Heading into a weekend series against New York University (NYU), Emory University’s baseball team had compiled a 14-6 record good enough for a 25th-place national ranking. Sophomore infielder Aidan Conley said the Eagles felt battle-tested and ready for a long stretch of University Athletic Association (UAA) opponents.
Conley said that the team’s resilience has been critical to their success this season, including in a series against Piedmont University (Ga.) from March 14-16, in which the team dropped the first two games before pulling off an 18-11 win in the series finale.
“We’re a really tough team, we respond well to adversity,” Conley said. “Win the Piedmont series — we lost those first two games, but we just bounced back. We just keep bouncing back.”
The team’s grit was on full display against NYU as the Eagles swept the Friday doubleheader by thin margins and rallied in the second half of the Saturday doubleheader, winning 19-9 after a tough loss to begin the day.
The Eagles found themselves down 4-1 in the middle of the fourth inning in the series' first game but teed off for 11 runs in the next five innings for the comeback win. Senior infielder Brok Liu led the Eagles with three RBIs, while senior outfielder Matthew Sicoli and senior infielder Jack Halloran chipped in with two RBIs apiece. Halloran also added to his home run tally, bringing him up to seven on the season. Conley was active on the basepaths, scoring three runs. Junior pitcher Josh Zuckerman allowed five earned runs and struck out five in 5.2 innings of work.
While the Eagles tied the game 4-4 after the fifth, NYU regained the advantage going into the bottom of the sixth. There, the back-and-forth continued, with Emory rallying toward a 7-5 lead. After yet another tie at 7-7 during the top of the seventh, the Eagles took the lead for good and went on to win 12-9. The high-powered and complementary nature of Emory’s offense was on full display.
“Our whole lineup is just absolutely stacked,” Conley said. “I love it. … It’s just nonstop monsters at the plate and I absolutely love it. We have the best offense in the country.”
Prior to the second day of doubleheaders, Emory honored legendary coach Mike Twardoski, who threw out the first pitch. Twardoski managed the Eagles for 25 years before retiring last spring.
“He still talks to guys to this day,” said junior two-way player Adam Geller. “He still shows up to the field and is giving guys advice on swings and pitching. He’s one of those guys you just like to be around even if you’re not on the baseball field. He’s been a great mentor to the team.”
Game three did not bring the Eagles the same fortunes that games one and two did, with NYU jumping out to an 8-0 advantage midway through five innings. The Eagles scored three in the bottom of the inning with Conley hitting a home run, but it ended up being the only runs they produced all game. Geller got the nod for game three, striking out four and allowing five earned runs through 5.0 innings of work, but the Violets emerged with a 12-3 victory nonetheless.
After a brief intermission, NYU wasted no time establishing its offense in the second Saturday game, tallying five runs in the top of the first inning. Fortunately, the Eagles’ offense quickly bounced back to its old ways, teeing off on NYU pitchers for a monstrous 11-run first inning.
“That was a great inning and we responded well to down five nothing,” Conley said. “It showed who we are as a team.”
Though a four-run fourth inning brought NYU within two, the Violets were no match for Emory’s offense as the Eagles scored 19 total runs, ending the game via a 10-run mercy rule. Conley had a giant game at the plate, lifting his second home run of the series to tie Halloran for the team high at seven, racking up six RBIs and scoring four runs himself. Dincman and sophomore outfielder Mitchell Smallwood followed Conley who each had three RBIs. Sophomore pitcher JT Rattigan drew the start, allowing nine earned runs and striking out two batters across four innings.
The Eagles began game two of the doubleheader by continuing to attack NYU pitching, taking a 5-0 lead after the first inning. However, NYU clawed back with a big third inning to tie the game at 6-6. Senior pitcher Ryan Reynolds was able to go 6.1 innings on the day, striking out a season-high six batters but allowing eight earned runs. After surrendering three runs in the top of the seventh, the Eagles found themselves trailing 9-8, but cashed in on two runs to hold a lead heading into the eighth. Emory’s relief pitching secured a very successful day at Chappell Park, shutting out NYU in the eighth and ninth to secure the 10-9 win.
Emory will begin their busy April — in which they will play a UAA series every weekend of the month. This Friday the Eagles will take on Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) in a four-game series. Geller credits the team’s detailed preparation for their success and believes they will be ready for a heavyweight series.
“We do a lot of preparation for the series, and this one is going to be especially important — it’s probably gonna dictate who wins the UAA,” Geller said. “We had a routine all spring, all fall, we’ve been practicing. So this week we’re going to practice for it really hard and we’ll be ready for them.”
Justin Guo (he/him) (25Ox, 27C) is double majoring in Biology and Film and Media on the pre-med track. He is from Cupertino, California and loves the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. He enjoys talking movies, traveling and swimming! His favorite thing to do in Atlanta is thrift at Little Five Points.
