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(10/04/18 9:57am)
The Middlebury women’s soccer team finished this past weekend’s doubleheader with another impeccable winning record, bringing their season record to a whopping nine wins — and no losses.
The Panthers walked away from this pair of victories holding the record for highest number of consecutive wins at the beginning of a season in Middlebury women’s soccer program history. Along with this impressive title, the Panthers now occupy the fifth slot in Division III women’s soccer rankings.
Middlebury faced both Colby and New England College on the road on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. The sophomore class took the lead against the Colby Mules, generating three of the team’s four goals with shots from Leah Salzman ’21, Eliza Robinson ’21 and Eliza Van Voorhis ’21 (senior Sara DiCenso knocked in the fourth).
Although the Mules were able to sneak in a goal early in the first half, they were ultimately unable to come back from Middlebury’s scoring streak and the game finished at 4-1, in favor of the Panthers.
Goalie Eva Shaw ’20 made her first reappearance on the field against New England College after an injury, starting the first half. Sachi Howson ’21 picked it up in the second half, coming up with five of the team’s six saves for the day.
Sunday’s match was less exciting than the team had hoped, despite the win. New England College lost to Amherst 8-0, a team the Panthers solidly beat 3-1. Yet, Middlebury seemed unable to replicate that energy and pulled off a slim 2-1 win.
“I think we all know we could’ve performed better as a team but having said that, we still came out with a win which we feel good about,” said Sabrina Glaser ’21. “We learned from it and we’re going to work hard as a team to make sure we go out united and perform better next game.”
Hopefully the Panthers will be able to bring up the intensity this Wednesday as they host Castleton University and keep the streak alive.
(09/27/18 10:00am)
The Panthers came out of another weekend with a 2-0 record, keeping their season-long winning streak alive.
Last Saturday, Sept. 22, Middlebury hosted the Bowdoin Bears for the first game of their weekend doubleheader. Middlebury was able to score three goals from shots by Alex Barber ’19, Sabrina Glaser ’20 and Simone Ameer ’21, all in the first half. Bowdoin’s single goal during the last few seconds of play was not enough to rival the Panthers, and Middlebury’s victory placed them in the sixth-ranked spot heading into their Sunday game.
The Panthers hit the road for the second game of the weekend, facing Hamilton in their first NESCAC matchup away from home territory. Hamilton brought stronger competition than Bowdoin.
Although the Panthers were able to pull of a 1-0 win with a late shot from Leah Salzman ’21, Hamilton kept up the pressure on Middlebury’s defensive line throughout the game.
Goalie Ursula Alwang ’20 stepped up to the plate with some big diving saves, blocking each of Hamilton’s 17 shots on goal.
“[Hamilton is] very scrappy and opportunistic, so I knew I had to be prepared anytime they had the ball within shooting range,” Alwang said. The win marked Alwang’s second shutout of the season.
Moving forward, Alwang is motivated to keep up her competitive spirit and hard work. “My personal goals are more shutouts and more possession out of the back,” she said.
Even with seven consecutive wins under their belts, the longest streak since Middlebury’s 2009 season, the Panthers are not letting the pressure distract them from playing their game.
“We take everything game by game,” said Glaser, the team’s co-leading scorer.
“We try to focus on each game individually because we know that anyone can win on any given day,” Alwang said. “The NESCAC is a crazy conference, and we learned that lesson the hard way last year. It’s not one we’re going to forget anytime soon.”
The Panthers will hit the road again next weekend to face Colby College and New England College.
(09/20/18 10:02am)
Last week, the women’s soccer team extended their winning streak to five, after pulling off a three-point shutout at home against Plattsburgh State on Wednesday and then a 3-1 win on the road versus Amherst.
Wednesday’s win over Plattsburgh displayed the strength and depth of this year’s roster. Sachi Howson ’21 started in goal, tallying two saves throughout the first half, and Ursula Alwang closed it out with another two saves in the second.
This marks Howson’s first time seeing the field in her collegiate soccer career, as she was out with a broken finger and a concussion during the 2017 season.
“Once I got the message [about starting], I just tried my best not to get too nervous about the game,” Howson said. “I had never started before or even played in a college level game really, so it was super exciting for me. I had to make sure I was focused in warms ups so I could be the most confident when the game started.”
Howson humbly attributes much of her successful debut to strong play from her defenders.
“I think that the key to the game’s shutout was making sure our team stayed organized starting from the back,” Howson said. “If you are able to organize the team and defense and put them into the right places, you are able to shutdown attacks before they even happen.”
The team’s intensity certainly carried over to their matchup against the Amherst Mammoths over the weekend. The Panthers fiercely came back to score three consecutive goals after being down by one in the first half and facing multiple close calls from Amherst’s attackers.
Attacking midfielder Sabrina Glaser ’20 proved valuable in securing the win, scoring two of the team’s three goals, while Ellie Greenberg ’20 tacked on the third.
Glaser’s showing against Amherst will likely not be her last star performance, as the junior already holds three of the team’s sixteen goals this season -- matched only by three from Leah Salzman ’21.
Glaser has even higher hopes for the team, however, and is confident this is the right group of girls to make it happen.
“We’re definitely a tight knit group every year and that doesn’t really change [because] we’re always a family, but I think this year we’ve all been communicating really well with one another,” an enthusiastic Glaser said. “[Practices] are competitive and fast-paced, but we all still have fun playing together, which I think is awesome.”
The Panthers will face Bowdoin and Hamilton in a double header this weekend, with an appetite to keep their winning streak alive, one game at a time.
(09/13/18 10:01am)
The women’s soccer team started off their 2018 season with a bang, pulling off a solid 5-1 win against Gordon College in their home opener on September 5. The Panthers came out strong from the beginning, kicking off the game with a goal from Sabrina Glaser ’20 within the first three minutes of play. Goals by Sara DiCenso ’19, Simone Ameer ’21, Ellie Greenberg ’20 and Leah Salzman ’21 followed in the second half to propel Middlebury’s win, rivaled only by a single goal by Gordon during the first half.
Connecticut College and Roger Williams University both faced similar fates this past weekend, the former enduring a 2-0 loss on Saturday and the latter facing a 3-0 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. The Middlebury wins were spearheaded by strong plays from the defense and 11 saves from goalie Ursula Alwang ’20. Saturday’s game marked Alwang’s 10th career shutout.
These victories were no huge surprise for the Panthers, as they finished the 2017 season with 12 wins, four ties and only two losses -- a winning record that placed them at the 18th overall spot in last year’s Division III women’s soccer rankings.
The team is hopeful that the coming season will continue to build upon last year’s success and are looking to extend their run in the NESCAC playoffs. This season will bring challenges, however, as the Panthers a team rebuild after graduating several key seniors last year.
“Last season we had a rock solid defense, anchored by senior captain Alissa Huntington,” head coach Peter Kim said. “With her graduation, we have had to reestablish our defensive core with a mix of returners and newcomers.”
Kim is confident that the team’s hard work, depth and effortless chemistry will make all the difference this season.
“We are returning the majority of the team and have bolstered the roster with first-year players,” Kim said. “We have a great mix of energy, quality and experience in this year’s team. The team was diligent about its offseason strength and conditioning work, so the players are prepared to play a high tempo game.”
Heading into his 15th season as head coach of Middlebury women’s soccer, Kim’s sensible leadership is more evident than ever as his priorities and hopes for the team extend far beyond winning.
“Ultimately, our goals remain the same: to be a close-knit family, to maintain a high team GPA, to foster a culture of gratitude – as evidenced by our commitment to community service, to play a beautiful and technical attacking style of play and to win championships,” Kim said.
With clear chemistry, great leadership and a fighting spirit, the Panthers appear ready to bring the heat this fall.
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(05/09/18 11:10pm)
On Friday, May 4, Hamilton beat Amherst, handing the Mammoths their third loss in the Nescac and setting up the most important series of the Nescac West season. For Middlebury to make the Nescac baseball playoffs, they needed to win two out of three games on Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6. The Panthers came up just short, winning the first game but losing the last two, ending a comeback attempt that featured a 10-game winning streak to bring Middlebury within striking distance of first place.
But first the Panthers had to make up games against Union and Plattsburgh, which had to be rescheduled from earlier in the season due to inclement weather. In doing so, the Panthers extended their winning streak to eight and then nine games.
Against Union the Panthers cruised to an easy 6–3 victory. Colin Waters ’19 earned the win on the mound, as he managed to strike out six opponents while allowing only three hits over the course of seven innings of work.
Although neither team scored in the first four innings, Sebastian Sanchez ’18 put the Panthers on the board with a run in the fifth, and five more followed it up in the seventh inning — topped off with a grand slam homer by Alan Guild ’20.
The Panthers’ busy week continued with another make-up game on the road against Plattsburgh, which also ended in Middlebury’s favor and added one more onto their winning streak.
Justin Han ’20, Hayden Smith ’20 and Ryan Hanrahan ’21 all had doubles, while Sam Graf ’19 put up both a double and a triple.
Young Panther pitchers fared well and got more innings on the mound. Will Oppenheim ’21 and Jack Miller ’21 combined for nine strikeouts. Miller closed out the game and struck out all four hitters he faced — a confidence-booster heading into the winner-take-all showdown over the weekend with Amherst.
“When some of our key pitchers got injured, I felt the need to step up and fill that role in the bullpen,” Miller said.
“Pitching against Plattsburgh felt great,” Oppenheim said. “It proved that I could overcome a huge setback and get out of tough innings without the walks that plagued me earlier in the season. I had great control of my pitches and got a lot of swings and misses on my curveball. My confidence was completely brought back after pitching against Plattsburgh.”
Middlebury extended its winning streak even further on Saturday with a shutout victory in the first of their three-game set against the Mammoths, adding to the fanfare of a series already chock-full of storylines. That win was Middlebury’s 10th in a row, tying the program record for consecutive wins.
The first game of the Amherst series remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when Brooks Carroll ’20 had a two-RBI single to get the Panthers on the board. A subsequent hit from Han drove home Henry Strmecki ’21 to increase the Panthers’ lead to two.
Middlebury picked the scoring back up in the next inning, driving in three runs for the second time and bringing the score to 6–0. A sac fly from Jake Dianno ’21 in the sixth inning pushed Han across the plate for the last run of the game.
Captain Colby Morris ’19 pitched a complete game for the Panthers, bringing his total career innings pitched to 183. For his efforts, he won Nescac Pitcher of the Week. With the regular season coming to a close, Morris finishes the season with the pitching triple crown for Nescac pitchers (including non-conference games). His overall ERA was 1.71, with 52 strikeouts and five victories. After his sensational junior season, Morris has big plans this offseason before his final round in the blue-and-white.
“I always have [wanted to play professionally], and now think I have a much more realistic shot at it after this season,” Morris said.
Luckily for the Panthers, working towards professional baseball won’t detract from Morris’ star contributions to the team.
“Fortunately, working towards this personal goal also will ultimately help the team,” Morris said. “I’m going to play this summer in the Northwoods League, one of the top summer ball leagues in the nation, and am going to be in Green Bay for that. After my contract is up with my team, I’m going to a training center in Seattle to work on velocity and then going home after before the fall to train and get stronger in preparation for the coming year. I’m hoping Coach can help me out a little bit with the end goal of playing after next year, but the better I do for Midd, the better shot I have, so it’s a win-win.”
With their win in the opener, the Panthers were only one win away from a playoff berth. The day ended with split results, however, as the Mammoths came back from their loss to pull off a 6–3 win over the Panthers in the second half of the twin bill.
Though Middlebury scored first in the second inning, Amherst answered with three runs in the third, putting them in the lead. The Mammoths went up by two more in the seventh inning and then by another in the top of the ninth. The Panthers tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth inning with a pair of runs fueled by a hit from Phil Bernstein ’19, but could not match their opponents.
And so the last game of the series, on Sunday, May 6, was for all the marbles.
Middlebury scored first when Carroll stole third and then scored when the ball got past the catcher and to the backstop. But Amherst quickly responded with three runs in the second, all with two outs, and then added two more in the third. The Panthers countered with another run from Carroll off a hit from Graf in their half of the inning to make it a 5–2 game after three.
Middlebury made another push in the seventh. Strmecki led off with a double down the left-field line, which Han followed up immediately with a single to score Strmecki. Han stole second and then induced a pickoff attempt that flew into centerfield, so he advanced to third. Then the Amherst pitcher hit Smith and threw a wild pitch, scoring Han and bringing the Panthers within one. On the wild pitch, Smith advanced to third, but injured his shoulder on the play and had to come out of the game. Carroll walked, then Graf flew out to shallow centerfield. Brendan Donahue ’18, Smith’s pinch-runner, tagged up but was tagged out at home, so Amherst’s one-run lead stayed intact heading into the eighth inning.
But let’s be clear. The game was decided in the bottom of the eighth, when the Panthers trailed by a run, 6–5, and had the bases loaded after Hennings reached on a double, Dianno singled and Sanchez moved them over to put runners on second and third. Strmecki lined out to third before Han was intentionally walked. Raj Palekar ’18 then had the biggest hit of the season for the Panthers, when he hit a single to drive in Hennings, but Dianno could not score from second, bringing up Carroll with the bases loaded and two outs. However, the ever-reliable Carroll could not capitalize this time, grounding out to the pitcher and being thrown out at first by a step.
Amherst added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth, and then brought in their closer, who struck out the side.
This loss was especially devastating for the Panthers, whose goal of winning a conference title was dashed a year after a resurgent season saw Middlebury make it all the way to the championship series before falling to Tufts. This season was supposed to be their redemption.
“Our reaction was just as you would expect — a crushing loss. Not only was it a physical defeat, but just is tough to swallow knowing we are the best team in the league,” said Morris.
Miller echoed Morris’ sentiment. It was Nescac champions or bust.
“We’re heartbroken by the outcome,” Miller said.
In spite of the raw talent Middlebury held this season, the team encountered many uncontrollable obstacles.
“We definitely had a tough-luck season, losing three guys to season-ending injuries, having others banged up all season, and needing to mature really quickly after the tough beginning of the season,” said Morris.
And, according to scouting reports from the director of baseball operations and statistics, Jack Langerman ’19, the team was not blind to how these challenges could impact the Amherst matchup. “It was going to be a close series and would come down to a few plays,” reported Langerman.
The team plans to pick up right where they left off next season, however, taking advantage of the young talent on this year’s roster. “We have a bright future together as a team, and I am ecstatic to start it back up,” says Morris.
This optimism is exemplified across the team. “I think that we have all the pieces to win the Nescac next year. We’ll be working hard in the offseason and getting some key players back from injury,” explained a hopeful Miller.
Oppenheim agreed. “The future is bright for Middlebury baseball.”
(05/03/18 11:50pm)
Last weekend the Panthers hit the road to face Hamilton for a three-game series. Rarely can a baseball series be called a “must-sweep.” However, given the way that the conference standings have shaken out, this was as close to a must-sweep as you can get. Middlebury came up with the win in all three games, returning to school Saturday night with their seven-game winning streak intact.
Though the first of the weekend’s games on Friday, April 27 remained scoreless in the first four innings, the Panthers overcame a two-run deficit in the fifth to tie it up with a double from Alan Guild ’20. Despite a bit of back-and-forth action in the following innings, strong performances at the plate from Hayden Smith ’20, Andrew Hennings ’20 and Brooks Carroll ’20 allowed the Panthers to come out on top with a 5–3 win.
The victory was spearheaded by captain Colby Morris ’19, who threw a complete game. Morris racked up six strikeouts, allowing six hits, issuing only three walks, and surrendering only one earned run.
Morris’ start on Friday tied him at the top with Tyler Conrad ’02 for the highest number of career starts in Middlebury baseball history. He also stands at fourth for career innings pitched, with a total of 176.
Even in hitting this impressive milestone, Morris remains extremely focused and hardworking. “To be honest, I really couldn’t care less about being tied for the most career starts,” said a humble Morris. “It definitely shows that I throw a lot, and that’s something I try to do for the pitching staff. Starting in one of the first games of the weekend means I want to go as deep as possible to save the bullpen for later in each series, helping us as a whole.”
Morris’ contributions to the team are widely recognized and commended by teammates, although you would not be able to tell from his sportsmanship and humility. Phil Bernstein ’19, who has played with Morris the past three years, spoke volumes about the character of his teammate on and of the field.
“Colby’s always been a stellar pitcher for us but has really been lights out for us this year,” Bernstein said. “We always know he’s going to give us a chance to win when he’s on the mound, and his passion for the game is contagious. It’s been great for team morale, and he’s set a good example for the younger guys.”
Middlebury stuck around Clinton, New York, for a doubleheader Saturday, April 28. Middlebury garnered strong wins in both games, coming up with a final score of 9–3 in the first game and 10–3 in the second.
Smith started the scoring off in the morning in the top of the third off an error from Hamilton and continued to ring them in with an RBI in the fifth, a six-run inning in which it all came together for Middlebury’s offense. Hamilton’s attempts to answer were thwarted, and the Panthers walked away with an easy 10–3 victory.
Senior captain Rob Erikson ’18 and Drew Martinson ’20 earned the wins on the mound last Saturday, while Henry Strmecki ’21 and Smith again held down the fort on the offensive side.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard quickly with three runs in the first inning of the second game. Fielding errors by Hamilton allowed Justin Han ’20, Smith and Guild to cross the plate effortlessly. Middlebury scored four more in the third inning, taking a 7–0 lead, and then tacked on another run in the fifth.
Hamilton scored one run in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t nearly enough to counter Middlebury, who added on another two runs in the ninth inning to seal the win at 10–3.
Of note at the plate was Grant Elgarten ’20, with one triple, and Strmecki, who had a pair of triples. Additionally, Sam Graf ’19 hit his first home run of the season to give the Panthers their sixth run.
The wins at Hamilton last weekend marked the team’s second sweep against a conference opponent team this season and put the Panthers on a seven-game winning streak.
Many teams might crumble under the pressure of upholding this streak, but the Panthers see it only as a confidence booster and are planning to bring that same positive energy into upcoming games.
“We’re starting to peak at the right time, and with our most important games at home against a team that we are always fired up to play against, I think we’re all just excited to get on the field against Amherst,” Bernstein said.
Morris agrees.
“The more you win in a must-win position, the more rewarding it is,” Morris said. “We are starting to put something special together and just need to keep pushing. Sweeping the other teams certainly helps to build our confidence and teaches us exactly what we need to do to close out games.”
As the season grows nearer to the end, the prospect of winning a conference championship becomes a closer reality for the Panthers. Middlebury will continue to fight on throughout this week, but the biggest challenge of the season will be this weekend’s series against Amherst.
(05/03/18 5:23pm)
Last weekend the Panthers hit the road to face Hamilton for a three-game series. Rarely can a baseball series be called a “must-sweep.” However, given the way that the conference standings have shaken out, this was as close to a must-sweep as you can get. Middlebury came up with the win in all three games, returning to school Saturday night with their seven-game winning streak intact.
Though the first of the weekend’s games on Friday, April 27 remained scoreless in the first four innings, the Panthers overcame a two-run deficit in the fifth to tie it up with a double from Alan Guild ’20. Despite a bit of back-and-forth action in the following innings, strong performances at the plate from Hayden Smith ’20, Andrew Hennings ’20 and Brooks Carroll ’20 allowed the Panthers to come out on top with a 5–3 win.
The victory was spearheaded by captain Colby Morris ’19, who threw a complete game. Morris racked up six strikeouts, allowing six hits, issuing only three walks, and surrendering only one earned run.
Morris’ start on Friday tied him at the top with Tyler Conrad ’02 for the highest number of career starts in Middlebury baseball history. He also stands at fourth for career innings pitched, with a total of 176.
Even in hitting this impressive milestone, Morris remains extremely focused and hardworking. “To be honest, I really couldn’t care less about being tied for the most career starts,” said a humble Morris. “It definitely shows that I throw a lot, and that’s something I try to do for the pitching staff. Starting in one of the first games of the weekend means I want to go as deep as possible to save the bullpen for later in each series, helping us as a whole.”
Morris’ contributions to the team are widely recognized and commended by teammates, although you would not be able to tell from his sportsmanship and humility. Phil Bernstein ’19, who has played with Morris the past three years, spoke volumes about the character of his teammate on and of the field.
“Colby’s always been a stellar pitcher for us but has really been lights out for us this year,” Bernstein said. “We always know he’s going to give us a chance to win when he’s on the mound, and his passion for the game is contagious. It’s been great for team morale, and he’s set a good example for the younger guys.”
Middlebury stuck around Clinton, New York, for a doubleheader Saturday, April 28. Middlebury garnered strong wins in both games, coming up with a final score of 9–3 in the first game and 10–3 in the second.
Smith started the scoring off in the morning in the top of the third off an error from Hamilton and continued to ring them in with an RBI in the fifth, a six-run inning in which it all came together for Middlebury’s offense. Hamilton’s attempts to answer were thwarted, and the Panthers walked away with an easy 10–3 victory.
Senior captain Rob Erikson ’18 and Drew Martinson ’20 earned the wins on the mound last Saturday, while Henry Strmecki ’21 and Smith again held down the fort on the offensive side.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard quickly with three runs in the first inning of the second game. Fielding errors by Hamilton allowed Justin Han ’20, Smith and Guild to cross the plate effortlessly. Middlebury scored four more in the third inning, taking a 7–0 lead, and then tacked on another run in the fifth.
Hamilton scored one run in each of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but it wasn’t nearly enough to counter Middlebury, who added on another two runs in the ninth inning to seal the win at 10–3.
Of note at the plate was Grant Elgarten ’20, with one triple, and Strmecki, who had a pair of triples. Additionally, Sam Graf ’19 hit his first home run of the season to give the Panthers their sixth run.
The wins at Hamilton last weekend marked the team’s second sweep against a conference opponent team this season and put the Panthers on a seven-game winning streak.
Many teams might crumble under the pressure of upholding this streak, but the Panthers see it only as a confidence booster and are planning to bring that same positive energy into upcoming games.
“We’re starting to peak at the right time, and with our most important games at home against a team that we are always fired up to play against, I think we’re all just excited to get on the field against Amherst,” Bernstein said.
Morris agrees.
“The more you win in a must-win position, the more rewarding it is,” Morris said. “We are starting to put something special together and just need to keep pushing. Sweeping the other teams certainly helps to build our confidence and teaches us exactly what we need to do to close out games.”
As the season grows nearer to the end, the prospect of winning a conference championship becomes a closer reality for the Panthers. Middlebury will continue to fight on throughout this week, but the biggest challenge of the season will be this weekend’s series against Amherst.
(04/25/18 9:13pm)
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The baseball team walked away with four wins this past week, beating the Skidmore Thoroughbreds on the road on Wednesday, April 18, and then sweeping Bowdoin in a three-game series on home turf on Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22.
Middlebury picked up a win in non-conference midweek action against Skidmore last Wednesday, coming up with a 5–1 win. The Panthers scored early in the game, putting up two runs in the first inning, and then tacked on one in each of the third, fifth and seventh innings. Skidmore was held to just one run, which came in the fourth inning.
Justin Han ’20 led the charge, getting on base all five of his times at the plate and finishing the day with three singles, two walks and four of the team’s five runs.
This all-star caliber performance is nothing new from the sophomore infielder, as he leads the team in almost every offensive category. Han has teams highs with 25 runs, 28 hits and 15 RBI’s, and boasts an impressive .373 batting average and a whopping .510 on-base percentage.
“My goal for this season was to provide offensive production and be consistent in the field making defensive plays,” says Han.
His offensive movement has been key to the team’s success this year and certainly has not gone unnoticed.
“Justin Han has been integral to our team, as expected. Stealing bases and racking up the hits, he is incredibly consistent and such a fun guy to play with,” said Hayden Smith ’20.
On the mound, Colby Morris ’19 allowed only one run on six hits while striking out four. This junior captain’s consistency has been crucial to the Panthers’ defense this season. With nine pitching appearances under his belt thus far, seven of which he started, Morris has managed to strike out 41 of his opponents — a team-high.
Senior Captain Rob Erickson ’18 is also worth noting. Against the Thoroughbreds he tallied three strikeouts and gave up just two hits over three innings. After last weekend’s Bowdoin series, Erickson tails only Morris in many pitching categories thanks to his efforts over eight appearances.
The Panthers then returned home to face their third Nescac opponent of the year, Bowdoin. Middlebury saw the Polar Bears on Friday, April 21, in the first of the teams’ three-game series. After falling behind 4–0, Middlebury clawed its way back to take a 6–5 lead, which the Panthers extended to as many as three runs. But Bowdoin responded, getting within one run twice, before tying the game at 10 in the top of the ninth inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, Middlebury quickly took away any doubt of the result. They loaded the bases with one out, and Smith finished the game off by singling home Han.
“My reaction to the walk-off was pure happiness,” Smith said afterwards. “There’s nothing that gets me more fired up than being the guy that wins the game for my team, and Saturday was the ultimate display of that. And the team was fired up too — it was a spark plug for our bench and our offense, I think. And my mindset was to hit the ball hard. I knew I was the guy to deliver right here, and I embraced the moment. Saw my pitch and put my best swing on it.”
The Panthers saw the Polar Bears again the next day for a doubleheader, both games of which ended in Middlebury’s favor.
While the Bears came out strong in the first game, scoring two runs right off the bat, Middlebury answered with a pair of runs off a single up the middle from captain Sebastian Sanchez ’18 to tie the score up at two all. Neither team scored until the sixth inning, when miscommunications between the Panthers’ defense allowed the Polar Bears get some insurance runs across the plate.
Bowdoin tacked on one more in the seventh, but the Panthers rivaled it with three runs in bottom of the inning, closing the game with a 5-4 victory. Henry Strmecki ’21, Han and Brooks Carroll ’20 led the team with strong performances at the plate.
The Panthers came out even stronger in the second game of the day, shutting out the Polar Bears for a 3–0 win. Erickson put the team on his right shoulder in the shutout, striking out four Polar Bears while allowing only four hits through seven innings.
Jake Dianno ’21 was big for the Panthers with the bat in his hand, the highlight of the weekend for him being a second-inning shot to right field that sailed over the fence for his first home run at the collegiate level.
“It was an awesome experience, and it was just great to be able to come through for my team,” said an excited Dianno.
Though the Polar Bears threatened to answer in the fifth inning, Middlebury held them to no score and tacked on two more with runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the deal.
The Panthers’ success was a much-needed confidence booster. Before last week, the team held a 6–13 record and was coming off a tough series loss to Wesleyan and another non-conference loss to Southern Vermont. The past week has turned that around.
Middlebury’s sights are still set high on the conference championship, and the team feels this is definitely a step in the right direction and a confirmation of their ability.
“[Bowdoin] left us with an incredible amount of confidence and proof that we have the talent and capability to find ways to win games,” Han said.
“I really like how the team is performing. We have momentum and confidence going into a very important series against Hamilton this weekend,” Han added. His confidence moving forward is shared by Dianno.
“This sweep was a great way to get us going heading into our weekend at Hamilton,” Dianno said.
After some non-conference midweek action, the Panthers head to Hamilton for a big road series this weekend.
(04/11/18 8:41pm)
Last week, Middlebury baseball hit the road to take on the Wesleyan in the Panthers’ second Nescac series of the season. The previous week’s strong performance, in which the Panthers took two out of three from Williams, gave the team a boost of confidence going into the series. Unfortunately, it seems the Panthers were not able to channel the same fierceness and their high morale into last week’s games, as the Cardinals broke out the brooms.
The series kicked off with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 7, during which the Cardinals took a 1–0 lead right off the bat in the first inning. Middlebury was able to hold the Cardinals for the remainder of the game with strong defensive play on the mound from junior captain Colby Morris ’19, who managed to throw out eight Cardinals and let up only one run on four hits. The Panthers found little luck at the plate though, tallying 10 strikeouts and zero hits.
Errors and walks killed any shot the Panthers had in the second game of the series. The second inning was especially bad, as the Cardinals scored six of their 12 runs, registering only one hit in the process. The Panthers put up a strong fight, scoring four in the seventh inning and then four in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the Cardinals, and the game ended in a 12–8 loss for the Panthers. Sam Graf ’19, Brendan Donahue ’18, Henry Strmecki ’21 and Gray Goolsby ’20 all got on base and scored for Middlebury, and both Justin Han ’20 and Brooks Carroll ’20 finished with a pair of runs.
Will Oppenheim ’21 took a hard loss on the mound, letting up the six runs in the second inning. “I really need to be able to repeat my mechanics more so I can throw more strikes and go deeper into games and walk fewer people,” Oppenheim said.
However, this performance will likely be only a small bump in the road for Oppenheim. In his short time playing at the college level, the first-year currently sports a 3.14 ERA and 13 strikeouts, third only to captains Morris and Rob Erikson ’18, who have fanned 30 and 14, respectively.
Sunday’s get-out-of-town game brought a similar outcome for the Panthers. The Cardinals were again the first to score, putting up an impressive seven runs in the first inning. They then tacked on two more in the third and another in the seventh. Middlebury seemed to answer, scoring six runs by the end of the sixth inning, but they were not able to come back and fell 10–6.
According to Han, the team was well aware of Wesleyan’s skill going into the series and took measures to prepare for the challenge.
“We had scouting reports for Wesleyan’s pitchers to prepare for the weekend. We knew their guys would throw a lot of balls and [that] we would need to be selective at the plate,” Han said. The Panthers tried not to concern themselves too much with the other team’s past success, however.
“We just focused on playing our game,” explained Morris.
Understandably, the team’s vibe coming off this tough series was starkly different from that of the previous week’s games.
“Mentally we were confident after playing Williams and had faith in our lineup top to bottom,” said Morris — a readiness echoed by Han.
“We were very confident after a strong performance against Williams the previous weekend,” Han said. “We were prepared and ready to compete.”
Morris attributes the difference in last week’s performance to a lack of fire.“We didn’t play the whole series with confidence,” said Morris, who added, “we found ourselves on our heels, especially early on in games one and two.”
Despite this, he remains extremely positive and optimistic about what the future holds for the Panthers.
“We aren’t stoked with where we are, but that just makes us hungrier for the next game,” Morris said. “For whatever reason we like being the underdog, and we find ourselves in that familiar place again. People are going to doubt us after we doubted ourselves at times this past weekend, but it’s a privilege to play this game. So, regardless of our position, our mentality is for them to bring it on.”
Additionally, the team still has their sights set on winning the Nescac championship.
“We will not let a single win or loss deter us from our goal,” a determined Han declared.
After this week’s midweek action (barring weather), the Panthers host Amherst tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. for the first of three-game set.
“I think playing at home will be a huge advantage this week. Traveling definitely takes a toll on us, so being home this weekend will be nice,” Oppenheim said.
(04/04/18 9:00am)
Last week the baseball team headed west to Southern California for their annual spring break trip, and finished 5–4, the first time since 2012 the Panthers finished over .500 on the trip.
Middlebury also started its Nescac schedule with a bang, taking the first two games of its series with Williams, including a 20–1 shellacking in the first game, before falling in the final game. The Panthers return to Vermont with a 2–1 record in the conference.
The Panthers kicked it off with a matchup against Chapman University of Orange, California on Saturday, March 24. Though it ended with a tough 5–3 loss, Middlebury showed great resilience in the fourth inning after a difficult start left them facing a five run deficit.
Junior captain Colby Morris ’19 pitched the whole game and, while he struggled at times and let up five runs overall, he managed to rally and strike out five. Getting back on track to finish strong was easy for the Panthers’ ace.
“Physically it was a small adjustment, I just had to throw my changeup down in the zone and not leave it up,” explains Morris, who found that the bigger challenge was the mental side. “Mentally it was more challenging. I’m from San Diego so I had a lot of family at the game rooting for me and in past years I might’ve folded but I’ve been playing for them recently and more for my teammates. They definitely helped me flush that bad pitch and move on to the next few innings and give us a chance to win even though we couldn’t pull it out.”
Hayden Smith ’20, Justin Han ’20 and Sam Graf ’19 each crossed the plate for the Panthers, pushed across by RBIs off the bats of Kevin Woodring ’20, Alan Guild ’20 and Han.
Next up, Middlebury faced both the Claremont McKenna Stags and the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens on Sunday, March 25. The Panthers started the day with a 10–8 win against the Stags, getting an early lead with a sacrifice fly out from Han to bring Brooks Carroll ’20 home in the first inning, followed by a run from Jack Miller ’21 off a hit from Han in the third.
Middlebury continued to get runs across to rack up their run total in the fourth inning with a critical home run from Phil Bernstein ’19, driving in Grant Elgarten ’20 and Graf to make it 5–0. This was Bernstein’s first home run at the college level, a feat made all-the-more special by hitting it in his hometown.
“It was awesome,” said an excited Bernstein. “My parents were there and it made it that much more special. I knew I hit it well but didn’t realize how far I hit it. I remember seeing the umpire giving the ‘homerun’ sign rounding first base and just having an insane rush of adrenaline. My teammates showed me lots of love coming back into the dugout. It felt great.”
Following Bernstein’s hit, the game took an interesting turn in the eighth inning when the Stags made a comeback to tie it up at six, but ultimately the Panthers pulled through to put four more on the board with scores from Han, Woodring, Smith and Henry Strmecki ’21.
Will Oppenheim ’21 proved his skills on the mound, pitching for five innings for the Panthers, only giving up three hits while striking out six. Also notable was the performance of Han, who went 3-for-4 in the game with three RBIs.
Sunday ended in a tough loss against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Neither team scored until the eighth when Pomona got four runs on four hits.
Middlebury stayed in the game, scoring two runs in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough and the game ended in a 4–2 loss.
However, Middlebury was not without success against the Sagehens. Colin Waters ’19 threw seven scoreless innings in which he gave up only three hits and two walks, striking out four.. Additionally, Han and Strmecki each finished with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate.
Furthermore, Middlebury proved not to be held down by these losses and went on to win their next two games against Whittier College and Caltech.
The Panthers needed 10 innings to dispatch the Whittier Poets on Monday, March 26. After three scoreless innings, Middlebury managed to get a run on the board in the fourth. After Han reached on a fielder’s choice which moved Smith to third, the Panthers executed perfectly a first-and-third situation, confusing the Poets’ defense as Han stole second and Smith scored on a double steal.
In the following inning, the Panthers scored three runs on four hits for a 4–0 advantage. Whittier answered in the fifth, however, with two-run homer to make it a 4–2 game and ultimately tying it up 4–4 in the eighth. Staying at 4–4 throughout the ninth, the teams were pushed into an exciting extra inning.
Carroll started the tenth inning off with a bang, hitting a solo homer -- his first of the season, but likely not his last, considering he hit three home runs last season and has already tallied five RBIs and thirteen hits to account for a .277 batting average and .379 on-base percentage so far this year. Throughout the obvious early success, he has remained humble. “My personal goal is to continue contributing to the team’s success both on and off the field,” says Carroll.
Han went on to seal the deal, taking advantage of a fielding error to get home. The Poets failed to answer, resulting in a 6-4 victory for the Panthers.
Smith’s batting skills were highlighted as he went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and two runs score. Middlebury’s depth was on display against Whittier, as six other players had hits as well.
Middlebury went on to beat the Caltech Beavers 8–5 on Tuesday, March 27th in a back-and-forth game. Caltech scored four runs in the first two innings to Middlebury’s zero, but the Panthers answered with three runs on three hits in the third, making it a 4–3 game. Han had a single to bring home Senior Captain Sebastian Sanchez ‘18 and Carroll, while Graf singled to drive in Han. Hamilton Evans ‘20 belted a two-out homer — also his first home run at the collegiate level — to left center in the fourth to tie the game at 4–4. Caltech managed to get another run in in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single, but Middlebury regained the lead with a run from Smith. The Panthers scored three more with runs from Carroll, Han and Elgarten in the seventh inning to give them an 8–5 lead. Caltech was contained offensively for the last two innings, resulting in a strong win for the Panthers.
Of note is Han, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI against Caltech, and again the team’s depth was easily displayed, as seven other Panthers had one or more hits.
Though pulling off wins against Whittier and Caltech, the Panthers suffered a loss against the then 10th NCAA ranked Redlands bulldogs on Wednesday, Mar. 28. Middlebury had the first run of the game in the third inning when Andrew Hennings ‘20 scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Carroll. The Bulldogs responded strongly with two runs in the bottom of the inning and then two more in the fifth, leaving the final score at 4-1.
Pitcher Justin Legowski ‘19 took a tough loss on the mound, allowing four runs and five hits over five innings of work. Legowski acknowledged this, saying “We made a few mistakes which good teams like Redlands will make you pay for. If you leave the ball up in the zone to good hitters, they will will hit it.” Yet, he knew what changes needed to be made and saw the Redlands matchup as an opportunity to grow and come back stronger. “Moving forward, and in order to bounce back, we have to keep the ball down in the zone from a pitching standpoint,” says Legowski. “We use this to motivate us, and we enjoy the challenge of competing with these more experienced teams to begin our season. We gain confidence as we work through the early-season rust to compete with, and beat, some very strong teams,” an experience he feels will be invaluable looking ahead to more division matchups.
Like Legowski, the team is overall proud of their performance against these tough out-of-conference competitors, despite the mixed bag of results.
“The California teams are obviously going to be more polished than teams like us because they start playing the first week of February. That being said, they’re very good teams, and opening our season with stiff competition challenged us from the get-go. It was a great way to see who on our team is a true competitor,” Smith commented.
After a well-deserved day off, the rejuvenated Panthers came back from their loss on Wednesday ready to take on their first Nescac opponents of the season: Williams.
Middlebury pulled off a season-high of 20 runs in the first game of three against the Ephs. They also limited their opponents to just one score. The last time the Panthers pulled of 20 runs was in their victory against Hamilton, which ended 20-8 in 2010. Furthermore, the Panthers scored in seven different innings and collected a season-best 19 hits.
Their success started early, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning with the help of key plays from Woodring, Carroll, Bernstein and Elgarten. Williams’ only run came during the top of the second inning. Many of the Panthers had the chance to show their stuff, as Hennings, Graf, Smith, Han, Andrew Corcoran ’18, and Strmecki, among others, all played vital roles in Middlebury’s offensive success.
On the mound, Morris improved to 2–2 on the season, giving up only one run on four hits in seven innings. Andrew Martinson ‘20 and Evan Stewart ‘21 stepped up to the plate as well as relief pitchers, both throwing scoreless innings.
Saturday, March 31, took a different turn for the team in their double-header against Williams, ending the day with a split.
The Panthers began the day with a 6–1 win over the Ephs. Williams quickly scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning until Middlebury was able to hold them and take the lead in the fourth inning with a pair of runs by Smith and Guild with two outs. The Panthers tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to put their total for the game at six. Graf went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and Han had two hits with a run scored.
Defensively, Will Oppenheim ‘21 picked up his first collegiate victoring, throwing 5.1 innings during which he allowed only one run on five hits with four strikeouts. Additionally, George Goldstein ‘21 retired all five batters he faced for his second showing on the mound.
Legowski praises the performance of the team’s first-years.
“Our first-year guys did an awesome job all week,” Legowski said. “Coming in as first-year guy, and trying to understand your role and where you fit into the puzzle can be challenging. However, they were more than prepared and were a big reason as to why we won the series.”
Game two of the double header, however, ended on a different note as the Panthers suffered an unexpected loss against Williams. Though Middlebury first took the lead, scoring three runs in the first two innings, Williams answered with three runs in the third inning to tie the game. The score remained 3–3 until the seventh inning, when the Ephs added on two more, bringing the game to its final score of 5–3.
The dramatic shift in the final scores from the first game to the last was certainly on the Panthers’ minds coming out of the series. “I think that we got a bit complacent after winning the first two games,” says Carroll. “We came out flat which allowed them to stay in the game and come out on top.”
Despite this, Carroll remains optimistic.
“We won the series against Williams two games to one and that puts us in a great position as we head into our second series of conference games against Wesleyan this weekend. We showed in California that we are ready to compete for a playoff spot and I really like where we stand in relation to other Nescac teams.”
This positivity is certainly echoed by fellow teammates. “We feel very confident going into our conference matchups,” says Smith. “We have some freshmen stepping into key roles, and our bats our hot. I’m very excited about our potential in these upcoming conference games.”
The Panthers will next face Wesleyan in a three game conference series tomorrow and Saturday, April 6 and 7, followed by a game this Sunday, April 8, against Trinity.
(03/21/18 10:13pm)
Last weekend, Saturday, March 17–Sunday, March 18, the baseball team took a trip down to Atlanta, Georgia, to take on the Emory Eagles and to rematch the Stevens Ducks. The Panthers played two games on Saturday, starting the day with an 11–4 loss to Stevens and later in the day falling to Emory 10–2. Sunday’s get-out-of-town game against Emory didn’t go much better for the Panthers, as they fell to the Eagles by a score of 10–7.
On the season’s opening weekend, the Panthers fell to Stevens 8–4, so they sought some revenge when they played the Ducks last Saturday in Atlanta. However, Stevens opened up a 6–0 lead to start the game, scoring with five runs in the first and adding another in the second. Middlebury failed to come up with any runs until the bottom of the 8th inning, when Justin Han ’20 hit a single up the middle to drive home Henry Strmecki ’21 and Andrew Corcoran ’18. Hayden Smith ’20 then hit a single to center, bringing home Sam Graf ’19 and propelling the Panthers into the top of the ninth with some momentum despite an eight-run deficit. Han got his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly out in the bottom of the ninth, sending Corcoran in for his second run scored.
On the mound, junior captain Colby Morris ’19 took a beating, letting up seven runs over six innings, although he managed to rebound after a tough first one and two-thirds innings. First-year Evan Stewart ’21, who came in to relieve Morris, did not fare much better, as he gave up three earned runs, but no hits. Jack Miller ’21 also saw time on the mound, as did John Tipps ’19, in what turned out to be a harsh 11–4 loss for the Panthers, who left eight runners on base.
In the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Panthers got a shot at the Emory Eagles. Emory had an early lead with a run in the top of the first. Middlebury came back to tie the game at 1–1 in the top of the second with a run from Kevin Woodring ’21 off a hit by Strmecki.
After two more Emory RBI’s in the fifth put the Panthers down 3–1, Middlebury cut into the Eagles’ lead in the top of the sixth as the Panthers made it a one-run game when Graf scored on a sac fly courtesy of Jake Dianno ’21.
However, the game took a turn in the seventh inning: Emory had a seven-run seventh, the last two runs coming on wild pitches, making the final score 10–2. Despite the loss, bright spots for Middlebury included Robert Erickson ’18’s five-inning effort on the mound, as he struck out three and threw 70 percent of his 88 pitches for strikes.
On Sunday, Middlebury took on the Eagles once more. In the first inning, Emory achieved a 4–0 lead on Middlebury with four runs on four hits. The following inning didn’t go better for the Panthers, as their hosts added two more runs in the second inning. Woodring hit a home run in the top of the third, bringing himself and Carroll home and making the score 6–2.
In the bottom of the third, Emory scored another run, but the Panthers responded in the top half of the next inning thanks to an RBI single from Grant Elgarten ’20 that sent Carroll home again. The Eagles quickly scored three more at the bottom of the fifth, making the score 10–3 going into the seventh inning.
The Panthers made a comeback, plating four runs in the seventh. Woodring doubled to bring Carroll home for a third time in the top of the seventh. Smith scored on an infield single hit by Alan Guild ’20, and then Woodring scored his second run of the day on a throwing error. The fourth of the Panthers’ runs came from a single hit by Phil Bernstein ’19, which allowed Strmecki to make a run for home.
Even after a rough weekend, Bernstein explained that the Panthers are not giving up and are ready for what comes next.
“Obviously we want to win every game we compete in, so losing never feels good, but at the same time Coach [Mike] Leonard reminded us to stay positive,” Bernstein said. “It’s only our sixth game. We are an extremely talented team, and we’ve seen glimpses of what we’re capable of already. Consistency will come with more games, and when that happens, we are going to be a very tough team to play against. [This weekend] will pay dividends down the line. Heading into our spring break trip with six games under our belts will be huge.”
Woodring agreed with his teammate, commenting that “despite losing the games, we have a much more positive outlook on our future, especially after our last game where we were able to make a comeback against a good Emory team.”
On the whole, there were plenty of positives the Panthers can build on going forward.
“We were able to limit errors, have good at bats and throw strikes,” Woodring said. “We’re looking forward to spring break and continuing the positive outlook we had during our game today against Emory.”
Middlebury’s positivity doesn’t stop there. They still have their eye on the prize, looking at the Nescac Championship.
“We’re going to use this weekend as a learning experience. We still have a ton of games before conference play starts, so I want our guys to use these games to prepare. We have the ability to make it back to the Nescac Championship, and it all starts next week when we go out to California.”
(03/14/18 5:40pm)
Before last season, the baseball team had only qualified for the Nescac playoffs two times in the conference’s 16-year playoff history. In that span of time, since 2001, the Panthers only finished over .500 twice. For some perspective, Middlebury went 11–23 two years ago, and they are just three years removed from a dismal 4–24 season.
Last season, Middlebury finished over .500, going 22–16, and advanced to the Nescac championship round, where the Panthers came within one game of capturing their second Nescac championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. It was a dramatic reversal for the Panthers who were previously, frankly, known as one of the worst varsity teams at Middlebury and the butt of many jokes on campus.
With momentum on their side, the Panthers opened their 2018 season last Saturday, March 10, with a loss to Stevens in Hoboken, New Jersey, where they fell 8–4. The Ducks had an advantage in that it was their seventh game of the spring, whereas it was the Panthers’ first chance to get outside.
After their first soiree outside, the Panthers went on to face Bard at Honey Field in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York, for a doubleheader last Sunday, March 11. The Panthers split with Bard, winning the first game 7–0 before falling 9–3 in the second.
Despite the weekend’s 1–2 record, the Panthers have lofty goals in mind after one of their best seasons in program history.
“The goal at the front of everybody’s mind this season is winning the Nescac championship,” said Rob Erickson ’18, one of Middlebury’s three captains. “Many of us felt like it slipped through our fingers last year, and with the combination of talent and experience we have this time around, we feel like we are in a tremendous position to get the job done .”
Head coach Mike Leonard enters his second season at the helm aware of the expectations placed on him and his team after last year’s success.
“This year’s biggest challenge will be embracing the expectations that come with having success,” said Leonard.“I think last year we could be an underdog and surprise teams with our ability, but this year we’ll have a target on our back. So far this year, I think that the team has really embraced this, and they understand that having high standards can be motivating and doesn’t have to be a negative.”
After six seasons as head coach of Bates, Leonard took over at Middlebury last season, replacing longtime coach Bob Smith, who was in charge of the program for 32 years.
Leonard is an up-and-coming coach who made the Nescac playoffs twice at Bates and came within a game of winning the conference title in just his first year with Middlebury.
Since last May’s defeat in the Nescac championship, the Panthers spent the offseason preparing to reach last season’s high points and to surpass them. The taste of victory put fire in their bellies to achieve what they came so close to last season.
“Everyone who was on the team last year has worked very hard, especially in the weight room, and as a result we have a much stronger, faster, and athletic team,” said Leonard. He and the Panthers search for ways to get over the hump, something he feels will be a key difference between the success of last year and this year. Among the list of returning contributors to watch this season are shortstop Brooks Carroll ’20, second baseman Justin Han ’20, infielder Andrew Hennings ’20, and outfielders Sam Graf ’19 and Alan Guild ’20.
A trio of sophomore infielders aim to follow up on their tremendous first season in the blue and white. Carroll played 33 games at shortstop last season. He hit .274 with three home runs in 106 at-bats and showed a patient eye with 15 walks. On top of that, Carroll showed some speed on the basepaths, stealing nine bags in 10 tries. He was also in the middle of 14 double plays.
Han often paired with Carroll in the middle of the infield at second base and blasted a team-high four home runs in his first season. He batted .319, with an on-base percentage of .418 and a slugging percentage of .504. Meanwhile, Hennings led the team with a 1.001 OPS in his 67 at-bats.
Kevin Woodring ’20 looks to be the frontrunner to pick up the slack at first base after hitting .281 and hitting two home runs last season to go along with five doubles at first base. He seeks to fill the void left by Jason Locke ’17, who graduated after last year’s conference championship run. Locke and Ryan Rizzo ’18, who hit .301 and stole 20 bases last season at the top of the lineup, are the only major contributors that the team has to replace from last season’s squad.
Sam Graf ’19 is an immensely important piece in the outfield and in the batting order. Graf hit .323 last season, with three home runs and a team-leading 12 doubles and three triples. He also did not make a single error in the field while racking up 48 putouts and five assists.
Along with producing the fourth-most runs in the conference last season, the Panthers also had the second-best batting average, on-base and slugging percentages in the conference.
On the other hand, Middlebury gave up the most runs in the Nescac last season, with the second-worst ERA and fielding percentage in the conference.
Every pitcher who started a game last season, except for Dylan Takamori ’17, returns. Colby Morris ’19, another team captain, will head the pitching staff after tossing 68.2 innings last season in 12 starts, going 6–4 with a 4.46 ERA and a conference-high four complete games.
Spencer Shores ’20, Colin Waters ’19 and Erickson pitched 45, 43.1 and 38.1 innings, respectively. Shores finished with a 4.80 ERA and struck out almost nine batters per nine innings, while Waters recorded a 4.78 ERA. Erickson finished with a 3.99 ERA. Conor Himstead returns after tallying eight saves and a team-best 1.64 ERA last season.
Taking the mound once again will be Erickson; Colby Morris ’19, another team captain; Spencer Shores ’20; and catcher Gray Goolsby ’20, all of whom held key roles and saw significant playing time during the 2017 season.
This year’s team is confident it can replace the lost production from six graduated Panthers.
Jake Dianno ’21, Henry Strmecki ’21, George Goldstein ’21, Evan Stewart ’21, Ryan Hanrahan ’21, Bobby Sullivan ’21, Michael Farinelli ’21, Will Oppenheim ’21 and Jake Miller ’21 make up the Panthers’ first-year class.
Leonard is excited about what this new group of players will bring to his team.
“The new players always bring great energy and enthusiasm to the team,” Leonard said about his first-year class. “I know that the players who are new to the program are eager to contribute, and I believe most of them will in some way.”
Faced with the challenge of adapting to college life, the first-years “are willing to absorb the information thrown at them,” team captain Sebastian Sanchez ’18 believes.
Sanchez also believes the first-years will only add to one of Middlebury’s biggest strengths: its depth.
“We have an amazing depth chart, and if any one single person is put into the game, they will perform,” Sanchez said. “Additionally, everybody on our team can hit the ball hard and far, from our lead off guy to our nine-spot. We also have depth in the bullpen, and each of our pitchers can come into a situation throwing strikes and getting outs.”
Erickson agrees with his fellow senior and captain.
“Everyone on the team, from starters all the way down, knows that he has something to contribute every day,” Erickson asserted.
Erickson observed that each season presents new challenges to a team.
“One of our challenges this year will be forming a new team identity behind new leaders,” said Erickson. One of the challenges this season will be forging a new identity after playing as underdogs last season.
The team’s chemistry both on and off the field is something the Panthers feel will be hugely advantageous this season.
“Our team dynamic embraces not only the players but also the coaching staff,” says Sanchez. “We pick each other up when we are down. We love to play loose and energetic. No matter the score, no matter if we are up or down, we are loud and cheering for our teammates.”
Erickson agrees. “This is the closest team I’ve played on in my four years at Middlebury. When I take a step back and look at my teammates, I see a pretty goofy group of guys, so it makes me very proud that such a diverse group of individuals has been able to coalesce into a very tight unit.”
This weekend, Saturday, March 17–Sunday, March 18, the Panthers have a unique opportunity, as they will get the chance to travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to play another game against Stevens and then two against Emory.
Leonard, Erickson, Sanchez, Morris and all members of the team are ready to prove last season was not a one-hit wonder. Together, they are ready to elevate the baseball program to another level in their quest for a Nescac championship.
ROAD TRIPIN’
The baseball team will spend most of the next several weeks on the road, starting this weekend with their trip to Atlanta.
Based on our rudimentary calculations done here in the back of the newspaper office where the sports section is stationed, that could mean close to 7,000 round trip miles.
Our unscientific guessing also estimates that his is the furthest the team has travelled over the course of a two-plus-week period in its history.
(09/11/08 12:00am)
Author: Peter Baumann After finishing with a 9-5-2 record a year ago and ending the season with a disappointing loss in the NESCAC semi-finals, women's soccer enters the year with an experienced and talented roster. Graduation mainly hit the Panthers on the back line, where they lost second-team All-NESCAC performer Elise Tarbi '08 and classmate Kim Kennedy '08. To make up for these losses, head coach Peter Kim has moved Anjuli Demers '10, a two-year starter and All-NESCAC performer, to one of the team's two center-back positions. Demers and Zoe Victor '09 will anchor the defense, while Lauryn Torch '11 and Adele Plunkett '09 will likely share time between the pipes.Their job is made easier by the potent Panther offense, a unit that returns virtually intact from the squad that finished second in the Conference a year ago in goals-per-game. Caitlin Parker '09, Margret Owen '10 and Nora Tomlinson-Weintraub '10 each played significant roles last year, and last year's leading scorer, Ashley Pfaff '09, will provide added punch off the bench. To help add to their offensive output, the team has fully embraced a new strategy. The Panthers will use their outside backs to initiate the offense from the wings to open up room in the middle for Middlebury's playmakers to operate. "Our outside defenders are really strong," said Tomlinson-Weintraub, "and they will be really important for our success this year."The team came up short in their two opening games this past weekend, but nonetheless recognizes the opportunity that exists."We all realize that we have an amazing amount of potential," said Tomlinson-Weintraub. "Now we just need to capitalize on it."With reigning league champion Williams once again looking strong, watch for the Panthers to find themselves in a dogfight at the top of the standings.