Davidson College baseball is off to a hot start in 2025 as the ‘Cats continue to win in the Atlantic 10 (A-10), currently sitting atop the conference leaderboard at 9-3, with an overall 14-17 record. Approaching the halfway point of conference play, the ‘Cats hold a one game lead over George Mason University and the University of Rhode Island, who are tied for second place at 8-4.
Head Coach Rucker Taylor is pleased with his team’s improvements this season—after starting 2-6, Davidson has gone 12-11 since the beginning of March. “We’ve played better over the past month,” Taylor commented. “Particularly our infield defense [is playing better], and offensively we’re driving the ball more.” Three of those eleven losses came at the hands of the No. 4 ranked team in the country, Clemson University, along with other major conference opponents, including the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University (NC State) and Duke University. “I think that group of teams helped our hitters a lot and was a good thing for us. The Clemson weekend was really the first time the group was away together for an extended period. It was good to be together as a group. Playing in a great environment like that was a good thing for us,” Taylor said.
Eli Putnam ‘25 has excelled this season, leading the ‘Cats in at-bats (125), runs (38), hits (47) and homeruns (11). While no players could be reached for comment, Student Manager Gabe Mervis was impressed with Putnam’s stats so far. “Eli has been absolutely outstanding.” On March 25, Putnam was named USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award Week 6 Player of the Week for his performances against NC State and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Putnam racked up four hits in five at-bats in each of Davdson’s three games against VCU and totaled ten runs, fourteen runs batted in (RBI) and five home runs. Putnam was also named A-10 Player of the Week and Perfect Game’s Player of the Week.
Putnam is not the only Wildcat to turn in outstanding conference performances. Michael O’Shaughnessy ‘26 hit four home runs over three games against the University of Dayton on March 28-29, earning Davidson back-to-back A-10 Player of the Week honors.
Partially responsible for the ‘Cats turnaround in March was the return of Anthony Torreso ‘26. After missing all of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 due to injury, Torreso has been stellar since getting back to the diamond on March 12, leading Davidson in batting average (.394), slugging percentage (.818) and on-base percentage (.571).
Davidson has also received support from its freshman class. Pitcher Jacob Vokal ‘28 earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for his starts on the mound against South Carolina and Clemson on March 4 and March 9, striking out three batters, allowing three hits and giving up just one run earned in a combined six innings pitched. Jamie Daly ‘28 ranks second on the team in hits and home runs and fourth in batting average. Daly earned A-10 Rookie of the Week honors after driving in four runs and homering once in three games against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, giving the ‘Cats consecutive rookie honors. “It’s been exciting to see the impact our freshmen are making,” Mervis said. “It has been really awesome to watch our young guys play with a lot of energy and confidence on the field.”
With twenty-two games remaining and eighteen conference contests left on the schedule, much of the season remains in front of the ‘Cats. This season features a larger conference slate than past years, increasing conference games from twenty-four to thirty and ensuring that each A-10 team will face all but one conference opponent. “The new format means a little more travel for us and a little more playing in not ideal baseball weather,” Taylor said. “I do like that you see most of the teams in the conference as opposed to missing several each year.”
Davidson will look to capture its first regular season conference title since 2022 and its first A-10 Baseball Championship since 2017. Taylor likes what he’s seen in his team thus far. “Similar to most years, we want to be as good as this specific group can be. We’re not a finished product at this point. I think we can have growth in several areas, and if we can stay healthy and get a few injured guys back, I think we have a chance to finish the second half of the season in a great spot.”
Mervis senses an opportunity for success in the latter stages of the season. “We have a lot of confidence in the depth and talent on this roster, and with that comes some big goals—not just for regular season success, but for making a run in the postseason. To get there, staying healthy and making sure everyone’s ready when their number is called will be key. College baseball is a long season, and anything can happen on any given day. The main thing for us is to keep showing up with confidence, trust each other and take it one day at a time.”
Unfortunately, the ‘Cats lost their matchup against North Carolina A&T State University on April 8, 5-7. They look to redeem themselves against Saint Louis University on April 11
