Dartmouth (23-15, 13-7 Ivy) qualified for the series by winning the regular season Red Rolfe division title and enters the series as the defending conference champion.
Columbia (25-19, 14-6), meanwhile, returns to the Championship series for the first time since winning the overall title in 2008. The Lions earned the right to host the series after winning the Lou Gehrig Division and posting the best regular season conference record.
Although the Big Green was the pre-season pick to finish as Ivy Champs, the road to this year's final was very different than last year. The 2009 team posted Dartmouth's best offensive season ever and dominated the League.
"We aren't quite as powerful as we were last year, but we've been more fundamentally sound and that's been the key to our success," pitcher Cole Sulser '12 said. "Our team this year has had to win in some tough situations and we've played well, especially in late innings to make those wins possible."
Just three weeks ago, the Big Green had not won a series, had a record of 4-4 in League play and trailed Brown University by two games in the standings. The team struggled particularly on offense, and was held to an average of 1.75 runs per game in its losses.
Since then, however, Dartmouth has been on a hot-streak, ending up 9-3 in the League. The team's offense finally began to come together and has averaged just under seven runs per game over its last 12 League games.
The Big Green and the Lions split their regular season doubleheader on April 10 and appear to be evenly matched entering the series.
Although college baseball is usually typified by offensive power, this series may very well come down to pitching.
Columbia leads the league in team ERA with 5.37 and opponent batting average at .282.
"Their pitchers go right after hitters and force them to make contact," Sulser said. "But I believe that if we go out and do what we've been doing all year, we'll be very successful this weekend."
Dartmouth bosts the second lowest ERA at 5.66. Additionally, the Big Green's hurlers have given up 60 fewer total runs than the Lions this season.
Dartmouth will need very strong pitching performances against the Lions, as the Big Green has shown a severe lack of offensive production at times this season.
Starting pitchers Kyle Hunter '13, Kyle Hendricks '12 and Robert Young '10 have all proved themselves at various points throughout the season and all might see time this weekend.
The most important pitcher, however, might be Sulser, who has been integral to the Big Green's bullpen this season. Sulser currently leads the team with six wins and is known for his ability to perform well on little rest.
Offensively, the Big Green will hope to continue to hit the ball as well as it did over the second half of the season. Leading the way for the team are Chris O'Dowd '13, who is hitting with a team high .351 batting average, and Jason Brooks '11, who leads the team with 38 RBIs.
Columbia's offense is both potent and dangerous. The Lions are third in total runs scored in the League and can consistently rely on production from sophomore Jon Eisen, who currently maintains a .370 batting averaged.
The Lions will also prove to be challenging for the Big Green's defense. They lead the League in stolen bases, sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies.
Game one begins at noon on Saturday at Robertson Field in New York City, N.Y., with game two following 30 minutes after. If necessary, game three will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Coach Bob Whalen was not available for comment by press time.
Staff writer Kenji McCulley contributed to the reporting of this article.
