Friday, May 19
Philadelphia, Pa.
3:00 P.M.
Columbia University
vs
(1) Penn
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Baseball Opens Ivy League Tournament Against Penn
5/18/2023 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Lions return to Philly seeking eighth regionals appearance
PHILADELPHIA — The fourth-seeded Columbia baseball team begins Ivy League Tournament play on Friday against the No. 1 seed Penn. First pitch from Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium is set for 3 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+.
Ivy League Tournament Information
The inaugural Ivy League Tournament features Penn, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia. All tournament games will be played at host site Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. The tournament will follow a double elimination format.
Fans looking for additional information related to this weekend's tournament can visit https://ivyleague.com/feature/23basetournament. The home page includes ticket information, the schedule, and more.
Game Coverage
All Ivy League Tournament games will air live on ESPN+. Live stats links will be posted on GoColumbiaLions.com and social media. Live in-game updates will be posted to the Columbia baseball team's Twitter account (@CULionsBaseball).
Quick Notes
-The Lions have scored 15 or more runs in eight games this season. The team has shattered the single-game record for hits (26 vs. Monmouth on March 29) and home runs (seven at Marist on April 19) this year.
-Columbia is outscoring opponents 42-17 in the first inning this season
-The Lions are one of three Ivy League teams to have not been shut out this season. Columbia has two shutouts this year (UNCW, March 3 and Yale, April 8)
-Columbia has smacked 70 home runs this season, setting the single season record and surpassing last year's record of 64
-The Lions are slugging .521, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history
-Columbia has scored 359 runs this season, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history behind the mark set in 2022
-The Lions have clubbed 104 doubles, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history behind the mark set in 2022
-Columbia has a fielding percentage of .971, which ranks tied for second all-time in a single season in program history
-The Lions bullpen leads the Ivy League with 11 saves
-Columbia has allowed 21 stolen bases this season, which leads the conference and is 20 fewer than Dartmouth, who ranks second in the category
-Andy Blake and Hayden Schott are the only two Lions to start in all 43 games this season
-Weston Eberly has picked off five runners on the basepaths this season. Eberly has also caught 14 runners stealing, which is the most in the Ivy League
Projected Columbia starting pitcher:
TBD
Projected Penn starting pitcher:
TBD
Last Time Out
Columbia (23-20, 11-10) was swept at Penn last weekend to conclude the regular season. The Lions clinched the fourth and final spot in the Ivy League Tournament last Saturday after Yale fell at Harvard.
The Opponents
The Lions went a combined 1-8 against Penn, Princeton, and Harvard during the regular season. All three series were played on the road and six of the nine games were decided by three runs or less. Four of the games were decided by one run.
Offensive Explosion
The Lions are all over the national rankings in several stat categories at the plate:
-24th in the country with 8.3 runs scored per game
-27th in the country with a .521 slugging percentage
-24th in the country with a .306 team batting average
-72nd in the country with 70 home runs
-38th in the country with 1.63 home runs per game
-60th in the country with a .398 on-base percentage
-10th in the country with 2.42 doubles per game
Blake's Brilliance
Shortstop Andy Blake has reached base in all 43 games this season. The senior has recorded a hit in all but five games this year and has multiple hits in 20 of Columbia's games this season. Blake leads Ivy League hitters in seven offensive categories, including batting average, hits, and runs.
Last Saturday at Penn, Blake set the program's single-season record for hits with his 72nd of the year. The senior captain is tied for the team lead with 11 home runs and ranks in the top 25 nationally in doubles, doubles per game, and hits per game.
Defensively, the Hopewell Township, New Jersey native has committed just three errors in 21 conference games and leads the league in assists.
On Wednesday, Blake was named one of 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, a slick-fielding shortstop who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
1-2 Punch
Lions starting pitchers Andy Leon and Joe Sheets have made all their starts on the mound this season at the top of Columbia's rotation. Leon is tied for second in the Ivy League with six wins while Sheets has allowed a league-low two home runs and has walked 16 batters, which ranks tied for fourth in the conference.
Closing Time
Justin Tucker is tied for the Ivy League lead with five saves this season. Tucker is one save away from setting the program single season save record.
Turning Two
Columbia ranks seventh in the country in double plays turned per game. The Lions have totaled 42, which ranks best in the Ivy League and 32nd nationally. The 42 turned double plays rank tied for third all-time in a single season.
Getting It Done On The Field And In The Classroom
Camron Hubble, Griffin Palfrey, Cole Hage, Joe Sheets, and Hayden Schott were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team on Tuesday.
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.
Among The Best of the Nation
Catcher Weston Eberly ranks No. 33 on D1 Baseball's Week 12 Top 50 Catchers List. Eberly was ranked No. 37 on D1 Baseball's Preseason Top 50 Catchers List and No. 45 on the previous list earlier this season. Eberly is also on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List
Shortstop Andy Blake ranks No. 30 on D1 Baseball's Week 12 Top 50 Shortstops List.
Outfielder Cole Hage checked in at No. 122 on D1 Baseball's Preseason Top 150 Outfielders List. Last season, Hage led the Lions in batting average (.335) and on-base percentage (.454).
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.
What's Next
If Columbia beats Penn on Friday, the Lions move into the winners bracket and will play Saturday at 3 p.m. If Columbia drops its first game to the Quakers, the Lions will move to the losers bracket and will play Saturday at 11 a.m. against either Harvard or Princeton.
The winner of the Ivy League Tournament will earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The selection show for the tournament is set for Monday, May 29 at noon (ESPN2) with regional competition taking place from June 2-5.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Ivy League Tournament Information
The inaugural Ivy League Tournament features Penn, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia. All tournament games will be played at host site Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. The tournament will follow a double elimination format.
Fans looking for additional information related to this weekend's tournament can visit https://ivyleague.com/feature/23basetournament. The home page includes ticket information, the schedule, and more.
Game Coverage
All Ivy League Tournament games will air live on ESPN+. Live stats links will be posted on GoColumbiaLions.com and social media. Live in-game updates will be posted to the Columbia baseball team's Twitter account (@CULionsBaseball).
Quick Notes
-The Lions have scored 15 or more runs in eight games this season. The team has shattered the single-game record for hits (26 vs. Monmouth on March 29) and home runs (seven at Marist on April 19) this year.
-Columbia is outscoring opponents 42-17 in the first inning this season
-The Lions are one of three Ivy League teams to have not been shut out this season. Columbia has two shutouts this year (UNCW, March 3 and Yale, April 8)
-Columbia has smacked 70 home runs this season, setting the single season record and surpassing last year's record of 64
-The Lions are slugging .521, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history
-Columbia has scored 359 runs this season, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history behind the mark set in 2022
-The Lions have clubbed 104 doubles, which ranks second all-time in a single season in program history behind the mark set in 2022
-Columbia has a fielding percentage of .971, which ranks tied for second all-time in a single season in program history
-The Lions bullpen leads the Ivy League with 11 saves
-Columbia has allowed 21 stolen bases this season, which leads the conference and is 20 fewer than Dartmouth, who ranks second in the category
-Andy Blake and Hayden Schott are the only two Lions to start in all 43 games this season
-Weston Eberly has picked off five runners on the basepaths this season. Eberly has also caught 14 runners stealing, which is the most in the Ivy League
Projected Columbia starting pitcher:
TBD
Projected Penn starting pitcher:
TBD
Last Time Out
Columbia (23-20, 11-10) was swept at Penn last weekend to conclude the regular season. The Lions clinched the fourth and final spot in the Ivy League Tournament last Saturday after Yale fell at Harvard.
The Opponents
The Lions went a combined 1-8 against Penn, Princeton, and Harvard during the regular season. All three series were played on the road and six of the nine games were decided by three runs or less. Four of the games were decided by one run.
Offensive Explosion
The Lions are all over the national rankings in several stat categories at the plate:
-24th in the country with 8.3 runs scored per game
-27th in the country with a .521 slugging percentage
-24th in the country with a .306 team batting average
-72nd in the country with 70 home runs
-38th in the country with 1.63 home runs per game
-60th in the country with a .398 on-base percentage
-10th in the country with 2.42 doubles per game
Blake's Brilliance
Shortstop Andy Blake has reached base in all 43 games this season. The senior has recorded a hit in all but five games this year and has multiple hits in 20 of Columbia's games this season. Blake leads Ivy League hitters in seven offensive categories, including batting average, hits, and runs.
Last Saturday at Penn, Blake set the program's single-season record for hits with his 72nd of the year. The senior captain is tied for the team lead with 11 home runs and ranks in the top 25 nationally in doubles, doubles per game, and hits per game.
Defensively, the Hopewell Township, New Jersey native has committed just three errors in 21 conference games and leads the league in assists.
On Wednesday, Blake was named one of 25 semifinalists for the 2023 Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation announced. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented this summer by the College Baseball Foundation. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, a slick-fielding shortstop who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
1-2 Punch
Lions starting pitchers Andy Leon and Joe Sheets have made all their starts on the mound this season at the top of Columbia's rotation. Leon is tied for second in the Ivy League with six wins while Sheets has allowed a league-low two home runs and has walked 16 batters, which ranks tied for fourth in the conference.
Closing Time
Justin Tucker is tied for the Ivy League lead with five saves this season. Tucker is one save away from setting the program single season save record.
Turning Two
Columbia ranks seventh in the country in double plays turned per game. The Lions have totaled 42, which ranks best in the Ivy League and 32nd nationally. The 42 turned double plays rank tied for third all-time in a single season.
Getting It Done On The Field And In The Classroom
Camron Hubble, Griffin Palfrey, Cole Hage, Joe Sheets, and Hayden Schott were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team on Tuesday.
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.
Among The Best of the Nation
Catcher Weston Eberly ranks No. 33 on D1 Baseball's Week 12 Top 50 Catchers List. Eberly was ranked No. 37 on D1 Baseball's Preseason Top 50 Catchers List and No. 45 on the previous list earlier this season. Eberly is also on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List
Shortstop Andy Blake ranks No. 30 on D1 Baseball's Week 12 Top 50 Shortstops List.
Outfielder Cole Hage checked in at No. 122 on D1 Baseball's Preseason Top 150 Outfielders List. Last season, Hage led the Lions in batting average (.335) and on-base percentage (.454).
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.
What's Next
If Columbia beats Penn on Friday, the Lions move into the winners bracket and will play Saturday at 3 p.m. If Columbia drops its first game to the Quakers, the Lions will move to the losers bracket and will play Saturday at 11 a.m. against either Harvard or Princeton.
The winner of the Ivy League Tournament will earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The selection show for the tournament is set for Monday, May 29 at noon (ESPN2) with regional competition taking place from June 2-5.
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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