The Dartmouth baseball team is counting on an Ivy Championship this year and it will take the efforts of some of the newcomers, along with a strong senior class, to make it happen.
Coach Whalen has turned to freshmen this year to play important roles in Ivy competition and their performance will shape the Big Green team this season.
Scott Shirrell '04 and Tim Grant '04 are two of the newcomers who have played an important role for the team so far in the season. Shirrell, second in the team in batting average (.400) behind Mike Levy '01, has earned a starting place in leftfield and a number two spot in the lineup.
Tim Grant, a right-handed hurler from British Columbia, brings his experience from the Canadian Junior National Team to the hill for Ivy caliber hitters.
Shirrell shocked even himself with his hitting over the spring trip and the smooth transition he has made to leftfield, a position he hadn't played until this year:
"The entire preseason I worked out as an infielder and going into the first game I saw I was starting in leftfield I'm just glad to be in the lineup," he said.
With the amount of times Shirrell has been on base, he will likely maintain his number two spot in the lineup batting behind Chris Miranda '01.
"No one expected him to be that good; he's definitely been one of our biggest impact players hits by Levy and Nickerson are turning into runs because he's always on base," said Grant.
But Shirrell attributes his quick transition to the senior leaders on the team.
"Nickerson and the other seniors lead the way and that gives you confidence, when you know they're backing you up," he said.
Grant, who opened Dartmouth's second Ivy league game this season and went on to toss five innings, is also playing an important role filling one of the holes in the pitching staff this year:
"The team's weakness is pitching. They lost two key starters and will get two unproven starters [Lawrence Fey '02 and himself]. That was the problem in California [during the spring trip]," said Grant.
Grant has the confidence and is quickly gaining the experience to play Ivy ball: "I definitely feel I can compete and do well at this level I'm getting more and more settled," he told The Dartmouth.
With the graduation of Conor Brooks '00, the loss of starter Jim Kelley '03, and the continued recovery of Jeff Dutremble '02, who threw four innings over the weekend, Coach Whalen will need the less experienced to step up and the whole team to contribute.
But the team isn't far from establishing a firmer base. As catcher Mike Levy '01 noted, "If we get Dewey [Dutremble] back, we'll be set."
A lot of weight has been shifted to the new ace of the staff, Jeff Dutremble, who is looking to make a quick recovery from a nagging elbow problem. Whether Dutremble or anybody else can fill the shoes of Conor Brooks has yet to be seen:
"It's a lot different team this year from last; last year there was a lot of Conor going out and throwing nine shutout innings, and James [Little '00] getting four hits. It will be a one through nine contribution this year. There are definitely people stepping up and a lot of desperation," said Grant.
With a rematch of last year's Ivy Championship game against Princeton scheduled for Saturday and a double-header against Cornell on Sunday, this weekend will be a true test for the Big Green:
"This weekend is gonna be huge. If we can compete now like we know we can, we'll see what kind of team we'll be," said Miranda.
Last weekend's Columbia losses saw the team in poor form with only a scattering of hits. With competitive play from both Penn and Columbia and a look around the league, it is apparent that all the Ivy teams are pretty equal. The entire Red Rolfe division stands tied at 2-2 with perennial rival Harvard suffering a loss to Columbia as well.
This weekend's games, which have been moved to Quinnipiac University until weather permits in Hanover, could act as important catalysts for a strong and experienced Dartmouth baseball team..
With run support and solid defense for the inexperienced pitchers, Dartmouth can likely end the weekend in a strong position in the league.
