With the Big Green Teams
DARTMOUTH varsity and freshman teams finished the 1968 spring season with a flair. After humble beginnings, the baseball team broke loose for a record-setting 20-11 summary. In each of the past two seasons Coach Lupien's squads had tied the all-time College victory mark in baseball with 18-10 records. It seemed very unlikely during March practice sessions that this year's talented but thin squad would attain such a noble finish. While much praise must be directed toward the few, brave and polished members of the pitching corps, the fine season was the end result of a solid team effort at the plate and in the field as well.
Winning only five of their first 13 contests, the quick, hard-hitting Indians went on to win all but three of the remaining 18 games, in a pitching performance which was impossible to predict anytime before it happened. The early part of the diamond schedule is relatively "slow," with games spaced at greater intervals, allowing a team to rest jts best pitchers and have them appear in more games. It is possible for a team very thin on the mound to do very well in this phase of competition. As the season progresses, however, the pace quickens measurably", with four games per week the rule. At this point, there is very little to encourage a squad whose pitching staff is thin in both numbers and experience. Opposing batters can destroy a team's chances for weeks by forcing a coach to utilize his bullpen in relief constantly, giving no pitcher proper rest between games.
Except for Harvard and Yale no squad found the key to Indian hurling. Poised and efficient, Dartmouth pitchers remained unshaken, and nearly unbeatable as the very heart of the season was met. In the final race to the finish, hopeful of a possible NCAA District 1 berth, the Green breezed by Middlebury 8-3, with junior Stu Deane going the full nine innings and scattering ten hits harmlessly for the victory. He was not without help as the Indian infield charged the ball aggressively, making three double plays. Splitting a home-and-away series with Holy Cross, the Big Green won the first game 7-2 with big homers by seniors John Blair and Captain Bob Thomas. The second game was marred by poor fielding, giving Holy Cross an early advantage. The Crusader pitcher, Jim Conlon, had a good day against the Indian batters, forcing a close 4-2 loss on the Green.
Now there was no stopping the Indians, racing in for the most wins in 95 seasons of varsity baseball at Dartmouth. Against New Hampshire senior Dolph Highmark maintained a steady pace, but once again fielding errors threatened to halt the Green. The Wildcats had their problems with the ball too, and the game between the "locals" turned out to be an exciting one. Catcher Jon Hanshus made the decisive play in the ninth, throwing out a New Hampshire baserunner attempting to steal third. It was the final Wildcat out, and marked the end of a hitting duel in Dartmouth's favor, 8-7. Junior Glen Culbertson wound up his season with a 3-1 won-loss record by beating Vermont 6-4 with both pitching and solid hits.
Moving into the final game of the season, and the fourth in seven days, Coach Lupien sent powerful sophomore left-hander Greg Pickering to the mound to oppose Springfield. Pickering went the route for a 7-4 victory. Fighting for ball control on the mound, Greg had no problems at the plate, leading the team with three hits.
Though finishing with the best record, the Green was inexplicably not chosen for NCAA action. Duplicating the E.I.B.L. record of 7-2 which last season netted a league championship, Dartmouth finished second behind Harvard. E.I.B.L. competition is very keen, and under the present system with each team meeting only once, each game is a make-or-break proposition with the title at stake.
The prognosis for next season, even at this early date, seems bright. Dolph Highmark will be the only graduating pitcher, but both first-baseman Bob Thomas and second-sacker Gene Ryzewicz will be gone, leaving big question marks in the infield. Senior John Blair will be missing in right field. Highmark, who led the 1968 club with a record of eight wins against only three losses, worked 76 innings and had 55 strikeouts. His varsity career record stands at 16-6. Captain Thomas, batting .257 this year, made his hits count, with a pair of doubles, three triples, and five homeruns. Feared by opponent pitchers, Bob led the team in bases on balls, with a high figure of 31. Ryzewicz, who boosted his batting average to .287 after an early-season slump, hit at a fast pace in the final weeks. Striking out only four times all season, the speedy senior stole 22 bases, matching his 1967 mark.
Offsetting these losses to some extent is the return of more experienced pitchers than Coach Lupien has been able to count on for several seasons. Sophomore Greg Pickering, 5-3 this spring, with a 2.54 ERA and an impressive .286 BA, returns, along with juniors Stu Deane and Glen Culbertson, who each went 3-1. Another sophomore who could help out is Jon Nistad, 1-0 for the season. Culbertson, who boasts the team's best ERA at 2.10, finished the year very strong and should be at his best next spring. Also returning will be two very strong hitters who battled all season for top honors, sophomore Bruce Saylor and Captainelect Terry Light. Saylor, who led the squad with a .371 average, nine doubles and seven homeruns, went down to the wire with Light who finished with .367 and a collection of eight doubles, two triples, and four homers. Backing this deadly pair will be soft-spoken shortstop Bob Mlakar, a dependable sophomore who had 34 hits, 15 rbi's, five doubles, a triple and a home run for a .268 BA; and soph Bud Dagirmanjian in the outfield who hit .265 and had 18 rbi's.
The graduating seniors will very definitely be missed, but next year's team returns with both hitting power and strong pitching. Coach Lupien can also expect an assist from this spring's Pea Green squad which had a 10-4 summary. Frosh Coach Fred Kelly had evident success in his first season, as six freshman regulars hit over .300 for a .289 team average. Righthander John Prado, of Westernport, Md., posted a 6-1 record with a 0.99 ERA. At the plate he hit .391, including one homer. Heavy hitting outfielder Russ Adams, of Wilmington, Pa., won the batting crown with a .464 BA.
Next season, though still very distant, promises to be an enjoyable one for Dartmouth. All the ingredients for a fastpaced, winning ball club seem in the offing. For the first time in years Coach Lupien can expect good depth throughout his squad, and one concludes that there is foundation for optimism.
Sophomore Bruce Saylor of Caldwell,N. J., who led the varsity batters this season with a .371 average and seven homers.
