Tuesday, May 2
New York, N.Y.
1:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
St. John's
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Baseball Welcomes St. John’s On Tuesday
5/1/2023 3:30:00 PM | Baseball
Lions set for regular season home finale
NEW YORK — Columbia baseball hosts St. John's on Tuesday from Robertson Field at Satow Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Projected Columbia starting pitcher:
RHP Griffin Palfrey (6 APP, 4 GS, 2-2 W/L, 6.00 ERA, 15.0 IP)
Projected St. John's starting pitcher:
RHP Mario Pesca (9 APP, 6 GS, 0-5 W/L, 9.89 ERA, 23.2 IP)
Last Time Out
Columbia (23-16, 11-7) recently got swept at Harvard last weekend. It marked the first time since 2006 that the Lions have been swept in an Ivy League series of three games or more. Columbia is the final Ivy League team to be swept in three games since the new conference schedule format changed in 2018.
Offensive Explosion
Columbia has scored 15 or more runs in eight games this season. The team has shattered the single-game record for hits (26) and home runs (seven) this year.
The Lions are all over the national rankings in several stat categories at the plate:
-18th in the country with 8.7 runs scored per game
-23rd in the country with a .526 slugging percentage
-Tied for 20th in the country with a .310 team batting average
-42nd in the country with 445 hits
-41st in the country with 67 home runs
-33rd in the country with 1.72 home runs per game
-Tied for 49th in the country with a .402 on-base percentage
Blake's Brilliance
Shortstop Andy Blake has reached base in all 39 games this season. The senior has recorded a hit in all but five games this year and has multiple hits in 18 of Columbia's games this season.
Nationally, Blake ranks 21st in doubles (18), 41st in hits (66), 13th in hits per game (1.69), 54th in runs per game (1.23), and 45th in total bases (118).
Closing Time
Justin Tucker is tied for the Ivy League lead and ranks tied for 71st in the country with five saves this season. Tucker is one save away from setting the program single season save record.
Turning Two
Columbia ranks 10th in the country in double plays turned per game. The Lions have totaled 38, which ranks best in the Ivy League and 20th nationally.
Home Sweet Home
Columbia is 10-2 at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium this season. The Lions are averaging 12.1 runs per game at home this year. Columbia has scored double digit runs in eight of its 12 home games.
Ranked Wins
The Lions won a three-game series at No. 18 Alabama on March 11. The victory in the series finale marked the first time in program history that Columbia won a series against an SEC team. Columbia earned its second and third win over an SEC team in program history when it defeated the Crimson Tide 10-7 in the series opener and then 15-3 in the series finale. The first win over an SEC team in program history came in 1989 at Tennessee. The Lions handed Alabama its first two losses of 2023.
On April 4, Columbia erased a 12-0 deficit against No. 19 UConn and defeated the Huskies, 19-14, in New York. These three victories now give head coach Brett Boretti 13 victories over ranked teams during his tenure at Columbia.
St. John's' Status
The Red Storm enter Tuesday's matchup with a record of 20-21 and a 3-8 mark in Big East play. St. John's recently split a doubleheader with Georgetown on Saturday before having the series finale postponed due to rain. The Red Storm are batting .289 as a team and have posted a 5.50 ERA as a pitching staff. Aaron Mann leads the team with 58 hits.
Series History - St. John's
Columbia is 24-30 all-time against St. John's. The Lions have dropped the last two matchups with the Red Storm. Prior to the last two losses, Columbia had defeated St. John's seven-straight times. The last meeting between the two teams at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium was a 7-6 win for the Lions in 2018.
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.
Up Next
The Lions wrap up regular season play with a three-game series at Penn on May 13 and 14 at Meiklejohn Stadium - Murphy Field. Columbia needs to win just one of those games to secure a spot in the four-team Ivy League Tournament.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Projected Columbia starting pitcher:
RHP Griffin Palfrey (6 APP, 4 GS, 2-2 W/L, 6.00 ERA, 15.0 IP)
Projected St. John's starting pitcher:
RHP Mario Pesca (9 APP, 6 GS, 0-5 W/L, 9.89 ERA, 23.2 IP)
Last Time Out
Columbia (23-16, 11-7) recently got swept at Harvard last weekend. It marked the first time since 2006 that the Lions have been swept in an Ivy League series of three games or more. Columbia is the final Ivy League team to be swept in three games since the new conference schedule format changed in 2018.
Offensive Explosion
Columbia has scored 15 or more runs in eight games this season. The team has shattered the single-game record for hits (26) and home runs (seven) this year.
The Lions are all over the national rankings in several stat categories at the plate:
-18th in the country with 8.7 runs scored per game
-23rd in the country with a .526 slugging percentage
-Tied for 20th in the country with a .310 team batting average
-42nd in the country with 445 hits
-41st in the country with 67 home runs
-33rd in the country with 1.72 home runs per game
-Tied for 49th in the country with a .402 on-base percentage
Blake's Brilliance
Shortstop Andy Blake has reached base in all 39 games this season. The senior has recorded a hit in all but five games this year and has multiple hits in 18 of Columbia's games this season.
Nationally, Blake ranks 21st in doubles (18), 41st in hits (66), 13th in hits per game (1.69), 54th in runs per game (1.23), and 45th in total bases (118).
Closing Time
Justin Tucker is tied for the Ivy League lead and ranks tied for 71st in the country with five saves this season. Tucker is one save away from setting the program single season save record.
Turning Two
Columbia ranks 10th in the country in double plays turned per game. The Lions have totaled 38, which ranks best in the Ivy League and 20th nationally.
Home Sweet Home
Columbia is 10-2 at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium this season. The Lions are averaging 12.1 runs per game at home this year. Columbia has scored double digit runs in eight of its 12 home games.
Ranked Wins
The Lions won a three-game series at No. 18 Alabama on March 11. The victory in the series finale marked the first time in program history that Columbia won a series against an SEC team. Columbia earned its second and third win over an SEC team in program history when it defeated the Crimson Tide 10-7 in the series opener and then 15-3 in the series finale. The first win over an SEC team in program history came in 1989 at Tennessee. The Lions handed Alabama its first two losses of 2023.
On April 4, Columbia erased a 12-0 deficit against No. 19 UConn and defeated the Huskies, 19-14, in New York. These three victories now give head coach Brett Boretti 13 victories over ranked teams during his tenure at Columbia.
St. John's' Status
The Red Storm enter Tuesday's matchup with a record of 20-21 and a 3-8 mark in Big East play. St. John's recently split a doubleheader with Georgetown on Saturday before having the series finale postponed due to rain. The Red Storm are batting .289 as a team and have posted a 5.50 ERA as a pitching staff. Aaron Mann leads the team with 58 hits.
Series History - St. John's
Columbia is 24-30 all-time against St. John's. The Lions have dropped the last two matchups with the Red Storm. Prior to the last two losses, Columbia had defeated St. John's seven-straight times. The last meeting between the two teams at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium was a 7-6 win for the Lions in 2018.
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.
Up Next
The Lions wrap up regular season play with a three-game series at Penn on May 13 and 14 at Meiklejohn Stadium - Murphy Field. Columbia needs to win just one of those games to secure a spot in the four-team Ivy League Tournament.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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