2007 Preview
The Garnet look to join the hunt for a Centennial Conference championship in 2007, having graduated only one player from the 2006 roster. Led by returning infielders Sam Faeder '07 (New York City, NY / Stuyvesant), Conor Casey '09 (San Francisco, CA / Lowell), and Kevin Kooi '09 (Lafayette, CA / College Preparatory School), as well as outfielders Scott Dalane '08 (Vernon, NJ / Vernon Township), this year's squad expects to build on the strong start in 2006.
Swarthmore began the 2006 campaign by posting a 3-3 record on their annual spring break trip to Fort Pierce, Florida. The Garnet picked up convincing wins against Manhattanville, Mitchell, and Eastern - hitting .297 as a team while scoring 7.83 runs per game.
Faeder returns as the catalyst of the Garnet offense, hoping to build on the breakout season he had in 2006. Faeder, hitting leadoff for the first time in college, led the team in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.349), slugging percentage (.450), on-base-percentage (.429), hits (38), RBIs (22), and total bases (49). Aside from putting up solid numbers across a broad range of offensive categories, Faeder also put together a 13-game hit streak to start the season and made a smooth transition to first base after Noah Cooper Harris '07 (Cedar Grove, NC / Orange) went down with a hand injury in March.
Defensively, Swarthmore will look to the California double-play duo of shortstop Casey and second baseman Kooi,to secure the middle infield. The pair, who as freshmen combined to start every game but one, will be counted on to continue their strong play.
In the outfield, Dalane returns to patrol centerfield for the Garnet. The speedy Dalane, one the top outfielders in the Centennial, has robbed numerous opponents of hits in the past two seasons, earning the Garnet Glove in 2006 (given annually to the top Swarthmore defensive player). Adelstein, the team's right fielder, played all 29 games for the Garnet in 2006. He hit his first two career round-trippers in 2006 while posting a .418 slugging percentage (second on the team) and figures to be a large part of Swarthmore's offense in 2007.
Behind the plate, Andy Bender '08 (Baltimore, MD / Beth T. Elioh Community School) threw out 14 base runners and recorded 26 assists in 2006, his first season in control of the catching duties. Travis Allen '08 (Suffield, CT / Loomis Chafee) and classmate Ben Mendelson (Lewiston, ME / Lewiston) each struggled through injuries in 2006, but will look to compete for innings behind the plate. Allen also spent time at first base and designated hitter, putting up a .406 slugging percentage while tying for the team-high with two triples in 2006.
The Garnet pitching staff will be led by a mix of veteran hurlers and young talent, including right-handed starters Justin Chen '08 (Media, PA / Penncrest), Cooper-Harris, and Sean Varsalona '09 (Scotch Plains, NJ / Scotch Plains), as well as reliever Dylan Smith '09 (Patchogue, NY / Patchogue-Medford). Chen, who lost much of his freshman season to a knee injury, returned in 2006 to lead the team in strikeouts (41). Cooper-Harris provided the Garnet with a number of quality innings on the mound after returning from the hand injury, while Varsalona proved to be a true workhorse, leading the team in innings pitched (64) and appearances (13). For his efforts, Varsolona received the Dick Hall Award, given each year to the top Swarthmore pitcher.
With a wealth of talent and experience returning, as well as a number of fresh faces to stir up the team, the 2007 Garnet look to cash in on their hard work and commitment, establishing Swarthmore as a serious Centennial Conference playoff contender.