For such a small college, Dartmouth has had quite an impressive athletic year. Six teams won league championships or conference tournaments. Each of these teams' seasons is very impressive, but Jordan charged me with identifying the most compelling story of the year. To tell the truth, any of these teams would be intelligent choices. However, this award has one obvious recipient: the baseball team.
In sports, Dartmouth is rarely the favorite. All too often, Big Green teams play the role of lovable losers, or the courageous underdogs. This year that was not the case, for the baseball team at least. Many college baseball pundits picked the Big Green as the favorite heading into Ivy League play.
Although it may seem as though one would want all of the possible advantages, being a favorite is hard. It is more difficult to set high expectations, be expected to meet them, and still be able to perform well. It is easy for underdogs to go out and play like they have nothing to lose because, quite simply, they don't. Look at the Patriots in 2007 for an example of how hard it is to be a favorite. Heading into the playoffs, they were undefeated and largely unchallenged during the regular season, but played two tight games before losing to the less-talented New York Giants.
Dartmouth baseball, like the Patriots, was a heavy favorite going into the Ivy league schedule, but came out with a ridiculous 16-4 record in Ivy League play en route to a win over Cornell. In the end, Dartmouth's already successful season boiled down to just one game. By the time Dartmouth had made it to the Ivy League championship, it didn't matter what the team's conference record was, or what any of its margins of victory were. All that mattered was that the players won the most important game of the season. The baseball team was able to successfully ignore the pressure of its preseason ranking and achieve the ultimate goal -- a game-three win over a strong Big Red team.
In sports, achievements are often most difficult to accomplish when everybody expects you to accomplish them. In almost every championship season, there is a point when a team does not quite play up to its potential. What the baseball team did this year, however, was special, because Dartmouth dominated the regular season and the playoffs. No Ivy League team could touch the Big Green, which is exactly why the team's championship, in my opinion, sits slightly above the rest. The baseball team thrived under pressure, dominated its opponents, and never left any question as to whether it deserved the Ivy League title.
