Friday, March 1
New York, N.Y.
2:00 P.M.
Columbia
vs
Marist
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Vinny Nardella
Baseball Welcomes Marist for Three-Game Series Beginning Friday
2/29/2024 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
Lions and Red Foxes play at 2 p.m. Friday; DH Sunday begins at 11 a.m.
NEW YORK — Columbia baseball opens its home schedule this weekend with a three-game set against Marist from Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
First pitch in the Lions' home opener on Friday is set for 2 p.m. Sunday's doubleheader starts at 11:30 a.m. followed by the series finale approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. There are no games Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast.
Columbia has won nine-straight home openers going back to 2013. The Lions are 11-5 in home openers in the Brett Boretti era. Columbia is 25-5 at home over the last two seasons.
All three games this weekend are being broadcasted on ESPN+ with Ryan Young on the call.
Game 1 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 2 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 3 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Opening Weekend
The Lions opened the season at No. 4 Florida last weekend. It was the second-straight year Columbia opened with a ranked opponent. Columbia started last season's campaign at No. 19 Virginia. In recent years, Columbia has opened the 2017 season against No. 2 Florida and the 2015 campaign at No. 3 Houston.
Columbia hung in all three games of the series, including after being down 10 runs in the first inning of the season. Anton Lazits clubbed two home runs in the season opener and drove in four runs in the 15-6 loss last Friday.
On Saturday, Columbia trailed 1-0 for a majority of the game thanks to a solid outing by Andy Leon. The junior from Sugar Land, Texas allowed just one run on two hits and struck out four Gators, earning him Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time of his career.
In Sunday's series finale, Columbia trailed 12-3 going into the ninth inning, but didn't go away quietly. The Lions managed to load the bases and Griffin Palfrey ripped a two-run double with two outs to keep the visitors alive. The next batter Skye Selinsky worked the count to 2-2 but would pop out to end the ballgame. Cole Hage got the Lions on the board with a three-run blast, his second in as many days.
First-years Eric Jeon and Owen Estabrook each recorded the first hits of their collegiate careers in the season-opening series in Gainesville. Will Harrigan, Justin Bowman, Payton Soske, and Baylor Hicks all made their collegiate debuts on the mound last weekend.
Scouting Marist
The Red Foxes enter this weekend at 1-6 and are on a four-game losing streak. Marist was picked to finish eighth in this year's MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Infielder Bayram Hot was awarded Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Player of the Year. Pitcher Nate Chudy was also awarded All-Conference Team. Hot was also selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and All-MAAC shortstop. Johnny Decker and Lewis Rodriguez lead the team with eight hits each. Marist's pitching staff has logged a 10.13 ERA this season while its opponents' ERA is 2.13.
Series History - Marist
Columbia is 2-0 all-time against Marist with convincing victories each of the last two seasons over the Red Foxes.
Last season, the Lions clubbed a program-record seven home runs in a 22-4 win in Poughkeepsie. Columbia recorded 23 hits in the victory, just three shy of the single-game record that was set earlier last year. Six different Lions went yard, including Andy Blake who had two in the first two innings of the game. Hayden Schott, Cole Hage, Cole Fellows, Anton Lazits, and Sam Miller all went deep for Columbia. The previous program-record for home runs in a game was six, set on April 22, 2015 at Fordham.
A Tradition of Excellence
Since 2012, Columbia leads the Ivy League with 135 conference wins, 11 wins over ranked opponents, six NCAA Tournament wins, and five Ivy League Championships. In that span, the Lions have also produced 12 Major League Baseball Draft selections and have had 18 players in MLB organizations.
On Deck
Following the home-opening series with Marist, the Lions hit the west coast for the beginning of spring break next weekend. Columbia will play two games against both UC Irvine and Fresno State in Fresno, California along with a midweek matchup at Santa Clara before traveling back across the country for a three-game set with East Carolina the following weekend.
Preseason Polls
Columbia was tabbed to finish second in the 2024 Ivy League Preseason Poll, as voted on by eight sports information directors and eight media members from around the league. The Lions have never been picked to finish worse than third in the Ivy League Baseball Preseason Poll. Penn received all 16 first place votes this year, while Harvard and Princeton were picked to finish behind the Lions in third and fourth place, respectively.
D1 Baseball's Eric Sorenson also projected the Lions to finish second in the Ivy League standings.
The Schedule
Columbia baseball head coach Brett Boretti announced the program's 2024 schedule, which features 42 games with 19 of them being played at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
"We put together another very challenging schedule for the team," Boretti said. "This year is a little unique because of all the conference changes. There have been several schedule changes later than usual which ended up allowing us to play an early home weekend against Marist. Ivy League Baseball continues to get better every year and each weekend will be very competitive."
The Lions square off with three opponents who reached the NCAA Regionals last season (Santa Clara, East Carolina, and UConn) along with the College World Series runner-up, Florida. Other strong non-conference opponents include UC Irvine, who finished with an RPI of 45, the highest RPI team not to earn an at-large spot in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Ivy League play commences on March 23 when the Lions welcome Harvard. Columbia closes out an eight-game homestand when the reigning Ivy League Champion, Penn, comes to town March 30-31.The Lions wrapup Ivy League play on May 4-5 against Princeton at home.
The Ivy League Tournament is set for May 17-19 at the top seed's home field. The winner will advance to the NCAA Regionals on June 2-5. The NCAA Super Regionals are scheduled for June 9-12 with the College World Series slated for June 17-28 in Omaha, Neb.
The Roster
Columbia returns 27 players from 2023's team that went 23-22 and 11-10 in conference play. Just 11 players are not returning in 2024. The Lions welcomed 11 newcomers ahead of this season. Columbia's' class of 2027 features student-athletes from seven different states (Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, New York, and Texas).
The 2024 roster features back-to-back All-Ivy League First Team selection Cole Hage, Second Team members Anton Lazits, Andy Leon. Joe Sheets was named to the All-Ivy Honorable Mention Team.
Also expected to make an impact is infielder/pitcher Griffin Palfrey, who ranked second on the team in batting average (.356) and RBIs (44) in 2023. He was tied for second on the team in hits (62) and ranked in the top ten among Ivy League hitters in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, RBIs, and doubles. Palfrey had the longest hitting streak on the team last year (17 games) and made eight appearances on the mound.
Infielder Jack Kail looks to take the next step in his game, coming off a solid rookie season in 2023. The McMurray, Pennsylvania native appeared and started in 39 games in 2023. He struck out just 14 times in 133 at-bats and ranked tied for 74th in the country in toughest to strikeout.
The middle of the lineup is packed with Hage, Palfrey, Lazits, Kail, Skye Selinsky, Seth Dardar, and Jack Cooper. Miles Blackwell will do a majority of the catching for the Lions. Eric Jeon and Owen Estabrook will also see time in the lineup, while Sam Miller and Hunter Snyder add a lot of versatility.
Andy Leon, Joe Sheets, and JD Ogden are the projected starting rotation for the Lions. Pitchers Thomas Santana, Brandon Madrigal, Baylor Hicks, Will Harrigan, Payton Soske, Derek Yoo, and James Vaughn will be viable options out of the Columbia bullpen from the right side. Left-handed pitchers Justin Bowman and Jagger Edwards will be southpaw options.
The Captains
Joe Sheets, EJ Kreutzmann, Cole Hage, JD Ogden, and Griffin Palfrey are the program's captains for the 2024 season.
The Coaching Staff
Three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year Brett Boretti enters his 19th season at the helm of the Columbia baseball program and is 11 wins shy of becoming the program's all-time wins leader.
Pitching coach Tom Carty and assistant coach Canyon Kyle '22SPS enter their second season with the program. Carty was named to the USA Baseball 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program staff last summer. Kyle was recently promoted to a full-time position on Boretti's staff.
Former two-time All-Ivy League First Team infielder David Vandercook '15CC was named Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator this offseason. Vandercook was a three-year starter and helped the Lions win the Ivy League title all three of those seasons from 2013-15. The Boca Raton, Florida native received a bachelor's degree in history at Columbia.
A Look Back at 2023
In 2023, Columbia set the following program records: Team single-season home runs (72), team single-game hits (26) vs. Monmouth, and home runs (7) at Marist. The Lions ranked in the top 25 nationally in batting average (.306), doubles per game (2.38), scoring (8.4 runs per game), and slugging percentage (.517).
Nine opponents from Columbia's 2023 schedule reached the NCAA Tournament regionals (Virginia, UNC Wilmington, Alabama, Troy, Samford, Tulane, UConn, Army West Point, and Penn).
Shortstop Andy Blake '23CC was named 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year (fifth under head coach Brett Boretti and first since 2017). Blake led Ivy League hitters in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.366), hits (75), and runs (53). The Hopewell Township, New Jersey native also set the program's single-season record for hits and tied the Ivy League record with 75. Blake went on to sign a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Catcher Weston Eberly '23CC was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round (479th overall) after appearing in 44 games and making 42 starts behind the plate his senior season in 2023. He was a Second Team All-Ivy League selection and was named one of 13 semifinalists on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List which honors the best division one catcher in the country.
The Lions ranked in the top 25 nationally in batting average, doubles per game (2.38), scoring (8.4 runs per game), and slugging percentage.
Columbia led the Ivy League overall in home runs (72), batting average (.306), runs (376), runs batted in (340), slugging percentage (.517), and total bases (850) for the second-straight season. Also led the Ivy League in on-base percentage (.401).
Lions Active in the Community
Columbia participated in the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer's. The event took place on October 21, at South Street Seaport in downtown Manhattan. The Lions walked in this event to help raise awareness and money for the disease.
The Lions also hosted a clinic for Inwood Little Leaguers in the fall. About 60 Inwood Little Leaguers enjoyed a free clinic with the Lions. The kids were broken up into groups by age and did offense and defense instruction for almost two hours at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
Joe Sheets was named Honorable Mention on the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team. This recognition highlights collegiate baseball players that display a substantial commitment to their community through service, embody the generous spirit and character of Gehrig, and make remarkable contributions to the success of their respective teams. To further Lou Gehrig's legacy & his baseball career that began at Columbia University, Phi Delta Theta & the Live Like Lou Foundation announced the inaugural team this month.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
First pitch in the Lions' home opener on Friday is set for 2 p.m. Sunday's doubleheader starts at 11:30 a.m. followed by the series finale approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. There are no games Saturday due to inclement weather in the forecast.
🚨 Schedule Update 🚨
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) February 29, 2024
This weekend's series against Marist has been adjusted and will now be three games ⬇️#RoarLionRoar🦁 #OnlyHere🗽 pic.twitter.com/ixr2fjuL1R
Columbia has won nine-straight home openers going back to 2013. The Lions are 11-5 in home openers in the Brett Boretti era. Columbia is 25-5 at home over the last two seasons.
All three games this weekend are being broadcasted on ESPN+ with Ryan Young on the call.
Game 1 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 2 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 3 – Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Opening Weekend
The Lions opened the season at No. 4 Florida last weekend. It was the second-straight year Columbia opened with a ranked opponent. Columbia started last season's campaign at No. 19 Virginia. In recent years, Columbia has opened the 2017 season against No. 2 Florida and the 2015 campaign at No. 3 Houston.
Columbia hung in all three games of the series, including after being down 10 runs in the first inning of the season. Anton Lazits clubbed two home runs in the season opener and drove in four runs in the 15-6 loss last Friday.
On Saturday, Columbia trailed 1-0 for a majority of the game thanks to a solid outing by Andy Leon. The junior from Sugar Land, Texas allowed just one run on two hits and struck out four Gators, earning him Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors for the second time of his career.
In Sunday's series finale, Columbia trailed 12-3 going into the ninth inning, but didn't go away quietly. The Lions managed to load the bases and Griffin Palfrey ripped a two-run double with two outs to keep the visitors alive. The next batter Skye Selinsky worked the count to 2-2 but would pop out to end the ballgame. Cole Hage got the Lions on the board with a three-run blast, his second in as many days.
First-years Eric Jeon and Owen Estabrook each recorded the first hits of their collegiate careers in the season-opening series in Gainesville. Will Harrigan, Justin Bowman, Payton Soske, and Baylor Hicks all made their collegiate debuts on the mound last weekend.
Scouting Marist
The Red Foxes enter this weekend at 1-6 and are on a four-game losing streak. Marist was picked to finish eighth in this year's MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Infielder Bayram Hot was awarded Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Player of the Year. Pitcher Nate Chudy was also awarded All-Conference Team. Hot was also selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and All-MAAC shortstop. Johnny Decker and Lewis Rodriguez lead the team with eight hits each. Marist's pitching staff has logged a 10.13 ERA this season while its opponents' ERA is 2.13.
Series History - Marist
Columbia is 2-0 all-time against Marist with convincing victories each of the last two seasons over the Red Foxes.
Last season, the Lions clubbed a program-record seven home runs in a 22-4 win in Poughkeepsie. Columbia recorded 23 hits in the victory, just three shy of the single-game record that was set earlier last year. Six different Lions went yard, including Andy Blake who had two in the first two innings of the game. Hayden Schott, Cole Hage, Cole Fellows, Anton Lazits, and Sam Miller all went deep for Columbia. The previous program-record for home runs in a game was six, set on April 22, 2015 at Fordham.
A Tradition of Excellence
Since 2012, Columbia leads the Ivy League with 135 conference wins, 11 wins over ranked opponents, six NCAA Tournament wins, and five Ivy League Championships. In that span, the Lions have also produced 12 Major League Baseball Draft selections and have had 18 players in MLB organizations.
A tradition of excellence#RoarLionRoar🦁 #OnlyHere🗽 pic.twitter.com/b6qIrsWRXs
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball) July 20, 2023
On Deck
Following the home-opening series with Marist, the Lions hit the west coast for the beginning of spring break next weekend. Columbia will play two games against both UC Irvine and Fresno State in Fresno, California along with a midweek matchup at Santa Clara before traveling back across the country for a three-game set with East Carolina the following weekend.
Preseason Polls
Columbia was tabbed to finish second in the 2024 Ivy League Preseason Poll, as voted on by eight sports information directors and eight media members from around the league. The Lions have never been picked to finish worse than third in the Ivy League Baseball Preseason Poll. Penn received all 16 first place votes this year, while Harvard and Princeton were picked to finish behind the Lions in third and fourth place, respectively.
D1 Baseball's Eric Sorenson also projected the Lions to finish second in the Ivy League standings.
The Schedule
Columbia baseball head coach Brett Boretti announced the program's 2024 schedule, which features 42 games with 19 of them being played at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
"We put together another very challenging schedule for the team," Boretti said. "This year is a little unique because of all the conference changes. There have been several schedule changes later than usual which ended up allowing us to play an early home weekend against Marist. Ivy League Baseball continues to get better every year and each weekend will be very competitive."
The Lions square off with three opponents who reached the NCAA Regionals last season (Santa Clara, East Carolina, and UConn) along with the College World Series runner-up, Florida. Other strong non-conference opponents include UC Irvine, who finished with an RPI of 45, the highest RPI team not to earn an at-large spot in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Ivy League play commences on March 23 when the Lions welcome Harvard. Columbia closes out an eight-game homestand when the reigning Ivy League Champion, Penn, comes to town March 30-31.The Lions wrapup Ivy League play on May 4-5 against Princeton at home.
The Ivy League Tournament is set for May 17-19 at the top seed's home field. The winner will advance to the NCAA Regionals on June 2-5. The NCAA Super Regionals are scheduled for June 9-12 with the College World Series slated for June 17-28 in Omaha, Neb.
The Roster
Columbia returns 27 players from 2023's team that went 23-22 and 11-10 in conference play. Just 11 players are not returning in 2024. The Lions welcomed 11 newcomers ahead of this season. Columbia's' class of 2027 features student-athletes from seven different states (Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, New York, and Texas).
The 2024 roster features back-to-back All-Ivy League First Team selection Cole Hage, Second Team members Anton Lazits, Andy Leon. Joe Sheets was named to the All-Ivy Honorable Mention Team.
Also expected to make an impact is infielder/pitcher Griffin Palfrey, who ranked second on the team in batting average (.356) and RBIs (44) in 2023. He was tied for second on the team in hits (62) and ranked in the top ten among Ivy League hitters in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, RBIs, and doubles. Palfrey had the longest hitting streak on the team last year (17 games) and made eight appearances on the mound.
Infielder Jack Kail looks to take the next step in his game, coming off a solid rookie season in 2023. The McMurray, Pennsylvania native appeared and started in 39 games in 2023. He struck out just 14 times in 133 at-bats and ranked tied for 74th in the country in toughest to strikeout.
The middle of the lineup is packed with Hage, Palfrey, Lazits, Kail, Skye Selinsky, Seth Dardar, and Jack Cooper. Miles Blackwell will do a majority of the catching for the Lions. Eric Jeon and Owen Estabrook will also see time in the lineup, while Sam Miller and Hunter Snyder add a lot of versatility.
Andy Leon, Joe Sheets, and JD Ogden are the projected starting rotation for the Lions. Pitchers Thomas Santana, Brandon Madrigal, Baylor Hicks, Will Harrigan, Payton Soske, Derek Yoo, and James Vaughn will be viable options out of the Columbia bullpen from the right side. Left-handed pitchers Justin Bowman and Jagger Edwards will be southpaw options.
The Captains
Joe Sheets, EJ Kreutzmann, Cole Hage, JD Ogden, and Griffin Palfrey are the program's captains for the 2024 season.
The Coaching Staff
Three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year Brett Boretti enters his 19th season at the helm of the Columbia baseball program and is 11 wins shy of becoming the program's all-time wins leader.
Pitching coach Tom Carty and assistant coach Canyon Kyle '22SPS enter their second season with the program. Carty was named to the USA Baseball 2023 16U/17U National Team Development Program staff last summer. Kyle was recently promoted to a full-time position on Boretti's staff.
Former two-time All-Ivy League First Team infielder David Vandercook '15CC was named Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator this offseason. Vandercook was a three-year starter and helped the Lions win the Ivy League title all three of those seasons from 2013-15. The Boca Raton, Florida native received a bachelor's degree in history at Columbia.
A Look Back at 2023
In 2023, Columbia set the following program records: Team single-season home runs (72), team single-game hits (26) vs. Monmouth, and home runs (7) at Marist. The Lions ranked in the top 25 nationally in batting average (.306), doubles per game (2.38), scoring (8.4 runs per game), and slugging percentage (.517).
Nine opponents from Columbia's 2023 schedule reached the NCAA Tournament regionals (Virginia, UNC Wilmington, Alabama, Troy, Samford, Tulane, UConn, Army West Point, and Penn).
Shortstop Andy Blake '23CC was named 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year (fifth under head coach Brett Boretti and first since 2017). Blake led Ivy League hitters in seven offensive categories, including batting average (.366), hits (75), and runs (53). The Hopewell Township, New Jersey native also set the program's single-season record for hits and tied the Ivy League record with 75. Blake went on to sign a Minor League contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Catcher Weston Eberly '23CC was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round (479th overall) after appearing in 44 games and making 42 starts behind the plate his senior season in 2023. He was a Second Team All-Ivy League selection and was named one of 13 semifinalists on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List which honors the best division one catcher in the country.
The Lions ranked in the top 25 nationally in batting average, doubles per game (2.38), scoring (8.4 runs per game), and slugging percentage.
Columbia led the Ivy League overall in home runs (72), batting average (.306), runs (376), runs batted in (340), slugging percentage (.517), and total bases (850) for the second-straight season. Also led the Ivy League in on-base percentage (.401).
Lions Active in the Community
Columbia participated in the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer's. The event took place on October 21, at South Street Seaport in downtown Manhattan. The Lions walked in this event to help raise awareness and money for the disease.
The Lions also hosted a clinic for Inwood Little Leaguers in the fall. About 60 Inwood Little Leaguers enjoyed a free clinic with the Lions. The kids were broken up into groups by age and did offense and defense instruction for almost two hours at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
Joe Sheets was named Honorable Mention on the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team. This recognition highlights collegiate baseball players that display a substantial commitment to their community through service, embody the generous spirit and character of Gehrig, and make remarkable contributions to the success of their respective teams. To further Lou Gehrig's legacy & his baseball career that began at Columbia University, Phi Delta Theta & the Live Like Lou Foundation announced the inaugural team this month.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia baseball, follow @CULionsBaseball on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
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Highlights: BASE | Columbia 8, Fordham 9
Tuesday, March 31
Highlights: BASE | Columbia 3, Dartmouth 1
Sunday, March 29
Highlights: BASE | Columbia 2, Dartmouth 3 (10)
Sunday, March 29
Highlights: BASE | Columbia vs. Manhattan
Wednesday, March 25
