The 8-8 Dartmouth baseball team is chomping at the bit to kick off Ivy play this weekend. After splitting a double-header this Wednesday against an inferior Siena club, Dartmouth is eager to demonstrate its true form against worthier opponents.
The first two games of the weekend will be tomorrow, April 6 at Cornell. Last year's Red Rolfe Division champion squad disposed of Cornell (competing in the Lou Gehrig Division) in both of their meetings last year, but Dartmouth is by no means taking the Big Red (6-11) lightly.
Starting pitcher and co-captain John Velosky '02 spoke of the team's approach to this weekend, admitting that the loss to "Siena was a good wake up call for us...We saw what happens if we don't come to play every game. Teams don't just fold up after a loss. We need to stay mentally tough in order to win games down the line."
Dartmouth will look to slow down Cornell's standout senior outfielder Andrew Luria and hopefully put a stop to his torrid, nine game hitting streak. Dartmouth expects to face Cornell's ace, Brendan McQuaid, a fireballer who has suffered only two Ivy losses in his three year Ivy career.
The following afternoon, Dartmouth will head down to New Jersey to play a double-header against its Ivy rival, the Princeton Tigers. Princeton took four out of five contests against Dartmouth last season, so the Big Green is especially eager to take on the Tigers.
"Every pitch, every play and every at-bat is important in Ivy league games," said co-captain Matt Klentak '02.
Princeton (8-12, 4-0 Ivy), coming off a four game sweep of Ivy rival Pennsylvania, will also be languid from the day before, a double-dip against cold-swinging Harvard. Dartmouth expects to face the reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year in junior Ryan Quillian. The Big Green also has to contend with Princeton's senior captain and shortstop, Pat Boran, who's been swinging a hot bat of late.
"We are expecting that both Cornell and Princeton will throw their best pitchers against us this weekend," Klentak went on to say.
"We are the defending Red Rolfe champions, so the opponents are going to do everything they can to beat us. But that was the case last year as well, and we responded to the challenge. This year's team has the talent, the chemistry and the desire to win the Ivy League and we will do whatever it takes to reach our goal."
Certainly, Dartmouth boasts a wealth of talent in pitching, hitting and defense. This weekend, Dartmouth begins its quest for the Ivy League crown. Velosky maintains, "we have the ability to beat anybody in this league." It's just a matter of getting it done on the diamond.
