Hogan's Heroes Hope to Recapture Winning Tradition in '91 Campaign

The last time Leigh Hogan was a part of the Harvard Crimson baseball team they were a perennial Eastern power that made the College World Series two years in a row. Seventeen years have since passed, and Hogan hopes to reestablish a winning tradition for Harvard Baseball as he replaces retired Coach Alex Nahigian.

Hogan '75 comes to Harvard from Cambridge's own Buckingham Browne & Nichols where he had coached both baseball and hockey since 1984. At Harvard he inherits a young squad that hopes to prove its worth starting this spring break in Florida.

The Crimson returns plenty of talent in the outfield, including two of its top four performers from last year. Captain Marcel Durand, the team's only senior, brings back his .295 batting average and 16 stolen bases. Also helping to anchor the Crimson outfield will be junior Dan Scanlan, who hit .302 during the 1990 campaign.

The favorite to snare the third outfield spot is sophomore Mike Hill, who hit .258 and garnered eight stolen bases as a back-up during his rookie season. Also vying for playing time this spring will be speedy junior Geoff Fletcher and sophomore centerfielder Drew Shire.

The infield is anchored by last year's leading hitter, junior second baseman Jim Mrowka, who hit .305 while also leading the team in fielding with 86 assists. The other half of the Crimson's double-play tandem will most likely be Pat Hegarty, a slick-fielding shortstop who impressed in limited action last year.

Augmenting the strength up the middle is power-hitter Nick DelVecchio, who held down the first-base job for most of the 1990 season. The other corner spot remains up for grabs as third base provides a question mark with no clear starter emerging. Contenders include junior Rex Rust and freshman Mike Giardi.

Youth abounds behind the plate as the Crimson will feature two freshmen and a sophomore at the catcher position. Phil Andriola returns after hitting .276 as a backup in his rookie campaign. The freshman backstops are Dave Morgan and Sean Flynn.

Pitching holds the greatest question marks for the Crimson as last year's staff aces, Bob Baxter and Mike Dorrington, have departed. The ace of this year's staff figures to be live-armed junior Sean Johnston, who was 2-3 with one complete game in ten appearances last year.

Hoping to equal last year's performance will be junior south-paw Tom Hurley, whose 2.63 ERA is tops among returning pitchers. Other pitchers expected to contribute are last year's save leader junior Peter Rau and classmate Tom Baxter, along with sophomores Tony Lancette, Ray Desrocher, John Donahue and freshman Jeff Mitchell.

It is difficult to assess how the pitching will fare considering that no pitcher on this year's staff hurled more than thirty innings last season. The youth of the pitching staff is the primary obstacle to an Ivy League crown this season.

"I believe one hundred percent that pitching will win the league this year," Hogan said. "From what it looks like now, I have no doubt in our ability. This is a solid staff."

If the Crimson's young players can mature quickly, an Ivy title is not out of the question. Exceptional play from inexperienced players will go a long way toward determining whether the Crimson can match up with preseason Ivy favorites Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Brown. Army and Navy are also expected to contend in the East.

"Among the freshmen are some good ballplayers," Hogan said. "This is a real tribute to Coach Nahigian, who did some fine recruiting before retiring."

Hogan's heroes will embark on their battles in ten days when they leave for Florida to play 11 games in eight days. Most of the teams which they will be playing are also from the Northeast, so this will give them ample opportunity to guage their progress.

"This trip will be very good for the team as it will allow the younger players to gain experience under less pressure than they will feel in the league games," Durand said.

Everywhere Leigh Hogan has gone he has been a winner. As a Crimson player, he led the baseball team to the College World Series and his hockey team to the NCAA Final Four. As a high school baseball coach, he won three league championships in seven years. The Crimson hope his winning ways continue here at Harvard.