The Big Green is going into this weekend riding high on an 11-game winning streak. The team's success is a product of carefully-coached practices and hard work, but it will not change the way the team approaches the upcoming games, according to Joe Sclafani '12.
"Our coaches have done a fantastic job preparing us all year and this week is no different," he said. "We feel confident about our ability and approach. The win streak is just a result of us playing good baseball over the past couple of weeks, and we're looking forward to continuing that this weekend."
The best-of-three series will start with two games on Saturday. The Tigers are expected to throw freshman righty Mike Ford in the first game and sophomore righty Zak Hermans in the second. The two boast ERAs of 4.23 and 3.07, respectively. Even with these Princeton powerhouses, however, the Big Green notched seven hits and three runs off of Ford in a game earlier this season.
On the Dartmouth side, southpaw Kyle Hunter '13 is expected to toss the first game, while righty Kyle Hendricks '12 is anticipated to throw the second game. The Big Green pitchers have ERAs of 2.83 and 2.17, respectively.
"Both Kyles have been great for us all season," Sam Bean '11 said. "We've relied on them all year, and we're going to rely on them a lot this weekend. We know they'll pitch well for us and put us in a situation to win a ball game and an Ivy championship."
Dartmouth appears to have hit its stride offensively, but there might be personnel changes the field due to Bean's recent ankle injury. The injury occurred during the fourth game against Harvard last weekend when Bean was going for a deep fly ball. As of now, however, Bean said he is planning to play left field on Saturday.
"My ankle and foot has been progressing nicely, and I took some swings today at practice," Bean said. "We've been working all year to get to this weekend, and it could be the last weekend of my career, so I am not about to sit out for anything."
The team has gone back to the basics to prepare for the series against the Tigers, Sclafani said.
"We've been practicing any situations that might come up this weekend," he said. "Other than that, we've been working on our fundamentals and our approach, especially at the plate. If we are able to execute our game plan and play good baseball, I'm confident that we will be successful this weekend."
Princeton's last appearance in a championship series was against the Big Green in 2004. In that matchup, the Tigers came away with two wins, clinching the Ivy League title.
The Big Green prevailed over the Tigers in the two Dartmouth-Princeton matchups earlier this season, beating Princeton 5-2 and 4-3 in extra innings.
Despite the wins, the team has been practicing hard and is cautious not to become overconfident, Sclafani said.
"We also understand that anything can happen in the three-game series, so we're not taking anything for granted," he said. "Princeton is a great team, and we're going to have to play well in order to beat them."
This weekend will mark the fourth appearance in League title competition for the seniors on the team.
"Our past experience is helpful because we know how to win this weekend, and we know how to handle the pressure," Bean said. "We as a team have won and know how to win, and we saw how that can separate teams as the pressure builds. When we are faced with pressure we step up and do what we need to do to win."
The Big Green faces off against the Tigers on Saturday at noon in Princeton, N.J., in the first game of the three-game series for the League Championship.
