Teams look to seniors for leadership, experience, and quality play. This year’s eight seniors on the baseball team filled all these roles throughout the season and during their four years on the hill.
Co-captain Jon Finch anchored the outfield on the defensive end and was one of the Red’s most effective hitters. Finch’s .333 batting average was tops among regular position players, as were his 17 runs batted in and .441 slugging percentage, while his two home runs were tied for first on the team. Finch also had four doubles, a .364 on base percentage, and 41 total bases to add to his resume this season.
“He’s a guy that wants his team to win regardless of his own stats” said head coach Tom Ford.
The leading pitcher for the Red, Dan Baysinger, will also be leaving the squad this year after going 1-3 in five starts. Yet Baysinger’s record isn’t indicative of his performance, as he had an ERA of 3.47, while the next best on the staff was 5.10. Baysinger, who pitched 36 1/3 innings on the season, gave up just 14 earned runs, and struck out 37 hitters, while walking just six.
“Dan pitched great ball games for us,” Ford said. “We just didn’t give him a lot of run support.”
Starter Luke Staskal led the Red with 43 innings pitched in his eight starts. The 6 foot righthander was 1-4 on the season, with a 5.65 ERA, but allowed hitters to bat just .238 against him with 34 strikeouts.
Dan Gala was also one of the more consistent starters for the Red, as he had a 2-4 record in his seven starts. Gala finished the season with 21 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings pitched.
Righthander Sam Sinkavich was on of the team’s top relievers. Sinkavich, who transferred to Cornell from the College of San Mateo, made eight appearances for the Red, striking out 15 batters in 12 innings.
The Red received solid hitting from a pair of seniors, David Bredhoff and Ned VanAllan. Bredhoff provided a spark in the bottom of the order with five doubles, 11 RBIs, and a team-leading 21 walks. Because of his high walk total, Bredhoff was third among regulars with a .361 on base percentage, and, according to Ford, “made some great improvements defensively,” as well.
VanAllan, who started every game this season for the Red, was the heart of the team’s lineup, as he had a team-leading 10 doubles. VanAllan finished the season with a .256 batting average, 12 runs batted in, 11 walks, and was tied for second on the team with 49 total bases.
“We’ll certainly miss [Ned’s] bat in the middle of the lineup,” Ford said.
Archived article by Chris Mascaro
Sun Assistant Sports Editor