This should be another exciting year in the Ivy League. But with all that Yale has coming back, everyone will be chasing them again in 2018. The Ivy League has changed formats this year with three game series against each other throughout the conference.
Brown (2017 Record: 13-24, 6-14)
Brown was 8-8 through its first 16 games, but won just five games the rest of the season and look to have a better 2018.
Lineup:
Outfielder Sam Grigo should be back after hitting .313 last year with 24 runs scored, 9 doubles, 4 triples, and 21 RBI. Will Homza hit just .205 last year, but should have a bigger role in 2018 playing in the infield. Mark Sluys is also expected to have a bigger impact on the lineup this season. Louis Gaitley, Collin Garner and Brennan Vasquez are all two-way players that could have an immediate impact on the lineup and in the pitching staff as freshman.
Pitching:
Reid Anderson should return to the starting rotation after posting a 5.80 ERA in 40.1 innings pitched last year with 41 strikeouts. Garett Delano had a solid season as a freshman with a 1.98 ERA in 27.1 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts. Will Tomlinson also had a very good freshman season with a 4.22 ERA in 32 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts. They’ll have a lot of young talent coming up in the pitching staff, but they’ll need some veterans and newcomers to help them out.
2018 Outlook:
There is a lot of young talent on this team, and it will be interesting to see how they develop this season. After a strong start last year, maybe they can keep that momentum going into conference play this time around.
Columbia (2017 Record: 18-23, 12-8)
Columbia had a very good season in conference winning 12 games, but lost out to Penn and missed the Ivy League Baseball Championship Series.
Lineup:
Randell Kanemaru led the team with a .395 average last year with 35 runs scored, 14 doubles, 7 home runs and 42 RBI. First baseman Chandler Bengtson hit .302 last year in just 116 at-bats with 9 home runs and 32 RBI. Liam McGill hit .338 with 25 runs scored, 4 home runs, and 25 RBI. Outfielder Julian Bury had a .333 batting average with 32 runs scored. Joe Engel, Matt Karo and Lane Robinette are all expected to be big contributors in the lineup this year. Freshman infielder Josh Nicoloff could have an immediate impact on the lineup.
Pitching:
Ty Wiest started nine games last year and posted a 4.32 ERA in 41.2 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts. Ian Burns posted a 3.71 ERA in 34 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts. Leo Pollack had a 4.43 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts. Harrisen Egly and Ben Wereski are also expected to be big contributors in the pitching staff. Newcomers Tim Post and Billy Black have a chance to have an immediate impact.
2018 Outlook:
Head Coach Brett Boretti pointed out that he returns a veteran group that will be looking to build upon their experience from last year. He is also looking for the pitching staff to have improved consistency within the strike zone.
Cornell (2017 Record: 21-17, 9-11)
Things started out well for Cornell in 2017, but they struggled in conference play and failed to make the Ivy League Championship Series.
Lineup:
Outfielder Dale Wickham should return to the top of the lineup after hitting .406 last year in just 96 at-bats with 25 runs scored, 12 doubles, and 17 RBI. Middle infielder Ryan Krainz hit .369 with 26 runs scored. Outfielder Pierre Le Dorze hit .324 a year ago with 22 runs scored, 10 doubles, 2 home runs and 16 RBI. Catcher and first baseman Will Simoneit hit .317 last year with 5 home runs and 28 RBI in just 82 at-bats. Trey Baur also returns to the lineup after hitting .301. They do lose their top home run and RBI guy from last year, but almost everyone else is back in the lineup.
Pitching:
Tommy Morris started six games a year ago and had a 4.60 ERA in 31.1 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts. Jeb Bemiss made 13 appearances last year and had a 4.76 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts. Tim Willittes comes back with plenty of starting experience.
2018 Outlook:
There is enough coming back in the lineup for this team to compete, but they’ll need some players to step up in the pitching staff.
Dartmouth (2017 Record: 22-17-1, 11-9)
It was an up-and-down year for Dartmouth as they had a pair of wins over Miami and UCF early in the year, but never could put it all together in conference play finishing fourth.
Lineup:
Kyle Holbrook will be back for his senior season after hitting .329 a year ago with 23 runs scored, 8 doubles, 4 home runs and 31 RBI. He’ll play outfield and catcher. Outfielder Matt Feinstein hit .327 last year with 22 runs scored and 21 RBI. Michael Calamari should return at DH after hitting .325 last year. Third baseman Justin Fowler hit .308 a year ago, while second baseman Dustin Shirley hit .281 with 25 runs scored. They will miss Michael who led them in runs (31), doubles (12), home runs (5) and RBI (25).
Pitching:
Cole O’Connor should get a shot in the starting rotation after posting a 4.27 ERA last year in 46.1 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts. Michael Parsons had a 4.30 out of the bullpen last year in 29.1 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts. Marc Bachman had a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched last year. Michel Austen had a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts.
2018 Outlook:
With several key contributors returning to the lineup and the pitching staff, Dartmouth should be just as good in 2018.
Harvard (2017 Record: 19-23, 7-13)
It was not a great year for Harvard, but they finished strong winning six of their last nine games.
Lineup:
Patrick McColl hit .355 last year in 124 at-bats with 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, 6 home runs and 36 RBI. Outfielder Patrick Robinson hit .373 in 126 at-bats with 28 runs scored, 13 doubles, 9 home runs and 34 RBI. Quinn Hoffman hit .288 as a freshman with 24 runs scored, while playing on the infield. Matt Rothenberg and Jake Suggleson are also expected to have a big impact in the lineup this year. A pair of freshman, Buddy Mrowka and Tommy Seidl could have an immediate impact.
Pitching:
Simon Rosenblum-Larson returns after throwing 53 innings last year with a 4.42 ERA and 54 strikeouts. Kevin Stone posted a 5.27 ERA in 56.1 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts. Noah Zavolas has a 5.95 ERA last year in 56 innings pitched with 41 strikeouts. Freshman Buddy Hayward is expected to log some significant innings this season as well.
2018 Outlook:
One of the main things Harvard is looking to improve upon during the 2018 season is their production with runners in scoring position.
Penn (2017 Record: 23-22, 13-8)
Penn had a very solid 2017 season and advanced to the Ivy League Championship Series where they were swept by Yale in two games.
Lineup:
Infielder Chris Adams is back after hitting .292 last year with 29 runs scored, 9 doubles, 1 home run, 20 RBI and 7 stolen bases. Catcher Matt O’Neill should be a big part of the 2018 lineup after hitting .281 last year with 16 runs scored, 6 home runs and 23 RBI. Sean Phelan hit .323 last year with 20 runs scored, 4 home runs and 31 RBI. Andrew Murnane hit .292 with 29 runs scored and 8 stolen bases. Newcomer Brendan Bean is two-way player that could get some time at first base.
Pitching:
Gabe Kleiman started eight games last year and posted a 4.23 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched with 37 strikeouts. Penn will be losing a lot of innings from last year’s team. Freshman Robby Cerulle is expected to have an immediate impact on the pitching staff.
2018 Outlook:
Penn will be looking for consistency up-and-down the lineup with a lot of experiencing coming back for this season.
Princeton (2017 Record: 12-28-1, 7-13)
Playing a tough out-of-conference schedule to begin the season, Princeton got off to a slow start and was never able to recover.
Lineup:
David Harding is back after leading the team with a .318 average in just 110 at-bats. Shortstop Asher Lee-Tyson got off to a slow start, but really had a good second half of the season. Princeton is hoping that continues in 2018. Jesper Horsted hit .281 last year and should be a big part of the lineup. Infielder Jake Boone was drafted in the 38th round of the 2017 MLB Draft and should get plenty of playing time as a freshman.
Pitching:
Ben Gross posted a 4.20 ERA last year in 49.1 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts. Ryan Smith had a 3.82 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched with 35 strikeouts. James Proctor logged a lot of innings for Princeton last year and should have a big impact on the 2018 pitching staff.
2018 Outlook:
Princeton ranked 269th in the country in ERA last year (6.72) and 285th in scoring (3.8), so obviously there are a lot of areas for improvement in 2018.
Yale (2017 Record: 34-18, 16-4)
It was a dominating year for Yale as they won over 30 games and claimed the Ivy League championship. They advanced to the Corvallis Regional where they defeated Nebraska and Holy Cross, but lost twice to Oregon State.
Lineup:
Outfielder Tim DeGraw hit .343 last year with 58 runs scored, 10 doubles, 1 home run, 42 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Second baseman Simon Whiteman hit .311 with 37 runs scored, 3 home runs, 23 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Benny Wanger posted a .322 average last year in 121 at-bats with 8 home runs and 48 RBI playing mostly at first base. Another option at first base, Griffin Dey, hit .244 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI last year. Alex Stiegler and Dai Dai Otaka should also have a big impact on the 2018 lineup.
Pitching:
Head Coach John Stuper pointed out that they return all 34 pitching victories from last year, led by Scott Politz who was 11-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 92 innings pitched with 75 strikeouts. Griffin Dey was the team’s closer last year with a 2.70 ERA in 30 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts and 2 saves. Eric Brodkowitz made 12 starts last year and had a 5.50 ERA in 72 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts. Kumar Nambiar should also play a big role in the pitching staff this season.
2018 Outlook:
After winning 34 games and hitting .290, coach Stuper points out that they were able to swing it and catch it last year. But they had a 5.50 team ERA, so obviously they need to improve there by cutting down on walks. Coach Stuper says if they can do that then they’ll have another successful season.
2018 All-Ivy League Preseason Team:
C: Kyle Holbrook (Dartmouth)
1B: Chandler Bengtson (Columbia)
2B: Simon Whiteman (Yale)
SS: Asher Lee-Tyson (Princeton)
3B: Randell Kanemaru (Columbia)
OF: Tim DeGraw (Yale)
OF: Sam Grigo (Brown)
OF: Patrick Robinson (Harvard)
DH: Liam McGill (Columbia)
SP: Scott Politz (Yale)
SP: Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Harvard)
SP: Gabe Kleiman (Penn)
SP: Ben Gross (Princeton)
RP: Griffin Dey (Yale)
RP: Garett Delano (Brown)
RP: Ryan Smith (Princeton)
Predicted Order to Finish:
- Yale
- Columbia
- Cornell
- Dartmouth
- Penn
- Harvard
- Princeton
- Brown
