SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Win and in.
 
That's the goal for the Skidmore College baseball team, as its Liberty League tournament hopes come down to a four-game, home-and-home series this weekend against local rival Union.
 
The fun begins on Saturday, as the Thoroughbreds host the Dutchmen for a doubleheader at Castle Diamond, beginning at noon. The series then shifts to Amsterdam on Sunday, as the two teams finish the regular season at Shuttleworth Park, also beginning at noon.
 
A series win clinches a spot in the upcoming Liberty League tournament, which will begin on Thursday, May 9. For Skidmore, it would be the first appearance since its 2012 Liberty League Championship run. Skidmore can finish as high as second place or maintain its fifth-place seeding. For the second straight season, the fourth and fifth-place teams as determined by regular season competition will play in a wild-card contest, with the winner advancing to play in the traditional double-elimination format.

In addition, Skidmore will celebrate its senior class in the doubleheader on Saturday, honoring catcher Pat Geiger, pitchers Jacob Berish, Spencer Anderson, Jack Walter, and Christian Reenstierna, and infielder/pitcher Will Potter.
 
The playoffs had unofficially begun for Skidmore (19-12, 9-9 Liberty League) last weekend. Needing a series win to stay alive in the postseason race, the Thoroughbreds won three straight contests in dominating fashion at St. Lawrence, outscoring the Saints by a 22-3 margin. That series win, combined by a Rochester sweep of Union (14-20, 10-10 Liberty League), sets the stage for the dramatic season-ending weekend between the Thoroughbreds and Dutchmen.
 
It's been a wild 2019 season for the Thoroughbreds so far, as the team has fought through series losses to RPI and Rochester early on, to rally with a program-best, nine-game winning streak, getting back in the league race after taking seven of eight games against Vassar and St. Lawrence. Skidmore leads the Liberty League in home runs (24) and stolen bases per game (1.87), is second in slugging percentage (.414), stolen bases (58) and fielding percentage (.962), and third in on-base percentage (.378). On the mound, the Thoroughbreds have drastically improved, sitting third in earned run average (5.04) and have given up the fewest walks in the league by a wide margin (82). Nationally, the Thoroughbreds are 31^st in walks allowed per nine innings (3.11) and 38^th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.35).
 
Skidmore has a few players among the national leaders as well. Geiger is among the national leaders in a few categories, sitting 12^th in slugging percentage (.791), 29^th with a school-record nine home runs, 27^th in doubles per game (0.48), 40^th with a program-record 15 doubles, and in the top-100 with a .409 batting average. Junior pitcher Jay Gamboa sports the 20^th-best WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) in the country at (0.89), and is third nationally with six complete games, one off the national leader.
 
On offense, the Thoroughbreds have five players hitting .300+ on the season. Senior infielder/pitcher Will Potter isn't too far behind Geiger in batting average, hitting a solid .398. He's tied for second on the team in doubles (six), and sits alone in second with 24 RBI. Junior outfielder Matt Chipkin is third on the team with a .306 batting average, leading the team and the league with 20 stolen bases. Sophomore outfielder Jake Hardy (.304) and sophomore infielder Sean Lang (.300) also hit at .300 or better. Sophomore designated hitter Sam Browning has challenged Geiger's power all season, sitting second on the team (and the league) with seven home runs. In fact, Geiger and Browning combine for 16 home runs this season, more than six Liberty League teams, and as many as Rochester.
 
On the mound, Gamboa has a career-best 6-2 record and a 2.83 ERA, as he's established himself as one of the league's best pitchers. Berish and junior Spencer Meyer both had solid outings in their last start. Berish (2-2 record) fanned four and pitched six quality innings in a must-win game last weekend. Meyer pitched his first complete-game shutout of the season last weekend, striking out eight in a 10-0 victory. Reenstierna is second in the league with five saves.
 
Union comes into the weekend with the aforementioned 14-20 record, dropping its eighth straight game after the weekend sweep by Rochester, and midweek losses to NESCAC foes Middlebury and Trinity (Conn.). As a team, Union leads the league in batting average (.295) and stolen bases (59).
 
Individually, the Dutchmen sport six .300 hitters, led by Sean Cullen and his .390 batting average. He also leads the team with 22 RBI and is tied with Elias Kuhns for the team lead in doubles (10). Kuhns, batting .319, also leads the team with five home runs. Chris O'Brien (.382), Colin Kelly (.338), Joe Ganum (.327), and Jack Koch (.323) are the other .300+ hitters. On the mound, Colin Nye has a team-leading 1.59 ERA in 11 appearances and three starts. He has the best record on the team at 3-2. Dominic Nardone has logged the most innings on the staff (31.1) and sports a 3.73 ERA in six starts, going 2-2.