D3NE: An old friend of The Blog is back and asked if he could write a little something as Skidmore heads into their Spring Break. The Thoroughbreds are currently sitting at #27 in the National Rankings, but we have them at #23 in the Power Rankings and one blogger has them as high as #20. This is a very solid team, who can go out and compete with anybody on any given day. And now we have a biased guest writer who thinks so too…
SPECIAL GUEST: Back by popular demand! Just kidding (probably not). Three years after graduating from Skidmore it’s an honor to share my thoughts on the Thoroughbreds performance thus far this season, as well as heading into the meat and potatoes of the spring dual matches. First off, I wanted to personally congratulate Steven Koulouris and JT Wynne on their fall ITA regional victories. Coupled with a strong start in their 2018 spring dual matches, Skidmore is likely heading into their yearly California trip with a lot of well-earned confidence.
Following the pattern of prior years, Coach Simms scheduled some of the nation’s best teams for Skidmore’s California trip. In my opinion, the Thoroughbreds start the trip with their most intriguing dual match of the spring against Amherst. Skidmore has a lot of momentum heading into this match while Amherst is opening their spring season, plus their fall results don’t indicate they’re quite as strong from top to bottom as they were in the past. This is definitely a match to keep a close eye on, and if Skidmore can beat Amherst (I’d give them above a 50% chance) early in the season, they have the potential to have a huge year. (D3NE NOTE: Sorry friend, but I think the % is certainly lower than 50%). Either way the Amherst match goes, Skidmore should win their next match against Cal Lu. They finish off in California with CMS and Bowdoin on back-to-back days, a tall order for sure. We’ll get a better idea of their chances after the Amherst match, but there are almost always 5 available points on the board for Skidmore considering their dominant doubles play over the years and strength at the top of the lineup in particular.
Once the Thoroughbreds return back to Saratoga Springs, I’d expect them to cruise through the majority of their remaining schedule. They’ll be the underdog against Middlebury on the road. On paper they may be an underdog against Tufts, but I’m confident Skidmore will close out the year strong and win that match at home in convincing fashion (D3NE NOTE: Love the confidence, but Tufts will likely be favored in that match, especially if played outdoors). Hobart, RPI, and other Liberty League teams certainly deserve a lot of credit for elevating their programs in recent years. With that being said, barring injuries or unexpected events I don’t see a scenario where Skidmore doesn’t take home another Liberty League title.
As far as the lineup and coaching goes, over the years Coach Simms has proven he can make any roster competitive, at bare minimum, with just about any team in the country. Not sure how many people recognized this, but they also have the best assistant coach in the country (maybe I’m a little biased). If he reads this post by some chance I have two words for him – or rather two numbers – 0,0 ;). Skidmore continues to dominate in doubles, which makes them a very dangerous team as they have the ability to take a 3-0 lead into singles against anyone. Koulouris has a big game and the intangibles to compete against just about any #1. With Wynne’s singles victory in the fall ITA they certainly don’t have the same drop-off at number two they had from 2011-2014 (KIDDING!). Berkowitz and Leaf have produced solid and steady results thus far, so it doesn’t seem like the Thoroughbreds are lacking too much, if any, talent in singles. The one question mark for me so far is Pickering; I’ve only seen him at six singles and two doubles in Skidmore’s last dual match. Perhaps he’s recovering from an injury. If he’s healthy and focused he has a really high ceiling with the potential to make a serious impact in the singles and doubles lineup. He’s a pretty tough guy too; I know that from playing tackle football with him before junior tennis groups. All in all I’d say things look very optimistic for the Thoroughbreds this year and we’ll get a good indication of that in the coming days.
Finally, I wanted to finish my preview with a couple shout-outs. Firstly, thank you to D3NE for letting me post on The Blog and share my thoughts on Skidmore’s 2018 season. I also wanted to thank Coach Simms for giving me the opportunity to represent Skidmore tennis for four really enjoyable years. Actually you may consider it three, but either way it was a pleasure. BIG shout-out to my boys and all my teammates I played alongside with; that includes the extremely handsome and not-as-handsome ones. You guys know who you are (lol). Last but furthest from the least, I wanted to give a very special thank you to my mom for pretty much everything before, during, and after my Skidmore tennis years. I really appreciate your unwavering support. From times it was very easy to support me to times it wasn’t; from times it was very convenient to times it was inconvenient.
Go Thoroughbreds!
Its pretty easy to tell who wrote this…might have well as just posted your name
Maybe this blog should feature more articles like…kind of turn into a D3 tennis players tribune a little bit