HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College Baseball team enters the 2018 campaign looking for an 11th straight appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament. The Fords have reached the postseason 12 times in the last 13 seasons and have amassed 20 wins or more in seven of the last eight campaigns. Haverford has captured the Centennial title in three of the last six seasons, including the last three even-numbered years (2012, 2014, 2016). After a 20-16-1 record a season ago, the Fords are hoping the host the Centennial Conference tournament at the friendly confines of Kannerstein Field. This season, Haverford is also hoping to be a major player in the NCAA Regionals while gaining national prominence.
Junior Ethan Lee-Tyson and senior Ben Furlong are both returning from All-Region seasons a year ago and will look to anchor a lineup that figures to be one of the strongest top to bottom in the Centennial Conference. Lee-Tyson led the team in Batting Average (.400), slugging (.662), on-base percentage (.491), runs scored (43) and hits (58).
Lee-Tyson recorded the third most total bases in a single season in Haverford program history with 96 in 2017 and ranked in the top-10 in program single-season history in runs scored, home runs, hits and slugging percentage.
Furlong led the squad in RBI (37) and home runs (10). Furlong's 10 long balls were the second most in program history and 18th in all of Division III last season.
In addition to Lee-Tyson and Furlong, Sam Partee, Harrison Burns, Spencer Sohmer, Matt Goss, Will Karp, Owen Plambeck and Nick Perez all return after starting at least 20 contests a season ago. The Fords are in a great place to continue the run of offensive success. Haverford's power is sure to be on display early and often as Haverford's 1.05 home runs per game a season ago put the squad seventh in the nation. The Fords return 38 of their 39 home runs from a season ago and are expected to display power at each spot on the lineup card, providing potential game-changing swings in any situation.
Haverford also figures to be aggressive on the basepaths yet again, manufacturing runs in the process. Last season Haverford stole 111 bases, 50 more than the conference's second place finisher in the category, Swarthmore. Haverford's 3 stolen bases per contest was the third-most in the nation last season.
Defensively, the Fords infield defense was vital in eliminating baserunners, posting 1.24 double plays per game, the second-most in Division III. A strong defensive campaign from Sohmer at third and Furlong and Karp up the middle will be vital in 2018. Newcomers Matt Sabitsky, Garrett Melby will look to help on the infield while Ben Somorjai will look to see time behind the dish. Goss, Lee-Tyson, Jared Turner and Burns will return to patrol the outfield.
Haverford's pitching depth will be on display early as senior Justin Herring (7-0, 1.58 ERA in 2016) returns after missing last season due to injury.
Sophomores Dylan Livingston (4-1, 3.04 ERA) and Brandon Jenkins (3-1, 3.06 ERA) will also help anchor the staff that includes seniors Patrick O'Shea and Michael Schwarze, juniors Tom Phillips, Austin Castellanos and Daniel Joffe along with sophomores Nathan Vucovich and Lucas Greenbaum.
Newcomers to the squad include Luke Duris, a junior transfer from Division I Villanova who has experience in international baseball with the French national team. First year pitchers Nathan Bass, Ryan Giovenco, Andrew Johnson, Thomas Primosch and Sam Istvan will compete for playing time on the mound.
The Fords were tabbed second in the Centennial Conference preseason poll, receiving 70 total voting points and two first place votes. Johns Hopkins was picked to win the conference with 80 total votes and the remaining eight first place tallies. Haverford also received votes in the Collegiate Baseball annual national preseason poll, which was released in December.
Haverford begins the 2018 campaign with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 3 against Catholic at the Washington Nationals Youth complex in Washington, D.C.
Haverford travels up Lancaster Avenue for a matchup with Eastern on Tuesday, March 6 before The Fords' annual spring break trek to Fort Myers, Fla. runs from March 11 to March 17. The trip features matchups with Lakeland, Edgewood, Plattsburgh State, Amherst, Wisconsin Lutheran and No. 9 Wooster.