May 2, 2008

2008 Conference Tournaments

Ivy League kicks off conference tournaments

The Ivy League will get the 2008 post-season started this weekend at Red Rolfe Field in Hanover, N.H., as Columbia visits Dartmouth to decide the Ivy champion and the first bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The teams will play a best-of-three series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m., if necessary.

The Lions (15-5, 20-24) were winners of the Gehrig Division, while the Big Green (15-5, 24-15) captured the Rolfe Division.

The Gehrig Division is named after Lou Gehrig, who played at Columbia. The Rolfe Division is named for Red Rolfe, who played at Dartmouth. This is the first time that the alma maters of the men for whom the divisions are named are meeting for the Ivy title.

The teams split a doubleheader during the regular season. On April 7 in Hanover, Columbia took the opener 7-1, while Dartmouth claimed the nightcap 9-3.

Dartmouth is playing in the championship series for the fourth time in the past eight seasons and the first time since 2004. The Big Green last won the Ivy title in 1987.

Columbia is looking for its first Ivy crown since 1977. The last time the Lions played for the title was 1993, losing two games to Yale.