ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell baseball team concludes its 18-game road trip to open the 2023 season this weekend when it faces Columbia at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium in New York City.

Series Information

SATURDAY, APRIL 1 - 1:00 P.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Ethan Hamill (0-3, 8.02 ERA) vs. RHP Andy Leon (3-1, 2.59 ERA)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoColumbiaLions.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 2 - GAME ONE - 11:30 A.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: LHP Noah Keller (1-2, 8.24 ERA) vs. LHP Joe Sheets (1-2, 3.33 ERA)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoColumbiaLions.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 2 - GAME TWO - APPROX. 2:30 P.M.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Von Baker (0-3, 11.57 ERA) vs. TBA
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: GoColumbiaLions.com

Last Weekend Rewind

Inclement weather shifted Cornell's Ivy League-opening series to a single-game last Friday and a twin bill last Sunday at George H.W. Bush '48 Field in West Haven, Conn.

Cornell took two of three games from Yale to open the 2023 Ancient Eight slate, as a sixth-inning grand slam by junior infielder Matt Barnhorst helped lift the Big Red to a 5-3 win its Ivy League opener.

Yale used an eight-run first inning to distance themselves from the Big Red early, as the hosts plated the first 12 runs in a 12-2 victory in the opener of last Sunday's doubleheader.

The Big Red claimed the rubber match, 7-5, thanks to a strong outing by freshman left-handed pitcher Noah Keller, who recorded his first collegiate victory and first quality start. Fellow freshman Carson Mayfield also shined out of the bullpen for the Big Red, combining with Keller to retire 12 consecutive batters at one point.

Off to a Good Start

Cornell is off to its best three-game start in Ivy League play since 2016, when it also took two of its three games against Yale and Brown.

A win in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader with Columbia would give Cornell three wins in its first four Ivy League games for the first time since 2015 when the Big Red started Ancient Eight play with a 4-1 record.

Speed Demons

As a team last weekend against Yale, Cornell was successful on nine of its 10 stolen base attempts. Sophomore outfielder Jakobi Davis stole five bases on the weekend, including a three-steal performance in last Friday's win.

The three-steal performance was Cornell's first since sophomore infielder Ryan Porter swiped three bases against Dartmouth last year on April 24.

Davis' seven stolen bases ranks third among Ivy League players this season. Those ahead of Davis are Yale's AJ Gaich (9) and Jimmy Chatfield (8). Junior infielder Matt Barnhorst has five stolen bases this year, tied with Columbia's Cole Hage for the sixth-most in the Ivy League.

Cornell has recorded 25 stolen bases so far this season, ranking third in the Ivy League behind Yale (36) and Columbia (27).

The Big Red has registered multiple steals in its last six games and in eight of its last nine. It is the first time Cornell has swiped multiple bases in six straight games since 2013 (7).

Tough to Touch

Over seven relief outings so far during his senior campaign, left-handed pitcher Spencer Edwards has been tough to hit off of this season.

Edwards enters this weekend with opponents batting .185 off of him (12 hits in 65 at-bats), which ranks third in the Ivy League, through games completed through Monday.

After allowing five hits in his first appearance of the season on Feb. 25 at James Madison, Edwards has allowed just seven hits over his last 15.2 innings pitched.

139 Years | 227 Miles | 243 Meetings

Cornell and Columbia have met 243 times prior to this weekend's three-game series, as the Big Red owns a 129-114 record over the Lions.

Despite a 49-60 all-time record in contests played at the Lions' home field in New York City, the Big Red has won four of its last seven at Robertson Field.

The Lions swept a three-game set at Hoy Field last year, outscoring the Big Red, 23-10. Sophomore infielder Max Jensen batted a Cornell-best .400, going 4-of-10 with two doubles. Senior outfielder Sam Kaplan also had a strong weekend against the Lions, hitting for a .364 clip (4-of-11) with a double, home run, and 4 RBI. Junior catcher Nathan Waugh had two of his three hits on the series go for extra bases (double, triple).

Mayfield Shining Early

Freshman right-handed pitcher Carson Mayfield been a bright spot for the Cornell bullpen so far this season through his seven relief outings.

Currently owning a 5.21 ERA that leads all Cornell pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched, Mayfield has 17 strikeouts compared to just three walks. His 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio is seventh among freshman pitchers and is second in the Ivy League, trailing Dartmouth's Jake Metzger (23 SO, 3 BB — 7.67).

Mayfield's three walks allowed in 19 innings pitched leads to a 1.42 walks-per-9-inning ratio, which is the sixth-best figure by a first-year pitcher this season. He also trails Metzger (1.05) for the Ivy League lead.

Over his 19 innings pitched, Mayfield has struck out 17 batters this season, which ranks second on the Big Red. He trails classmate Noah Keller who has 21 punchouts.

Facing Tournament Teams

This weekend marks the third time in the last five weekends in which Cornell is squaring off against a team that participated in last year's NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

The first team Cornell played was Wake Forest on March 5. Wake Forest, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the country, went 1-2 last year in the College Park Regional.

Cornell played VCU the following weekend on March 10-12 in Richmond, Va. The Rams lost twice in the championship of the Chapel Hill Regional to the host North Carolina.

Along with Wake Forest, VCU, and Columbia, the Big Red has Binghamton on the schedule three times this season. The teams will play twice in Vestal and once in Ithaca. Last year's America East champions, Binghamton lost both of its games in the Stanford regional.