Bulldogs prepare for spring season glory

Baseball

Baby, it's cold outside—too cold for baseball practice. "We're like caged animals," Captain R.D. DeSantis, SY '01, said "We're ready to get on a plane and go down to Florida."

JULIA TIERNAN

Every spring, the team takes a trip somewhere warm, but this year, thanks to a major change in Head Coach John Stuper's philosophy, the players will have more time for tanning. The old philosophy: a punishing schedule, with at least one game a day against nationally ranked teams with weeks more playing time behind them than the Bulldogs. Stuper used to believe that this kind of challenge made his players tougher and sharper, but more often it left them exhausted and discour-aged."Playing every day on the spring trip, we dug ourselves into a hole," DeSantis said. "We'd lose one-run games to good teams, and we never really learned how to win." This year, the trip is more relaxed. After arriving in Florida, the Elis will have three days to practice in the sun. Then they'll have two days on, one day off, two days on, one day off, before returning north for two doubleheaders.

Stuper, a former Major League pitcher in his ninth year as coach, said Athletic Director Tom Beckett suggested the change. "He told me, `You're playing too many games,' and he's right," Stuper said. "It's easy to coach every day. It's a lot harder to play every day."

The change speaks to the attitude of this year's Bulldogs, a team that knows better than to expect too much. The last two seasons featured four players who would go on to be picked up in the Major League draft, but both seasons were miserable. This year's team has no obvious stars. DeSantis, who hit .314 last year, is one of just two seniors. Stuper has settled on only two starting pitchers so far—Matt McCarthy, TD '02, and Jon Steitz, CC '02—and looks forward to many "staff games," with three or so innings per pitcher.

But stars can be a burden as well as a boon; ambitious senior players looking for their last moment of college glory can put pressure on a team and make every loss painful, every win not quite enough. This time last year, they talked about winning every game, and their pride presaged a painful season. This year, the players aren't talking big or making predictions, and they seem more at ease. "Practice is a lot more fun this year," said Steven Duke, TD '03, who returns to second base after a year spent at third to accommodate two of last year's stars, shortstop Tony Coyne, BK '00, and second base- man Bo Ivy, SY '01. "Everyone's a lot more comfortable."

In October, the Bulldogs played against Quinnipiac and Southern Connecticut, winning both with solid pitching, hitting, and defense—boding well for the spring season.

—Molly Ball

M. Tennis

Winning the Ivy League title won't be easy, but Chris Shackelton, CC '02, says the men's tennis team is "going to be satisfied with nothing less." In order to secure a victory, Yale will have to beat perennial threats Harvard, ranked 40th in the country, and Princeton, also nationally ranked. Columbia, as the returning league champion, is also a force to be reckoned with. Shackelton is optimistic, though. "In my three years as a member of this team, I have never seen this level of confidence and enthusiasm.This year, we are better at every spot in the lineup. "

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH

So far, the team is off to a good start. Led by Captain Greg Royce, SY '01, the team is on a winning streak, having defeated Colgate, Boston College, the University of New Mexico, and Army. The convincing 6-1 victory against Army last Sat., Feb. 24 came even with the limited engagement of star player Steve Berke, MC '03. Berke, the No. 1 player for Yale, took last year off to play professional events as an amateur. In the match against Army, Berke and Ryan Coyle, BK '02, won the number-one doubles match with a score of 8-4, but Berke was not included in the singles lineup due to injury.

Yale showed impressive depth in the game against Army, winning every singles match from the first through the fifth spot. Royce and Scott Carlton, JE '01, led the team with their victories at No. 1 and No. 2, going 6-2, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-3 respectively. David Goldman, BK '04, (6-3, 6-4), Shackelton (6-3, 6-1), and Andrew Rosenfeld, ES '04, (6-1, 6-2) rounded off the victorious group.

The Bulldogs will benefit from a strong freshman class. Rosenfeld is undefeated this season at No. 6, and Goldman has not lost a dual match yet. The No. 1 doubles pair of Dustin West, BK '04, and Berke is ranked second in the Northeast, although West is currently injured. However, according to Head Coach Alex Dorato, seniors Royce and Carlton are the keys to the team's success this year. "I believe our season will come down to how well the seniors do," Dorato said. "As the seniors they are the team leaders; if they have a good year so will the team. So far this year, including the individual fall tournaments, Greg is 16-5 and Scott is 16-6." Royce expressed the confidence and determination that Dorato has come to expect of his seniors. "The team has worked very hard over the last couple of months since we all recognize that the opportunity to win an Ivy League title is within our reach," Royce said.

Encouraged by its recent victories, the Yale tennis team leaves for California this Sat., Mar. 3, for spring training, where it will play six matches against strong teams such as the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. "The experience we gain by playing [these schools] is invaluable as we prepare to win the Ivy League title," Shackelton said. —Katie Rigney

Lt. Wt. Crew

The men's lightweight crew team hopes to come back from its spring training trip in Florida with more than bleached hair and tans. The squad needs time to prepare for tough competition that awaits it back in New England, especially considering the high expectations for the team based on the 1999-2000 season. The varsity boat was undefeated last year and won the national championship and the prestigious Henley Cup in England.

Because of the guaranteed warm weather and good water, the team can row at least two times each day. Head Coach Andy Card looks forward to the "uninterrupted focus time on moving the boat. It's fun—and once you get through Florida, it's racing season."

Despite dominating the sport last year and losing only two seniors, Card insists on not living off past wins but on building boat speed for this season. "Each year is a different year; while we were very successful last year, we [now] need to concentrate on good boat-moving ability," he said. "We want to improve our fundamentals, our technique, our fitness—and let the results take care of themselves." Although the team beat all nine of the crews it faced last year, the varsity boat won half of those races—as well as the national championship—by less than one second. "We're in a very competitive league," Card said. "A lot of the same crews who challenged us are still there."

The team will race at home in Derby, Conn. against MIT on Sat., Mar. 31 against Dartmouth and Rutgers on Sat., Apr. 21, and then against Cornell and Georgetown on Sun., Apr. 22. An annual highlight of the spring season is the Yale-Harvard-Princeton race at Princeton on Sat., Apr. 28; the race will be part of a day of international competition for the FISA World Cup.

Card remains committed to staying focused on preparing for any level of competition. "Everyone always asks, `Can you do it again' but we're trying just to be obsessed with moving the boat," he said. —Risa Berkower

W. Lacrosse

Women's lacrosse is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a varsity sport. The team is coming off a year when it did well by anyone's standards, except possibly its own. The Bulldogs are eager to wreak havoc upon the few teams that just edged them out last year and get the Ivy League title.

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH

Last year's team was gifted with a number of talented freshmen and deep upperclass line-up. But coming off a 10-4 season (4-3 Ivy), it suffered substantial losses. Graduation took away captain and All-American Heather Bentley, SY '00, and starter Verena Phipps, DC '00. The team will also have to cope with the loss of leading scorer Amanda Walton, SY '02, who was in a car accident last summer and is currently undergoing physical therapy.

One of the biggest changes in this year's squad is an increase in the number of seniors on the team. As Kate Flatley, SY '01, said, "Having five seniors instead of two has made this year a lot easier. The seniors have really been leading the team as a whole and as a collective voice." The five returning seniors are well spread-out throughout the field. Captain Liz Gardner, DC '01, and Mollie Ricker, TC '01, will lead the defensive side while Flatley, Clara Gillespie, PC '01, and Katherine Myers, PC '01, will inspire on the offensive side. Adding to the strength of the upperclassmen is preseason All-American and two-time first team All-Ivy selection Megan Strenski, MC '02, who is a virtual wall on defense. Miles Whitman, BK '04, a member of the 1999 U-19 World Cup Championship lacrosse team, will add depth to the underclass lineup. "Everyone's contributing," Flately said. "We're excited more about the team than individuals."

Yale plays three games over spring break; the Bulldogs host Hofstra on Mon, Mar. 12, and play at UConn on Wed., Mar. 14, and at Penn on Sat., Mar. 17. —Katie Cole

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