Chris England went 5 innings giving up 6 runs (5 earned) Photo by David Cohen, (BHEphotos)
HANOVER, N.H. — The 2016 Dartmouth baseball schedule features three trips to the state of Florida, one of which includes a three-game series against the Gators — which played in the College World Series last year — before its usual 20-game slate against the other Ivy League teams as the Big Green prepare make a run at their ninth finish atop the Rolfe Division standings and a spot in the Ivy League Championship Series (ILCS).
Dartmouth opens the year at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida, beginning at 11 a.m. on Feb. 27 with a game against an Iowa team that won 41 games last year and advanced to an NCAA Regional. Later that day, the Big Green will take on Villanova before finishing up the following afternoon against Indiana State.
A week later, Dartmouth returns to the Sunshine State to take on the University of Florida on March 4-6 for the first games between the two schools in 11 years.
After the conclusion of winter finals, the Big Green head back south again during their spring break to participate in the Russ-Matt Invitational with games against Bucknell, Bradley and Maine, as well as three versus Lehigh. Dartmouth will remain in the state for six more games: one at Stetson, two at North Florida and three at USF.
While the first 18 games will be played in Florida, the home opener at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park will finally take place on March 30 against Quinnipiac at 3 p.m. But the Big Green will get right back on the road for the start of Ivy League play with doubleheaders at Princeton and Cornell on April 2-3.
Dartmouth will host Columbia in a rematch of the ILCS from each of the last three years when the Lions come to town for a twinbill on April 10, a day after Penn — the only team to sweep a doubleheader from the Green at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park since it was renovated before the 2009 season — takes its shot at repeating its success from two years ago.
The last three weekends feature the other Rolfe Division teams (Brown, Yale and Harvard). Dartmouth became the first team in league history to win all 12 games against its intradivision rivals in a season since the divisions were formed in 1993, and the Big Green have won 18 straight within their division dating back to 2014.
Interspersed throughout the conference slate during the week will be showdowns with Holy Cross, UMass Lowell, Boston College and Siena.
Should Dartmouth win the Rolfe Division again, which would match Princeton (1996-2004) for the longest streak of division titles, it would meet the Gehrig Division winner in the ILCS on May 7-8 at the home park of the team with the best Ivy League record.
The Big Green finished the 2015 season with a 21-22 overall record and 16-4 mark in the Ivy League. Dartmouth, which fell to host Columbia in the ILCS two games to one, returns the 2015 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year in Duncan Robinson, who will serve as co-captain along with fifth-year senior Thomas Roulis, who missed last season with an injury.
