Junior Standout Hoy Enjoys Superb Weekend, But PU Baseball Goes 1-3 in First Ivy Action
After the Princeton University baseball team fell 4-3 to Brown early Sunday afternoon in its Ivy League opening doubleheader, the Tigers were determined to make amends in the nightcap.
“If you want to have a chance to win the league, you can’t just let it go,” said Princeton junior infielder/outfielder Danny Hoy. “You have got to go out there and get the next win for sure.”
The Tigers got off to a hot start in game two, scoring five runs in the first two innings to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
“We came out hot and that is always huge,” said Hoy, a 5’8, 175-pound native of Sellersville, Pa. “We had two good guys on the mound today, Nick Brady starting and Nick Donatiello coming out of the pen, so leads usually don’t go away with those two.”
Hoy had a key hit in a three-run second inning rally, stroking a two-run double down the left field line.
“He was throwing me a bunch of curveballs and mixing the fastball in here or there but the curve ball was the only one he was getting over the plate,” said Hoy, reflecting on his at-bat against Brown righty Reid Anderson. “That was what I was looking for, I got it, and put a good swing on it.”
The Tigers went on to an 8-2 victory, making key double plays in the sixth and seventh to back up the sharp mound work of starter Brady and reliever Donatiello.
“Our pitchers being able to get the ground balls and fielders just being able to execute is huge,” said Hoy.
“Being up by two or three runs is comfortable but one or two is not so comfortable. Being able to hang on to that three or four run lead was big for our mentality.”
Princeton wasn’t able to pull out any wins a day later as it got swept by visiting Yale, falling 2-1 and 8-3 to move to 4-17 overall and 1-3 Ivy. Hoy, though, enjoyed a big weekend at the plate, going 6-for-13 with two runs, four RBIs, a double, and a homer.
“There is the hype of the Ivy League as a freshman or sophomore, it is go time,” said Hoy, who is now hitting .325 and leads Princeton in doubles (8), homers (4), and RBIs (19). “Now you get the feel of the game and the pace of the game and it kind of slows down for you a little bit. The experience always helps.”
Hoy is enjoying his Princeton experience, having followed in the footsteps of older sister, Jen, a Tiger women’s soccer star from 2009-12.
“Her coming here definitely had a huge impact on me coming here,” said Hoy.
“I worked hard in school so I knew I wanted to go somewhere with a good academic record so I was looking at Wake Forest and schools like that. With this being close to home and Jen being here, you really couldn’t go wrong coming here. She loved it; she had nothing but amazing things to say about here. Playing for coach (Scott) Bradley is great, he is second to none. He is extremely knowledgeable, one of the best coaches around. School is tough obviously but athletically it is has been everything I expected and more.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the spring, Hoy is expecting the Tigers to show more toughness.
“We have a lot of talent on this team, way too much talent to lose, we know that,” said Hoy. “We are playing with a chip on our shoulders.”