As the baseball team kicks off their season in search of their first Ivy League title since 1987, it is obvious that the team will need to rely on the stellar play and leadership of captains Greg Gilmer '96 and Jake Isler '96.
"I really have no individual goals this season," Gilmer said. "I'm just gonna play one hundred percent every time I get the chance to step onto the field in order to help this team win a ring."
Gilmer's statements reveal a true commitment to team glory, especially considering the numerous accolades he has garnered during his career.
As a sophomore, Gilmer batted .403 and became the first Dartmouth player in 48 years to win the Blair Bat as the Ivy League batting champ. In addition, he lead the team in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and doubles while being named first team All-Ivy as a catcher.
Co-captaining during his junior year, Gilmer continued his steady play as he batted .309, earned All-Ivy honorable mention and made a defensive transition to right field after a broken thumb left him unable to catch.
Beginning his career as a sophomore transfer from Penn State, Isler too has put up big numbers proving his leadership on the field.
As the clean-up hitter over the last two seasons, Isler has been the team's leading run producer, driving in 63 runs. He also batted .378 last season and lead the team in hits with 51 on his way to All-Ivy honors as a third baseman.
Despite all of the personal success that Gilmer and Isler have enjoyed during their college careers, it is clear that they are more interested in team success.
"Greg and I have gotten some personal recognition, but this is our last year and it could be our last chance to play baseball ever, so we wanna go out winners," Isler said.
"I'm personally looking to rebound a little from last year, but playing for a winning team last year was a lot more fun than playing for a loser when I had a great year as a sophomore," Gilmer said.
To help the rest of their teammates remain focused on winning and playing as a cohesive unit on the field, the senior captains have implemented pregame meetings.
"The meetings just help us bring some real intensity to the guys before a game in order to prevent a lag." Isler said.
Teammate Mike Armstrong '97 said of his captains, "They lead by example and know how to create a community and a sense of togetherness for the team. This quality is of extreme importance for captains to have, and both these guys do a great job."
Gilmer also stressed that leading by example is far more valuable than paying lip service to traditional baseball cliches in the dugout.
"If I lead off a game and hit a hard ground ball and I run my butt off to try and beat it out, that sets the tone early on for the rest of the game," Gilmer said.
"This season there's no doubt its more important for us to be leaders on this team," Isler said. "We don't have any real stars on this team, anyway. You can't hit .322 as a team and have many weak spots in your lineup."
Gilmer and Isler point to their first weekend of Ivy competition as a strong indicator of how well this year's squad will fair.
"Since I've been here we've finished that first weekend either 1-3 or 0-4 and we've dug ourselves a huge hole," Gilmer said. "Hopefully the strong competition that we faced over spring break plus the fact that we don't have our first league game until next weekend might help us out."
The first full weekend of league games will send the Big Green on the road for double headers with Princeton and Cornell.
Both Gilmer and Isler point to Yale as their toughest competition, but they seem undaunted by the challenge of unseating the reigning Ivy League champs.
"This year's team is the best and closest group of guys that we've had since I've been here," Isler said. "If we can stay healthy, we can beat anyone."
