This week, I sat down with Nick Ruppert ’16 of the baseball team. Nick missed almost all of last season with a broken hand, but has returned strong and earned the starting job in center field for the Big Green. The team posted a 2-7 record during its nine-game road trip over spring break. It played tough opponents in the Midwest, facing off against the No. 27 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks and the No. 18 University of Kansas Jayhawks, as of the latest College Baseball poll.
How does it feel to be back after missing most of last season with an injury?
NR: It’s nice being back in a consistent routine and to be back on the diamond. I did get to play over this summer, but it’s not the same without teammates. The chemistry we have makes the games more fun, easier to play and easier to deal with failure because we know we have each other’s backs.
What did you during off-season to prepare?
NR: The majority of the summer was spent regaining strength in my hand and getting back to playing consistently. Because baseball is an everyday game, it’s not easy at first and takes a lot of reps to get back into the swing of things.
It seems like you have been one of the more consistent offensive players so far this season. What do you think has enabled you to personally be successful early on?
NR: Actually, I don’t know that I’ve been that consistent, but I’d say that majority of our lineup has not been performing to the level that we know we could and it’s just the type of thing where you need your teammates and coaches to have your back. If there’s ever a time to struggle it would be early in the season because you can hash out what you’re doing wrong and fix it before Ivy League play starts, which is the most important part of the season.
What was the spring trip like?
NR: It’s obviously been great for team chemistry, which is important when you have a lot of games together. It gives us a better feel for what our strengths and weaknesses are so we can be better prepared for Ivy season.
What do you think playing big name competition (like Kansas and TCU) early on does for the team?
NR: It helps a lot. Our coach always says our weaknesses stick out like a sore thumb when we play really good competition. It allows us to pick out what is good and what is bad, to focus on improving and being consistent with what we’re doing right.
What has been your favorite part of the trip so far?
NR: Spending time with the guys without school. Since baseball is such a mental game, it’s difficult to focus when you have a lot of other things going on. We’ve also been playing in some really cool parks.
Have you done anything special on the trip?
NR: Yeah, in Kansas we had dinner hosted by the, parents of Jack Monahan ’09 [a former catcher]. They hosted a barbecue dinner and had a few professors from the area and longtime Dartmouth baseball alumni and fans there. That was a really awesome experience to have a team dinner like that and get all dressed up and everything.
What are your predictions for the rest of the season?
NR: I think that there is a ton of potential and a lot of talent, especially returning talent. We also have some young guys that are figuring out what type of performers they need to be. I think that things are coming together. The results aren’t there yet, but it’s a process and it is good to hash out things early. I think it’ll be good for our Ivy season because we’ll have a better understanding of what types of players we all are and what is going to give us our wins.
Do you think Ivy League Championship games are in the team’s future this season?
NR: Absolutely. We have guys that are figuring it out on the mound and starting to throw a lot more strikes. Offensively, we struggled a little bit at first, but we know and trust ourselves well enough that we can have a lot of success in the Ivy League. We’ve been successful in the past based on good preparation and coaching, and history tends to repeat itself.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
