Unpredictable Varsity Nine Faces Season With Good Chance to Improve on '65 Mark

Harvard baseball is as unpredictable as--what? Pick your simile. As unpredictable as the spring weather? As a baseball? As a charging rogue elephant? As a charging rogue flea?

As a charging rogue flea?

In 1964, Coach Norm Shepard had Paul Del Rossi and a lot of names on the roster, and they put together a 21-2 season, winning both Eastern Baseball League and Greater Boston

League championships. Last with many of the same players, the team trailed off to 12-11. The problem is to guess which way they'll bounce

The best bet is up. With great team speed, good defense, some potentially murderous hitting, and pitching that at least shouldn't come down around Shephard's ears, the 1966 edition of Harvard baseball should be a noticeable improvement over last year's performance. But probably won't come close to the miracle workers of 1964.

The most obvious indication that the team has improved is that Shepard will have his two top pitchers and five of his eight starters back from last year. Gone are shortstop Tom Bilodeau, second baseman Skip Falcone, and catcher Gary Miller, all good defensive players but only fair hitters.

Best Hitters Return

But the best hitters are returning. Joe O'Donnell, who was third in the EIBL batting race last year with a .378 mark and Dan Hootstein, who was seventh with .355 are back. Both were first team All-EIBL picks last season, O'Donnell at first base and Hootstein in right field.

And there are other good hitters: Jim Tobin, who fell to .283 last year after leading the team in 1964 with .351; George Neville, who dropped to .260 last season after hitting .345 as sophomore; and captain John Dockery, who also hit, .260, but stole 10 bases to lead the team.

Last year, Shepard had to construct a pitching staff from scratch. But the two hurlers he unearthed, and who accounted for 11 of the team's 12 wins, are returning: junior Jim McCandlish and senior John Scott.

A position-by-position analysis gives the best idea of what Shepard can expect:

CATCHING: Shepard has moved O'Donnell behind the plate, where he was playing last year before he shifted to first base. Allan Liebgott, a substitute for the past two years, is the other top candidate. Junior Jeff Hall and sophomore Don Chiofaro are on the fringes.

Problem at First Base

FIRST BASE: A problem spot. Sophomores Bob Welz and Jim Cox are competing for the job, but if neither measures up, O'Donell might shift back into his old position. Welz, if he develops, seems the best bet to be the first baseman by the middle of the season.

SECOND BASE: Shepard has moved junior Neil Houston from third base to second, and he'll almost certainly be the starter. Houston is fast and agile, but hit only .224 last year. Sophomore Dick Manchester is the backup man.

SHORTSTOP: Sophomore Jeff Grate will probably start. Grate is a fine defensive ballplayer with a strong arm, and he hit .320 for the freshman last season. His chief lack may be simple experience.

THIRD BASE: Tobin has the edge on junior Craig Bennett at third, but Tobin's ability to play short and second as well may mean he'll be moved away if a need develops.

OUTFIELD: Shepard is blessed with three hard-hitting, lightening-fast lettermen: George Neville in left, John Dockery in center, and Dan Hootstein in right. Sophomore Carter Lord is in reserve, and he's probably the fastest of all. Neville and Dockery are seniors, while Hootstein is a junior.

PITCHING: McCandlish is the number one starter. His chief assets are shrewdness and good control. Scott, a former basketball player with a looping changeup, was the top pitcher at the start of last season before McCandlish began to develop. McCandlish finished the year with a 5-2 record; Scott was 6-5. Also around are juniors Paul Thornton and Larry Melfa, who saw spot action last year, and sophomores Bob Lincoln, Tom Munzel, and Jim Sersich.

The chief characteristic of this year's varsity is simply speed. Hootstein, Dockery, and Lord are all former sprinters, and Neville, Houston, Tobin, and Grate are also fast. "We'll run quite a bit," Shepard admits.

There are plenty of question marks. How well will the hitters perform? Will Tobin and Neville regain their 1964 form? Can McCandlish continue to pitch as well as he did at the end of last year? Will he and Scott get any help from the less-experienced pitchers?

By the time the team returns from its Spring trip, when it will play Rollins, Florida Southern, Stetson, and Penn, the questions should be answered, at least in part. Then Shepard, the Swamp Fox, should know just what kind of a crazy bounce Harvard baseball will take in 1966.

League championships. Last with many of the same players, the team trailed off to 12-11. The problem is to guess which way they'll bounce

The best bet is up. With great team speed, good defense, some potentially murderous hitting, and pitching that at least shouldn't come down around Shephard's ears, the 1966 edition of Harvard baseball should be a noticeable improvement over last year's performance. But probably won't come close to the miracle workers of 1964.

The most obvious indication that the team has improved is that Shepard will have his two top pitchers and five of his eight starters back from last year. Gone are shortstop Tom Bilodeau, second baseman Skip Falcone, and catcher Gary Miller, all good defensive players but only fair hitters.

Best Hitters Return

But the best hitters are returning. Joe O'Donnell, who was third in the EIBL batting race last year with a .378 mark and Dan Hootstein, who was seventh with .355 are back. Both were first team All-EIBL picks last season, O'Donnell at first base and Hootstein in right field.

And there are other good hitters: Jim Tobin, who fell to .283 last year after leading the team in 1964 with .351; George Neville, who dropped to .260 last season after hitting .345 as sophomore; and captain John Dockery, who also hit, .260, but stole 10 bases to lead the team.

Last year, Shepard had to construct a pitching staff from scratch. But the two hurlers he unearthed, and who accounted for 11 of the team's 12 wins, are returning: junior Jim McCandlish and senior John Scott.

A position-by-position analysis gives the best idea of what Shepard can expect:

CATCHING: Shepard has moved O'Donnell behind the plate, where he was playing last year before he shifted to first base. Allan Liebgott, a substitute for the past two years, is the other top candidate. Junior Jeff Hall and sophomore Don Chiofaro are on the fringes.

Problem at First Base

FIRST BASE: A problem spot. Sophomores Bob Welz and Jim Cox are competing for the job, but if neither measures up, O'Donell might shift back into his old position. Welz, if he develops, seems the best bet to be the first baseman by the middle of the season.

SECOND BASE: Shepard has moved junior Neil Houston from third base to second, and he'll almost certainly be the starter. Houston is fast and agile, but hit only .224 last year. Sophomore Dick Manchester is the backup man.

SHORTSTOP: Sophomore Jeff Grate will probably start. Grate is a fine defensive ballplayer with a strong arm, and he hit .320 for the freshman last season. His chief lack may be simple experience.

THIRD BASE: Tobin has the edge on junior Craig Bennett at third, but Tobin's ability to play short and second as well may mean he'll be moved away if a need develops.

OUTFIELD: Shepard is blessed with three hard-hitting, lightening-fast lettermen: George Neville in left, John Dockery in center, and Dan Hootstein in right. Sophomore Carter Lord is in reserve, and he's probably the fastest of all. Neville and Dockery are seniors, while Hootstein is a junior.

PITCHING: McCandlish is the number one starter. His chief assets are shrewdness and good control. Scott, a former basketball player with a looping changeup, was the top pitcher at the start of last season before McCandlish began to develop. McCandlish finished the year with a 5-2 record; Scott was 6-5. Also around are juniors Paul Thornton and Larry Melfa, who saw spot action last year, and sophomores Bob Lincoln, Tom Munzel, and Jim Sersich.

The chief characteristic of this year's varsity is simply speed. Hootstein, Dockery, and Lord are all former sprinters, and Neville, Houston, Tobin, and Grate are also fast. "We'll run quite a bit," Shepard admits.

There are plenty of question marks. How well will the hitters perform? Will Tobin and Neville regain their 1964 form? Can McCandlish continue to pitch as well as he did at the end of last year? Will he and Scott get any help from the less-experienced pitchers?

By the time the team returns from its Spring trip, when it will play Rollins, Florida Southern, Stetson, and Penn, the questions should be answered, at least in part. Then Shepard, the Swamp Fox, should know just what kind of a crazy bounce Harvard baseball will take in 1966.