Columbia were named to the All-Ivy League team, the most since 2015. Weston Eberly (C), Hayden Schott (OF) and Cole Hage (OF) were all named to the first-team, while Joe Sheets (P), Anton Lazits (3B), Andy Blake (SS), Joshua Solomon (OF) and EJ Kreutzmann (DH) were named to the second-team. Both JD Ogden (P) and Tyler MacGregor (1B) earned honorable mention honors.
ARMY AGAIN: Ahead of selection Monday, the Lions picked up a game against the Patriot League Champion Army Black Knights, the second time the two have faced this season. At home for the last time this season, Columbia took care of Army, bouncing back from giving up four runs in the first inning to win the game, 8-5, giving them 30 wins on the season.
CHAMPIONS: With a game two win over Dartmouth, powered by five winning innings by Sean HIggins in the restarted game (weather halted the game the day before after four innings), Columbia locked up a share of the 2022 Ivy League title. It was the 15th title in program history and the sixth title under current head coach Brett Boretti.
REWRITING THE BOOKS: The Lions have done a job this season rewriting the program record books, setting six program records in home runs, runs scored, doubles, total bases and RBIs. Columbia has also cracked the top-five in five other categories, wins, slugging percentage, fielding percentage and stolen bases.
ROOKIE HAGE: Over the weekend at Dartmouth, Cole Hage's solid performance at the plate earned him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors, becoming the third Lion in the season to earn the nod. Hage hit .467 from the leadoff spot, adding a two-run home run, three doubles, five RBIs and 13 total bases. Hage becomes the seventh Lion to earn Ivy League weekly honors this season.
NUMBERS ARE IVY: Columbia's individual numbers in the Ivy League have been solid putting the Lions in first place in the league.
· Cole Hage: .395 BA 4 HR 10 2B 22 RBI
· Tyler MacGregor: .373 BA 13 2B 1 3B 11 SB 20 RBI
· Weston Eberly: .370 BA 4 HR 7 2B 3 3B 24 RBI
· Hayden Schott: .364 BA 8 HR 11 2B 32 RBI
· Anton Lazits: .364 BA 2 HR 4 2B 17 RBI
· Andy Blake: .330 BA 5 HR 5 2B 4 3B 19 RBI
· Joshua Solomon: .314 BA 6 HR 2 2B 1 3B 20 RBI
· Austin Mowrey: .280 2 HR 2 2B 1 3B
SCHOTT AT THE IVY BOOKS: Hayden Schott's eight home runs ties Columbia's Gene Larkin (1984) along with two others with the most home runs in a conference season.
Schott has also collected 67 total bases which ties him for first for most total bases in a single conference season.
STREAKING LIONS: Columbia won 19 straight games from Apr. 2-May 14, and the 15 consecutive Ivy League victories they had in the stretch is an Ivy League record. The stretch sets a program record, breaking the previous streak of 15 games set in 2014.
HITTING NATIONALLY: The Lions' hitting has put them in the top 50 nationally in several offensive categories, sitting 25th in slugging percentage, 28th in batting average and 23rd in scoring. Columbia is also sitting 10th in the nation in doubles per game and 40th in triples per game.
NATIONALLY FAST: Nationally ranked 43rd in stolen bases per game and 76th in total stolen bases, Columbia sits second in stolen bases and stolen bases per game in the Ivy League.
THIS CATCHER CAN SCOOT: Weston Eberly has shown some power and speed during Columbia's 46 games, smacking five triples over that stretch. He ranks fourth nationally in total triples and his triples per game average puts him eighth in the nation. Eberly is also tied for the most triples by a catcher in the country.
WERESKI IS ROYAL: Former Lion pitcher, Ben Wereski '20CC was signed by the Kansas City Royals organization on Apr. 14. Wereski will pitch for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.
THE BIG 300: Brett Boretti reached the 400-win plateau last season and during Columbia's home opening win over Manhattan on Mar. 23, he got his 300th win with the Lions. He sits second all-time, with Boretti making the move up from third in Columbia's weekend at Davidson. Boretti became only the second coach in program history to ever reach the 300-win milestone.
Boretti's 185 Ivy League wins and .612 winning percentage in conference play are both program benchmarks.
PRESEASON PICKS: Columbia was picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason poll. The Lions, who tied with Yale for the most first-place votes at five, finished six points ahead of Penn, who were picked to finish third.
2022 Ivy League Baseball Preseason Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Yale – 107 (5)
2. Columbia – 102 (5)
3. Penn – 96 (4)
4. Harvard – 92 (2)
5. Dartmouth – 72
6. Princeton – 47
7. Brown – 35
8. Cornell –25
DID YOU KNOW: Every student-athlete that has played for head coach Brett Boretti's in his 17-year tenure, and remained on Columbia's roster for at least three years, has either won a conference title or competed in an Ivy League Playoff Series.
LIONS IN THE PROS: Columbia currently has two players in the professional ranks as Josh Simpson '19CC, a left-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Miami Marlins in 2019, remains in their system having spent time pitching as high as Single-A ball and Ben Wereski '20CC, who joined the Kansas City Royals organization during the week of April 12, 2022.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Baseball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsBaseball), Instagram (@culionsbaseball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
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