By wpengine March 12, 2002
Early March in upstate New York is certainly not the ideal environment for baseball, but each year at this time Cornell’s baseball team commences its season with aspirations for an Ivy League championship. Despite the obstacles that the Ithaca weather presents to building a championship contender, head coach Tom Ford and the rest of the baseball squad remain confident in this year’s team to improve upon last season’s disappointing 12-26 record (7-13 Gehrig Division). Fortunately, this winter has been one of the mildest in history, allowing the team the advantage of practicing outside more often than usual, a substantial benefit in readying itself for this year’s grueling 47 game schedule. Senior tri-captains right fielder Erik Rico, second baseman Vince Santo, and left fielder Andrew Luria are charged with the responsibility of forging team chemistry as the Red pursues its first Ivy League crown since 1977, hoping to improve on last year’s disappointing last-place finish in the four team Gehrig Division. Now for an in-depth, position-by-position look at the 2002 Cornell defensive alignment and batting order: Catcher The Red enjoys substantial depth at the backstop position, and juniors Tony Depalo and Paul Hudson will see the bulk of the playing time at the beginning of the season. Both have labored over the off-season to improve all facets of their game, quickening their releases, while adding bat speed and power. Depalo and Hudson are evenly matched in most respects, though Depalo is a slightly better hitter as evidenced by his superior 2001 batting average of .253. The team’s third catcher is senior Javier Alfaro, whose main strength is his bat. In addition to part-time catching duties, Alfaro will see action as a late inning pinch hitter and at the designated hitter position. Based on early season production, one catcher may assert himself as the primary starter as the squad enters the conference portion of its schedule, but the team feels confident with its catching platoon. First Base Power-hitting Flint Foley led the team last year in home runs with eight and looks to add to his power totals this year, as he will man the clean-up spot. A former third baseman, Foley was moved across the diamond because of injuries and was also granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. One of last season’s top sluggers, the senior tallied 28 RBI and a .290 batting average to complement his impressive power credentials. Second Base Senior tri-captain and three year starter Vince Santo will form part of Cornell’s double-play duo with sophomore shortstop Dan Baysinger. The left-handed batting gamer will bat ninth in the line-up, adding stability to the bottom third of the order. Although registering a respectable, but unspectacular .257 batting average, Santo is known for coming through in pressure situations and solid defensive play. Third Base Junior Jim Jackson has the difficult task of replacing last year’s second-leading hitter and current White Sox farmhand Raul Gomez after biding his time on the bench for his first two years. Last year, the left-handed hitting Jackson excelled in pinch-hitting situations and will occupy the seventh spot in the Red’s line-up this season. Freshman recruit Matt Miller will spell Jackson at third, splitting his playing time between the hot corner and shortstop. Shortstop Santo’s double-play mate will be athletic sophomore Dan Baysinger, who struggled last year, battling numerous injuries. Blessed with a strong arm, Baysinger will also see time in Cornell’s pitching rotation. Offensively, the sophomore will be inserted into the second position in the batting order, but Baysinger must improve upon last year’s .241 batting average and five RBI. When Baysinger takes the mound, Matt Miller will take his place. Left Field Andrew Luria, a senior tri-captain arrived to Ithaca an infielder but now roams the outfield for the Red. A speedster, Luria has the range to also play center, but with senior Justin Irizarry entrenched there, he will see the bulk of his time in left. A consistent hitter with power and speed, he has led off in the past but this year will bat fifth, an important run producing spot. One of the ball club’s best offensive weapons, Luria batted .287 with five homers, 14 RBI, and 31 runs scored in 2001. On the base paths, he added 15 steals to lead the team. Center Field A .311 hitter last year who stole five bases, Irizarry will employ his superlative speed to track down fly balls from center field. In addition to his stellar defensive play, Irizarry will set the tone for the team’s line-up, acting as the team’s offensive sparkplug at the lead-off position. Right Field Batting third for the Red will be the team’s best player, senior tri-captain Erik Rico. Rico has established himself as one of the Ivy League’s premier players, showcasing pro-potential that enabled him to hit .381 with a team leading 32 RBI and five long balls in 2001. Not only a strong offensive player, Rico is a talented pitcher who will comprise one of the four spots in the team’s pitching rotation. When Rico is pitching, sophomore Glenn Morris will man right field, hoping to improve on last season’s mediocre batting average. Additionally, fellow outfielder and University of Saint Louis transfer, sophomore Dave Bredhoff may see playing time in the outfield. Designated Hitter Cornell will make use of a designated hitter in most games, employing a DH by committee strategy depending on the given day’s match-up. Alfaro, Morris, and Miller are top candidates for the DH position. Pitching Staff With an exhausting 47 game schedule comprised of numerous doubleheaders condensed into a two month season, the team’s pitching staff will need to be resilient. Cornell has attempted to address its lack of pitching depth in recent years and anticipates that this year’s staff can improve upon 2001’s 7.01 earned run average. Senior and second team All-Ivy League standout Brendan McQuaid will anchor the starting rotation in 2002. Last year, he won five games against only two losses, compiling a sparkling ERA of 2.86 in 66 innings. An excellent control pitcher, he issued only seven walks all of last season and attacks hitters with a 88-89 mph fastball, with a slider and change-up rounding out his repertoire. When he isn’t chasing fly balls in right field, lefty Erik Rico will come after opposing teams with an 88 mph fastball that dances, mixing in change-ups and sliders to keep hitters off balance. Though he only compiled a 2-2 record last year with an ERA over five, he shut down eventual national champion Miami over 7 2/3 innings, with the Red eventually losing in extra innings. Rounding out the starting four will be sophomores Chris Schutt and Dan Baysinger. As a freshman, the right-handed Schutt gained valuable experience, going 1-4 over 28 2/3 innings and compiling an ERA of 5.65, good for fourth best on the team in 2001. Topping out at 88 mph, Schutt utilizes a change-up and a hard, biting curve that gets hitters to chase pitches out of the strike zone. Baysinger, also the starting shortstop, was unable to pitch for the Red as a freshman, but is expected to contribute positively to the rotation despite his lack of experience. Although he doesn’t throw as hard as the other three, Baysinger employs a slider and change-up in addition to an 86 mph fastball. At the head of the club’s relief corps are Morris, freshman Brian Fiedler, and juniors John Hardy and Dave Sharfstein. The righty Morris is a candidate for the rotation if one of the starting pitchers falters and spots his fastball at 85-
By wpengine March 12, 2002
This spring, the heavyweight crew returns to Cayuga Inlet with some extra enthusiasm. With an impressive fall season under their belts, the oarsmen are anxious to see if the rigors of winter training have paid off. “I think everyone is very anxious to get out on the water and actually see how fast the boats can go,” said head coach Dan Roock. “We’ve done all this indoor training, and it’s just time to watch it happen.” In October, the heavies participated in a trio of regattas — with promising results. At the prestigious Head of the Charles, they came in tenth in the elite race. Although the finish was down one spot from last year, the proximity of their time to that of the winning team’s spoke to their improvement. “This past year, for the first time in I don’t know how long, we were within five percent of the winning time,”said Roock. “We were pretty excited for that. It bodes well.” The following weekend, the rowers took on a strictly collegiate field at the Princeton Chase. Cornell marked itself as a force to be reckoned with, its first boat finishing just two seconds behind Princeton, Cornell’s most formidable opponent. The JV and 3V boats had very strong finishes as well. “What’s exciting about this group, besides the fact that our first boat is pretty fast, is that we go three boats deep, and they’re all pretty good,” said Roock. The dynamics of the team this year may indicate a rowing superpower in the making. The group has a very strong senior class returning under the leadership of senior commodore Ken Davies. Roock is also anticipating a large contribution from his junior and sophomore rowers. “There’s a nice balance between experience and youth,” said Roock. This year, Roock has switched up winter training a bit, deciding that fluctuating between intense and recuperative workouts may have caused his rowers needless trauma and injury in the past. “We haven’t done a lot of erg testing this year, we just do a lot of training. It’s a bit of a departure from the norm, and I think it’s worked out. It’s been a less stressful winter training,” Roock said. He admits there is one caveat to this workout program — the members of the team have to be extremely self-motivated. “The reason we’ve been able to train like this is because I trust the athleticism and the commitment of this team. I have faith that when the time comes for these guys to really push themselves, they will,” said Roock. Cornell has established itself as one of the premier collegiate heavyweight rowing programs in the last couple of years. Four years ago at nationals, it couldn’t even break into the petite finals. But last year at IRAs, it blew away the field, taking fourth in the national championship regatta. “That was the best we have done in a long time. The amount of speed we were able to generate by the end of the year kind of surprised people. “All but two of the guys from that boat are back, so there’s a much higher expectation for the group this year,” Roock added. Davies knows what he and his team have to do if they want to live up to that expectation. “We have returned the majority of last year’s fourth-place crew, but we can’t rest upon that fact. We have a strong team, but that does not mean that we will do well; it means we have the ability to do well. “Now that we know a national championship is within our grasp we have to work that much harder,” Davies added. Soon they’ll have a chance to see if all that hard work has paid off. The heavyweights will take on Michigan at home in the first race of their season on March 30th.Archived article by Meredith Long