Baseball Weekly Release - Week 2

Updated Baseball Statistics in pdf format

Photos courtesy of Dartmouth Athletics Communications and Penn Athletic Communications

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Seven members of the Ancient Eight opened their baseball season last weekend. Against tough competition, the League acquitted itself well, especially the two teams that battled in the Ivy Championship Series a year ago.

Dartmouth (3-0) is the lone undefeated Ivy squad, after winning the Dairy Queen Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. The Big Green opened its season with a 10-3 over host Minnesota, rocking Gophers starter Tom Windle – who previously limited No. 2 UCLA to three hits and no runs in four innings – for nine hits and five runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Dartmouth then defeated Northern Illinois, 1-0, and Utah, 5-2 to win the tournament.

Not to be outdone, Cornell (3-1) faced off against UMES and Saint Peter's in Princess Anne, Md. The Big Red swept the host team, 5-3 and 6-2, and split with the Peacocks, falling 4-3 before bouncing back to win the next game, 3-2.

Princeton (0-4) was swept at Maryland, while Brown (1-3) took on No. 5 LSU and Nicholls State in Baton Rouge, La., falling to the Tigers, 4-3 and 7-1, and splitting with NSU, winning the first, 5-4, before dropping the second, 4-1. Harvard (1-3) split with Bucknell and dropped a pair to Virginia, while Penn (1-3) took one of three from William & Mary. Columbia (0-4) is still looking for its first win of this young season, after being swept by Lamar, which is in the receiving votes category of the latest National Baseball Collegiate Writers Association (NBCWA) poll.

This week, Penn will play a pair with Duke, Harvard will take on Ohio State and Brown will face yet another SEC team, this time Auburn, which is receiving votes in the latest NCBWA Poll. Columbia will play a three-game set with No. 17 Arizona, while Yale will open its season with a three-game series against Army.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dartmouth sophomore Nick Lombardi (Saugus, Calif.) received the Silver Stick Award as the Most Outstanding Player of the Dairy Queen Classic hosted by Minnesota. The sophomore hit .500 (6-for-12) with two doubles, a homer and five RBI to lead Dartmouth to three victories and the tournament title.

In the opener, Lombardi had all three of his extra-base hits and drove in four runs in the 10-3 triumph over the host Golden Gophers. Following a 1-for-3 day in a 1-0 win over Northern Illinois, he stroked two singles against Utah, the second of which drove in the tying run in the sixth of an eventual 5-2 Big Green victory.

Lombardi takes home his first career Ivy League weekly award after being named to the honor roll twice as a freshman.

Lombardi's Weekly Stats
3 GP, .500 AVG. (6-for-12), .917 Slugging %, .500 OBP, 3 Runs, 2 2B, 5 RBI

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
After sitting out last season due to Tommy John surgery, Dartmouth senior pitcher Cole Sulser (Santa Ysabel, Calif.) returned to the mound for the first time since the 2011 campaign and promptly outdueled Minnesota starter Tom Windle, a possible first round MLB Draft choice. Sulser yielded just three hits and a walk while fanning four in a 10-3 Big Green victory to earn his first win since April 24, 2011 and improve his career record to 16-3.

After issuing a walk to the leadoff hitter (who was gunned down trying to steal second), Sulser retired the next 12 hitters before surrendering the first hit with one out in the fifth. The only trouble he got into came in the sixth when he gave up a single and a double with one out, but he stranded the runners at second and third on a weak pop to short and a routine grounder to first. He exited with a 6-0 lead after his six innings on the mound.

Sulser earns his second career Pitcher of the Week award and his first since April 20, 2010.

Sulser's Weekly Stats
1 AP, 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 3 Hits, 4 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1-0

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Penn freshman infielder Michael Vilardo (Cary, Ill.) opened his collegiate career in fine fashion, going 6-for-18 (.333) in four games with three runs, three doubles, one home run and six RBI. He slugged .667 and recorded an on-base percentage of .368.

Vilardo now leads the team in RBI and has hit the only homer for the Quakers so far this season. In his first career game in Penn uniform, he went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBI. He had an even better game the next night, collecting three hits, three RBI and scoring two runs in Penn's 10-4 victory over William & Mary. Playing second base in all four contests, he was also a part of four double plays.

Vilardo is the first Penn position player to earn Rookie of the Week honors since second baseman Rick Brebner on May 3, 2011.

Vilardo's Weekly Stats
4 GP, .333 AVG. (6-for-18), .667 Slugging %, .368 OBP, 3 Runs, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI

HONOR ROLL
Michael Byrne, Cornell (Fr., LHP – Vienna, Va.)
1 AP, 3.0 IP, 1 Hit, 4 K, 3 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1-0

Nick Crucet, Columbia (Sr., INF – Weston, Fla.)
4 GP, .357 AVG. (5-for-14), .500 Slugging %, .438 OBP, 1 BB, 1 SB, 2 2B, 3 RBI

Baron Davis, Harvard (Jr., RHP – Houston)
1 AP, 4.1 IP, 2 Hits, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0.00 ERA, 1-0

Ryan Deitrich, Penn (Sr., OF – Collegeville, Pa.)
4 GP, .600 AVG. (9-for-15), .733 Slugging %, .667 OBP, 3 BB, 4 Runs, 1 3B, 2 RBI

Eddie Fitzpatrick, Brown (So., RHP – North Attleboro, Mass.)
2 AP, 3.0 IP, 1 Hit, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 K, 0.00 ERA, 1-0

Ronnie Glenn, Penn (So., LHP – Lake Worth, Fla.)
1 AP, 2.2 IP, 3 K, 0.00 ERA, 1 Sv.

Kyle Hunter, Dartmouth (Sr., LHP – Palm City, Fla.)
1 AP, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 1 Hit, 10 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA, ND

Brandon Kregel, Harvard (So., OF – Lilburn, Ga.)
4 GP, .389 AVG. (7-for-18), .667 Slugging %, 3 Runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI

DJ Link, Harvard (Fr., C/3B – Clifton, N.J.)
4 GP, .412 AVG. (7-for-17), 3 RBI

Brian McAfee, Cornell (So., RHP – Bothell, Wash.)
1 AP, 1 GS, 7.0 IP, 3 Hits, 6 K, 0.00 ERA, ND

Nick Ruppert, Dartmouth (Fr., OF – La Mesa, Calif.)
3 GP, .455 AVG. (5-for-11), .636 Slugging %, .500 OBP, 2 Runs, 2 2B, 1 RBI

Cody Slaughter, Brown (Sr., INF – New Port Richey, Fla.)
4 GP, .375 AVG. (6-for-16), .412 OBP, 1 BB, 1 Run, 1 RBI

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 5
Penn at Duke, 3 pm

Wednesday, March 6
Penn at Duke, 3 pm

Friday, March 8
Harvard vs. Ohio State, Noon
Penn at Winthrop, 6 pm
Brown at Auburn, 7 pm
Princeton at Stetson, 7 pm
Columbia at No. 17 Arizona, 8 pm

Saturday, March 9
Cornell at GW, DH, Noon
Yale vs. Army, DH, 1 pm
Princeton at Stetson, 1 pm
Harvard at Coastal Carolina, 3 pm
Penn at Winthrop, 3 pm
Brown at Auburn, 5 pm
Columbia at No. 17 Arizona, 8 pm

Sunday, March 10
Harvard vs. Ball State, 11 am
Cornell at GW, Noon
Army vs. Yale, 1 pm
Penn at Winthrop, 1 pm
Princeton at Stetson,  pm