Crimson Baseball Slate Opens Today, If the Weather Permits Competition

These are the times that try men's souls. Especially those of the Harvard baseball players.

After a nine-game swing down South over spring break, the Crimson baseball team was supposed to open its Eastern season last Tuesday against MIT. And then there was snow. And more snow. Enough to wipe out both the MIT and Boston College games.

All of which postponed the home opener to yesterday's double-header with the University of Massachusetts. Except those contests too fell victim to Mother Nature and her malicious melting. The field was not ready.

Today, the Crimson may finally open its season with a greater Boston League doubleheader at Northeastern. Or, the batsmen may finally open their season with a twin-bill against the Huskies at Soldiers Field. Or, they may not open the season today at all, since the hottest selling item at the Soldiers Field concession stand continues to be mud pies. No one really knows for sure.

The decision on whether or not to play the game will be made sometime this morning, after Coach Alex Nahigian and others survey the field here, and the Northeastern people check out the half-synthetic, half-real turf at Parson's Field. If they play, the first game should start at 1 p.m., at, of course, a location yet to be determined.

Junior Greg Brown and freshman Charlie Marchese are scheduled to take the mound for Harvard against the Huskies.

Northeastern finished with a 3-5 record in the GBL, last year (10-19 overall), and in its only game this season tied Holy Cross, 9-9, all the way back on March 30. The Crimson is the defending GBL champion, based on a 7-1 record that included 20-6 and 6-2 victories over the Huskies.

Twin-Bill

Whether or not they open the GBL season today, the Crimson should begin its all-important Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League slate this weekend at Soldiers Field, playing host to perennial league power Navy in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, and coming back with a twin-bill against improving Princeton on Sunday. Junior Bill Doyle and senior Jim Curtin will pitch against the Midshipmen, and freshman Jeff Musselman and junior Bill Larson will take the mound against the Tigers.

Harvard finished tied for fifth with a 6-7 record in the EIBL last year, four-and-a-half games behind second-place Navy, and a game-and-a-half ahead of Princeton.