The Dartmouth baseball team wraps up its season this weekend with two doubleheaders against division rival Harvard.
The Big Green will play two at home at Red Rolfe Field on Saturday, beginning at noon, followed by a doubleheader in Crimson territory on Sunday.
Dartmouth, 8-8 in the Ancient Eight and 13-17 overall, is looking to seal up its best Ivy League record in four years. Two victories against the Crimson will give the Big Green their most Ivy League victories and first record at or above .500 since 1991.
Co-Captain Greg Gilmer '96 expects his teammates to be up for the doubleheader. "This weekend is very important for us to secure second place, and to reach some of the goals we set at the beginning of the year [including finishing with a winning record]."
The team also still has an outside chance at sneaking into first place over the Red Rolfe Division leader, Yale, which currently has a three-game lead over Dartmouth. Yale has finished on top of the Ivies for the past three years.
Dartmouth took two of four from Yale last week, and after an incredible late inning comeback in the second game, came within one strike of taking three of four from the powerhouse Bulldogs.
Yale squeaked by with the victory, keeping its lead over Dartmouth at three games rather than one, going into the final weekend of the season.
Harvard is paced by catcher Joe Weidenbach, who is batting .395 in Ivy League games. The team also has two strong starters in Frank Hogan and Mike Cicero, plus a rare pitcher in Jamie Irving, who is ambidextrous.
Big Green hurlers Scott Simon '97 and Eric Walania '98 lead the staff this year in most categories.
Simon, coming off an impressive victory against the Bulldogs, is 5-1 on the year for Dartmouth. Walania, 3-1 on the season, stands among Ivy League leaders with a 2.36 ERA.
Offensively, Dartmouth has continued its hitting tear as a team this year, batting a combined .313.
Eight players are batting over .300 for Dartmouth, including co-Captain Todd Seneker '95, who has the third highest batting average in the Ivies and 15th highest in the nation, at .438. Designated hitter Travis Horton '96, batting .343, leads the team in RBI's and total bases, and is tied for the team lead in home runs with two.
Three seniors will play their final games for the Big Green this weekend, pitcher Mike Tallman, left fielder Curtis Jones and first baseman Seneker.
Tallman, an all-Ivy honorable mention two years ago with a 4-2 record and 3.42 ERA, only pitched two innings this year before he reinjured an old elbow injury that had bothered him since high school.
"It's been a difficult two years for him," said Coach Robert Whalen about the veteran, "but he has hung in there and tried to play with [his nagging elbow problems]. Last year, he really gut it out while being less than healthy. He would have been a tremendous boost to our staff this year."
Jones will also be dearly missed by his teammates. "[He] has had without a doubt his best year in the program this year," Whalen said. "He has very much been a positive force and a leader for us."
Jones is batting .353 with 14 RBI's and the highest slugging percentage on the team, .559. "Most importantly he has really done it [at the plate] in key situations," Whalen said on Jones' clutch-hitting, citing his game-winning pinch hit at Yale last weekend and game-winning shot to beat Penn early in the year.
Hard working Seneker will leave huge shoes to fill at first base. Seneker, who started as a catcher for the Big Green before injuring his back, has yet to make an error this year in 150 chances. He has a .335 lifetime batting average at Dartmouth despite missing parts of each season due to injuries.
"We tease him and say he's all-American on the U.S. disabled baseball team," said Whalen, who adds Seneker will be missed. "When he is in the game and he plays well, we play well. He has been a great leader and good captain for our team."
Dartmouth will honor its three graduating seniors in a pre-game ceremony highlighting their impressive college baseball careers.
"We do this each year ... to give recognition for what our players have done for the program," Whalen said on the ceremony. "It's an effort to pay back the loyalty that they have shown to the program and to me."
Whalen said the players will receive awards for their contributions to the program, and their lifetime statistics will be read as each player is introduced.
