Soon, PPR Apartments residents can catch a Garnet baseball game from their dorm. The new structure, which joins the Pittenger, Palmer, and Roberts dormitories, will be combined with the Clothier Field fence, allowing for a terrace in left- center and a lounge with a field-level view.

Also part of a project to enhance the experience for all is a state-of-the-art press box and seating area, constructed and dedicated in honor of Swarthmore coaching legend Ernie Prudente, who recorded a program-best 216 wins on the diamond from 1969 to 1995. The generosity of more than 100 donors contributed to the press box, which houses new broadcasting equipment to provide high-quality video to viewers around the world.

“We are in a position to impress potential student-athletes,” head coach Matt Midkiff says, “by giving them an athletic experience equaling the academic one Swarthmore’s offered for over 150 years.”

That bright future translates to the present: Garnet baseball finished just one game shy of making the conference playoffs with a relatively young team—the 35-player roster was composed of 25 underclassmen, including several impressive freshman starters.

Pitcher Sawyer Lake ’20, who led the team with a 2.50 ERA, was named the Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year and an All-Conference Honorable Mention. Cole Beeker ’20 also received an Honorable Mention, while Max Grullon ’20, A.J. Liu ’20, Kenji Yoshii ’20, Ryan Warm ’20, and Jared Gillen ’20 saw significant time in the lineup.

This season, the classes of 2019 and 2020 combined for 75 percent of the team’s runs and 70 percent of hits, but the leadership of Ryan Burnett ’17, Steven Matos-Torres ’17, and Wesley Fishburn ’17 was vital. 

“They paved the way for success this year,” says Beeker. “Losing them will be difficult, but it’s time for us younger guys to step up.”