Friday, February 24
Charlottesville, Va.
2:00 PM
Columbia University
at
Virginia
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang
Baseball Opens 2023 Season At No. 19 Virginia
2/23/2023 1:30:00 PM | Baseball
The Lions take the field for the first time since last year's NCAA Regionals
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Columbia baseball opens the 2023 season with a three-game series at No. 19 Virginia this weekend.
Due to inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday, the teams will play a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of game 1 from Davenport Field at Disharoon Park is set for 2 p.m. and game 2 will start approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of game 1. Sunday's game concludes the series with first pitch set for 1 p.m. All three games will air on ACCNX, where you can watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app as long as ACC Network is part of your cable subscription.
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
Game 1 – Friday (Feb. 24) – 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Game 2 – Friday (Feb. 24) – Approximately 40 minutes after conclusion of game 1 | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Game 3 – Sunday (Feb. 26) – 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Projected Columbia starting pitchers (2022 stats):
RHP Andy Leon (11 APP, 9 GS, 4-0 W/L, 4.36 ERA, 33.0 IP)
LHP JD Ogden (16 APP, 4 GS, 2-4 W/L, 4.17 ERA, 45.1 IP)
RHP Joe Sheets (13 APP, 11 GS, 2-2 W/L, 6.04 ERA, 53.2 IP)
Projected Virginia starting pitchers (2023 stats):
The Schedule
Columbia has a 43-game slate set for 2023. The Lions will play its first 15 games on the road before returning to Robertson Field at Satow Stadium for the home opener on March 22 against Manhattan. Columbia's non-Ivy League opponents are made up of teams from 10 different conferences: ACC (Virginia), CAA (UNC Wilmington), SEC (Alabama), Sun Belt (Troy), Southern (Samford), AAC (Tulane), MAAC (Manhattan, Monmouth, Marist), Big East (UConn, St. John's), A10 (Fordham), and Patriot (Army).
"We are excited about the tough schedule we have put together for 2023," head coach Brett Boretti said. "The schedule is something we take a lot of pride in putting together and also a big attraction for the guys that come here. We want to play against top 25-50 teams in order to prepare as best as we can for the conference season and I think UVA, UNCW and our spring break trip to Alabama, Troy, Samford, and Tulane will do that."
Ivy League play commences on March 25 when Columbia hosts Brown. Columbia's first road conference series is at Yale on April 8-9. St. John's visits for the home finale at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium on May 2. The regular season wraps up in Philadelphia, PA for a series at Penn on May 13-14. The Ivy League tournament is scheduled for May 19-22 with the top four teams in the conference standings earning a spot in the tournament and the no. 1 overall seed will host. NCAA Regionals will run from June 2-5, followed by NCAA Super Regionals June 9-12, and then the College World Series June 16-26.
The Roster
Columbia returns 29 players from 2022's Ivy League Championship team that went 32-18 and 17-4 in conference play. Just 11 players are not returning for 2023. Nine newcomers have joined the program, including eight first year players and transfer James Vaughn from Monroe College.
The 2023 roster features Weston Eberly (catcher), Hayden Schott (outfield) and Cole Hage (outfield), who were named First Team All-Ivy League following their stellar campaigns last season. Second Team All-Ivy League selections Joe Sheets (pitcher), Anton Lazits (third base), Andy Blake (shortstop), and EJ Kreutzmann (designated hitter) return as well. Pitcher and 2022 Ivy League honorable mention JD Ogden is also back.
First year infielder Jack Kail was D1 Baseball's Ivy League Freshman of the Year. Kail was a four-year varsity player at Peters Township High School where during his senior year posted a .371 batting average with 10 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs.
"I think our defense has been very steady," Boretti said. "We lost our right side of the infield to graduation (Austin Mowrey and Tyler MacGregor) and our centerfielder (Joshua Solomon). Those are some big pieces to replace. I think we have made progress with multiple guys at first base and our right side has been good. I also feel our outfield play is a strength of ours. It's a veteran group out there and they continue to work at it. Defense starts in the middle of the field and we are fortunate to have Weston Eberly (catcher) and Andy Blake (shortstop) as the backbone."
The Captains
Seniors Camron Hubble, Andy Blake, Weston Eberly, and Hayden Schott will serve as the program's captains for the 2023 season.
"I think our players did a tremendous job selecting the team captains for 2023," Boretti said in a statement. "Each of them possesses strong leadership qualities as well as the ability to hold their teammates accountable to the highest standards."
The Coaching Staff
Three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year Brett Boretti enters his 18th season at the helm of the Columbia baseball program. Associate head coach Dan Tischler begins his 10th year on the staff. New hires include pitching coach Tom Carty and assistant coach Canyon Kyle. Carty arrives at Columbia after six seasons as the pitching coach at Long Island University. Kyle served as a graduate assistant last September to December before being promoted to an assistant in January.
Longtime assistant coach Jim Walsh left the program this offseason after 17 years to become the varsity head coach at Union City High School, where he has taught since 1996. Walsh was the longest-tenured assistant on Boretti's staff and was a part of six Ivy League Championships.
Among The Best of the Nation
Outfielder Cole Hage checked in at No. 122 on D1 Baseball's Top 150 Outfielders List. Last season, Hage led the Lions in batting average (.335) and on-base percentage (.454).
Catcher Weston Eberly was ranked No. 37 on D1 Baseball's Top 50 Catchers List. Last season, Eberly batted .306 with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs over 46 games.
Preseason Polls
Columbia was tabbed to finish first in the 2023 Ivy League Preseason Poll, as voted on by eight sports information directors and eight media members from around the league. The Lions have been picked to finish first in the preseason poll for the first time since the poll was instituted in 2018. Before this year's first-place rank, Columbia had either been picked to finish second or third in the previous four Ivy League Baseball Preseason Polls. Columbia received 12 out of 16 first-place votes in this year's poll.
D1 Baseball's Eric Sorenson projected the Lions to finish first in the Ivy League standings and be the lone regional team to come out of the conference.
Virginia's Status
The Cavaliers are off to a 4-0 start with wins against Navy, Ohio, UNCW, and Longwood. Virginia is outscoring its opponents 65-11 through four games and has scored 20 runs in two of those games. Jake Gelof is 9-for-17 with three home runs and 13 RBIs to start the season. The Virginia offense is slashing .446/.520/.717 with nine home runs and 27 extra-base hits. Virginia's pitching staff has a 2.65 ERA through 34 innings.
Against Virginia
The Lions are 1-4 all-time against Virginia with the last meeting between the two teams coming in 1926. It was Columbia's lone win in the series, a 6-5 victory.
Opening Day
The Lions have notched two opening day victories in the Brett Boretti era. Last season, Columbia opened with an 8-3 win over Stetson in Florida. Andy Blake homered, Hayden Schott had two hits and an RBI, and Weston Eberly added an RBI. Joe Sheets pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win. Columbia's other opening day win under Boretti was a 1-0 win over South Florida in 2014.
The last time Columbia opened the season against a ranked opponent was in 2017 at No. 2 Florida. Before that, the Lions began the 2015 campaign at No. 3 Houston. The last time the Lions opened the season with an ACC opponent was in 2008 at Duke.
On Deck
Following the season-opening series with Virginia, the Lions travel to Wilmington, N.C. next weekend for a four-game set with UNC Wilmington on March 3-5.
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Due to inclement weather in the forecast for Saturday, the teams will play a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch of game 1 from Davenport Field at Disharoon Park is set for 2 p.m. and game 2 will start approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of game 1. Sunday's game concludes the series with first pitch set for 1 p.m. All three games will air on ACCNX, where you can watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app as long as ACC Network is part of your cable subscription.
HOW TO WATCH/FOLLOW
Game 1 – Friday (Feb. 24) – 2 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Game 2 – Friday (Feb. 24) – Approximately 40 minutes after conclusion of game 1 | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Game 3 – Sunday (Feb. 26) – 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch (ACCNX)
Projected Columbia starting pitchers (2022 stats):
RHP Andy Leon (11 APP, 9 GS, 4-0 W/L, 4.36 ERA, 33.0 IP)
LHP JD Ogden (16 APP, 4 GS, 2-4 W/L, 4.17 ERA, 45.1 IP)
RHP Joe Sheets (13 APP, 11 GS, 2-2 W/L, 6.04 ERA, 53.2 IP)
Projected Virginia starting pitchers (2023 stats):
RHP Nick Parker (1 GS, 1-0 W/L, 5.40 ERA, 5.0 IP)
RHP Brian Edgington (1 GS, 1-0 W/L, 4.15 ERA, 4.1 IP)
RHP Jack O'Connor (1 GS, 1-0 W/L, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP)
The Schedule
Columbia has a 43-game slate set for 2023. The Lions will play its first 15 games on the road before returning to Robertson Field at Satow Stadium for the home opener on March 22 against Manhattan. Columbia's non-Ivy League opponents are made up of teams from 10 different conferences: ACC (Virginia), CAA (UNC Wilmington), SEC (Alabama), Sun Belt (Troy), Southern (Samford), AAC (Tulane), MAAC (Manhattan, Monmouth, Marist), Big East (UConn, St. John's), A10 (Fordham), and Patriot (Army).
"We are excited about the tough schedule we have put together for 2023," head coach Brett Boretti said. "The schedule is something we take a lot of pride in putting together and also a big attraction for the guys that come here. We want to play against top 25-50 teams in order to prepare as best as we can for the conference season and I think UVA, UNCW and our spring break trip to Alabama, Troy, Samford, and Tulane will do that."
Ivy League play commences on March 25 when Columbia hosts Brown. Columbia's first road conference series is at Yale on April 8-9. St. John's visits for the home finale at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium on May 2. The regular season wraps up in Philadelphia, PA for a series at Penn on May 13-14. The Ivy League tournament is scheduled for May 19-22 with the top four teams in the conference standings earning a spot in the tournament and the no. 1 overall seed will host. NCAA Regionals will run from June 2-5, followed by NCAA Super Regionals June 9-12, and then the College World Series June 16-26.
The Roster
Columbia returns 29 players from 2022's Ivy League Championship team that went 32-18 and 17-4 in conference play. Just 11 players are not returning for 2023. Nine newcomers have joined the program, including eight first year players and transfer James Vaughn from Monroe College.
The 2023 roster features Weston Eberly (catcher), Hayden Schott (outfield) and Cole Hage (outfield), who were named First Team All-Ivy League following their stellar campaigns last season. Second Team All-Ivy League selections Joe Sheets (pitcher), Anton Lazits (third base), Andy Blake (shortstop), and EJ Kreutzmann (designated hitter) return as well. Pitcher and 2022 Ivy League honorable mention JD Ogden is also back.
First year infielder Jack Kail was D1 Baseball's Ivy League Freshman of the Year. Kail was a four-year varsity player at Peters Township High School where during his senior year posted a .371 batting average with 10 doubles, 3 triples, and 2 home runs.
"I think our defense has been very steady," Boretti said. "We lost our right side of the infield to graduation (Austin Mowrey and Tyler MacGregor) and our centerfielder (Joshua Solomon). Those are some big pieces to replace. I think we have made progress with multiple guys at first base and our right side has been good. I also feel our outfield play is a strength of ours. It's a veteran group out there and they continue to work at it. Defense starts in the middle of the field and we are fortunate to have Weston Eberly (catcher) and Andy Blake (shortstop) as the backbone."
The Captains
Seniors Camron Hubble, Andy Blake, Weston Eberly, and Hayden Schott will serve as the program's captains for the 2023 season.
"I think our players did a tremendous job selecting the team captains for 2023," Boretti said in a statement. "Each of them possesses strong leadership qualities as well as the ability to hold their teammates accountable to the highest standards."
Announcing our 2023 captains! Andy Blake, Camron Hubble, Weston Eberly, and Hayden Schott have been selected by teammates to lead the Lions this season!#RoarLionRoar 🦁 pic.twitter.com/jjOG5WhyXT
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 3, 2023
The Coaching Staff
Three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year Brett Boretti enters his 18th season at the helm of the Columbia baseball program. Associate head coach Dan Tischler begins his 10th year on the staff. New hires include pitching coach Tom Carty and assistant coach Canyon Kyle. Carty arrives at Columbia after six seasons as the pitching coach at Long Island University. Kyle served as a graduate assistant last September to December before being promoted to an assistant in January.
Longtime assistant coach Jim Walsh left the program this offseason after 17 years to become the varsity head coach at Union City High School, where he has taught since 1996. Walsh was the longest-tenured assistant on Boretti's staff and was a part of six Ivy League Championships.
Congratulations to longtime assistant coach Jim Walsh on being named head coach at Union City High School after 17 years in our program!
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 6, 2023
Thank you for all the memories coach Walsh! We wish you the best of luck at your next stop!#RoarLionRoar pic.twitter.com/Qpeqy63Mm4
Among The Best of the Nation
Outfielder Cole Hage checked in at No. 122 on D1 Baseball's Top 150 Outfielders List. Last season, Hage led the Lions in batting average (.335) and on-base percentage (.454).
Another Lion ranked among the best in the country! Cole Hage checks in at 1⃣2⃣2⃣ on @d1baseball's Top 150 Outfielders in @NCAABaseball list.
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 7, 2023
Last season, Hage led the Lions in batting average (.335) and on-base percentage (.454).#RoarLionRoar 🦁
📰: https://t.co/qSEhdnzvpm pic.twitter.com/POHXfsvgAG
Catcher Weston Eberly was ranked No. 37 on D1 Baseball's Top 50 Catchers List. Last season, Eberly batted .306 with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs over 46 games.
Preseason Polls
Columbia was tabbed to finish first in the 2023 Ivy League Preseason Poll, as voted on by eight sports information directors and eight media members from around the league. The Lions have been picked to finish first in the preseason poll for the first time since the poll was instituted in 2018. Before this year's first-place rank, Columbia had either been picked to finish second or third in the previous four Ivy League Baseball Preseason Polls. Columbia received 12 out of 16 first-place votes in this year's poll.
The Lions have been picked to finish 1️⃣st in the 2023 @IvyLeague Preseason Poll!#RoarLionRoar pic.twitter.com/F0V65kjQb6
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 17, 2023
D1 Baseball's Eric Sorenson projected the Lions to finish first in the Ivy League standings and be the lone regional team to come out of the conference.
Virginia's Status
The Cavaliers are off to a 4-0 start with wins against Navy, Ohio, UNCW, and Longwood. Virginia is outscoring its opponents 65-11 through four games and has scored 20 runs in two of those games. Jake Gelof is 9-for-17 with three home runs and 13 RBIs to start the season. The Virginia offense is slashing .446/.520/.717 with nine home runs and 27 extra-base hits. Virginia's pitching staff has a 2.65 ERA through 34 innings.
Against Virginia
The Lions are 1-4 all-time against Virginia with the last meeting between the two teams coming in 1926. It was Columbia's lone win in the series, a 6-5 victory.
Opening Day
The Lions have notched two opening day victories in the Brett Boretti era. Last season, Columbia opened with an 8-3 win over Stetson in Florida. Andy Blake homered, Hayden Schott had two hits and an RBI, and Weston Eberly added an RBI. Joe Sheets pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win. Columbia's other opening day win under Boretti was a 1-0 win over South Florida in 2014.
The last time Columbia opened the season against a ranked opponent was in 2017 at No. 2 Florida. Before that, the Lions began the 2015 campaign at No. 3 Houston. The last time the Lions opened the season with an ACC opponent was in 2008 at Duke.
On Deck
Following the season-opening series with Virginia, the Lions travel to Wilmington, N.C. next weekend for a four-game set with UNC Wilmington on March 3-5.
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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