NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale baseball team opens the 2022 season Friday at Auburn looking to resume a run of success that has the Bulldogs picked as the preseason favorite in the Ivy League poll. The three-game set starts Friday (6:00 p.m. Central Time, ESPN+, Live Stats), continues Saturday (2:00 p.m. Central Time, ESPN+, Live Stats) and concludes Sunday (1:00 p.m. Central Time, ESPN+, Live Stats).
 
Yale's recent accomplishments include back-to-back Ivy League titles in 2017 and 2018 and a pair of wins at NCAA Regionals in 2017. Yale went 53-27 in Ivy League regular season games over the four seasons from 2016 through 2019 – five more wins than any other team. 
 
Now the 2022 Bulldogs, led by senior infielder Mason LaPlante as captain, look to make their mark. Here is a breakdown of the Eli Nine:
 
Pitchers
 
Yale will rely on a pair of seniors for big contributions on the mound this season. Right-hander Ben Gibbs is an intimidating presence at 6-foot-5 and boasts a great changeup that has helped make him a pro prospect. He struck out 15 in 16.2 innings in 2020, logging a 2.70 ERA. Grant Kipp made a successful return to the mound in 2020, striking out 13 in 11.1 innings. The Bulldogs expect great things from this 6-foot-6 righty in 2022.
 
The arms in the junior class add greatly to Yale's depth. Right-hander Quinn Cleary gives opponents a different look as a submariner. He has made 13 career appearances. Alex Frey was the No. 10 lefty coming out of Pennsylvania in high school according to Perfect Game. Right-hander Carter Kessinger got his feet wet with a pair of relief appearances for the Bulldogs in 2020. Right-hander Mike Walsh has a high ceiling and opened eyes with three strikeouts in two innings in the Cape Cod League this past summer. His fastball is in the 90s and he has a plus curveball and changeup. 
 
Sophomores, including a trio of lefties, bolster the pitching staff. Left-hander Reid Easterly was a first team Texas Prep Baseball All-Houston pick and set his high school's records for career ERA (1.41), single-season ERA (1.10) and strikeouts in a game (17). Left-hander Clark Klitenic, a transfer from Duke, was the top-rated lefty in the state of Maryland and the No. 6 overall prospect according to Perfect Game. Left-hander Bryant Reese was part of a Mission League Championship and a 2019 National High School Invitational runners-up appearance in high school. Right-hander Oscar Rojas was the 2019 Channel League Pitcher of the Year and a first team all-league pick. Right-hander Chris Saladin is a Connecticut product who was honorable mention FCIAC all-conference honorable mention at Fairfield Warde High School.
 
First-year righthanders Mark Capell (Morganville, N.J.) and Mick Kelley (San Francisco, Calif.) have the potential to contribute immediately. Capell was first-team All-Shore Conference and first team All A-North Division in high school. Kelley was a two-time Rawlings Preseason All-American California Region selection.
 
Catchers
 
Jake Gehri is the lone returning catcher with starting experience, and he could also play outfield. Expect him to settle into a spot in the heart of Yale's order, coming off a 2020 season in which he slugged .595 and posted a .362 on-base percentage. He was an honorable mention All-Ivy League honoree as a designated hitter in 2019 when he slugged .530 and had a .382 on-base percentage.
 
Junior Dylan Kim and sophomore Jamis DeKay provide depth behind the plate. Kim, an excellent blocker from nearby Southbury, Conn., appeared in five games in 2020. The switch-hitting DeKay adds valuable versatility. 
 
First year Max Imhoff (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) can catch or serve in a utility role. He earned his high school's Character Award, given by the coaches to the player that represents integrity and leadership on and off the field. Expect him to contribute all kinds of intangibles.
 
Infielders
 
Mason LaPlante is a leader on and off the field who should someday have the chance to play at the next level. He was a second team All-Ivy pick in 2019 and typifies the Bulldogs' strengths: speed (28 steals on 30 attempts in 2019), defense (a .977 fielding percentage in 2020) and versatility (he can play shortstop or third).
 
Juniors AJ Gaich and Carson Swank add to Yale's veteran depth in the infield. Gaich boasted a .976 fielding percentage in 2020, while Swank was at .968. Swank's .429 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage had him fourth on the team in both categories in 2020. That season he and Gaich combined for seven steals in nine attempts in just 10 games. Gaich's ability to switch hit adds to his value.
 
Sophomores give the Bulldogs additional options up the middle of the infield. Alec Atkinson, who could also pitch, was a 2019 District 19-6A first team honoree and runner-up MVP. Robert Ciulla was a three-time first team All-BCL West pick. Jeff Pierantoni, Kessinger's high school teammate at Notre Dame, was named one of Los Angeles' top infielders for 2020 by the LA Daily News. Jake Williams, Frey's high school teammate at Franklin Regional, was a 2019 PIAA first team All-Section 1-5A honoree.
 
A trio of middle infielders in the first-year class will add to Yale's depth. Switch-hitting Tommy Martin (Bellevue, Wash.) was an all-state selection last season. Colton Shaw (Richardson, Texas), who could also pitch, was his high school team's MVP and captain. Hayden Sobecki (Southlake, Texas) racked up all-state and all-district honors in 2021 as his team won an area championship.
 
Outfielders
 
The Bulldog outfield is led by Teddy Hague, a graduate student playing this season thanks to a waiver by the Ivy League allowing members of the Class of 2021 to play at their schools as graduate students in 2021-22. In 2020 he had a team-best .659 slugging percentage and also had a .404 on-base percentage through 10 games.
 
Senior Pierce Blohowiak gives the Bulldogs a speedy option in the outfield. He is 10-for-14 in stolen base attempts for his career and has started 26 games.
 
Junior Jimmy Chatfield, who could also pitch, was a two-time first team All-Coastal League selection in high school. Classmate Ben Metzner adds another lefty bat option, along with Hague, to Yale's outfield arsenal.
 
Schedule
 
Yale opens the 2022 season with a three-game set at Auburn this weekend. The season includes 21 Ivy League games, starting Mar. 26 at Princeton. The Ivy League Baseball Playoff Series, in which the top two teams in the regular season standings compete for the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals, takes place May 21 and May 22.