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Dartmouth and Princeton have created quite a rivalry in the Ivy League in recent years, and are heavy favorites to contend again for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as both schools return almost intact from 2011.
Princeton welcomes back every regular and key pitcher from a team that overcame a sluggish 3-13 start overall to go 15-6 in conference play, and then used that momentum to knock off two-time defending champion Dartmouth in the league’s best-of-three championship tournament.
The Tigers return senior catcher Sam Mulroy (.320-7-39, 13 SB), who led the team in stolen bases and all three triple-crown categories, along with junior right-hander/shortstop Matt Bowman (2-7, 5.05; .311-0-20) and sophomore right-hander/first baseman Michael Ford (5-4, 3.95; .300-3-31). Junior right-hander Zak Hermans (5-2, 3.18) also is back, along with sophomore closer A.J. Goetz (3-1, 1.26, 3 SV).
Dartmouth’s cupboard of returning talent isn’t quite as complete, but the Big Green has a number of players back from the most successful era in school history, including junior catcher Chris O’Dowd (.329-7-23), senior shortstop Joe Sclafani (.349-4-34) and all-purpose junior infielder Ennis Coble (.361-1-40), who led the Ivy League in RBIs while finishing third in batting. The Big Green lost ace pitcher Kyle Hendricks to the draft (Rangers/8th round), but returns senior right-hander Cole Sulser (4-1, 2.59) junior left-hander Kyle Hunter (5-3, 3.77), and has hopes that promising sophomore lefty Mitch Horacek (3-2, 6.86) can plug the hole in the rotation left by Hendricks.
Penn is the only other Ivy League team given a realistic shot of challenging Princeton or Dartmouth for supremacy in the Ivy League. The Quakers return key players such as junior first baseman Spencer Branigan (.296-7-23), junior outfielder Greg Zebrack (.336-7-27) and senior righthander Vince Voiro (4-5, 4.28), but doesn’t have as strong a supporting cast.
HOW THEY STACK UP
Overall/conference won-loss records from 2011 indicated; expectation level denoted -- College World Series= CWS, NCAA Super Regional= SR, NCAA Regional= R
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