Loaded With Hitters and Just Itchin' to Play Ball

With just a few days left until spring break, the members of the Harvard baseball team are as eager as anyone to leave Cambridge for greener pastures.

As junior outfielder Mike Hill points out, Harvard "has had a very, very long season in the cage. We're just antsy--we can see the talent, now we want to get it going."

The Crimson won't have to wait much longer. On Friday it opens its 128th season in Clearwater, Fla. against national powerhouse Michigan State.

This year's team is long on talent and experience. With only one player departed from last year's squad (former Captain Marcel Durand), the Crimson appears poised to contend for its first EIBL title since 1984.

It's no secret that hitting is the team's main asset. Last year's team batting average of .351 was third in the nation, and with eight of nine starters returning, the lineup could register some truly impressive numbers.

"We hit well last year, and we expect to hit well this year", Coach Leigh Hogan said. "I'm anticipating that we'll have a very good team."

Co-Captain and second baseman Jim Mrowka led last year's team in hitting with a Williams-esque .423 mark, breaking school records for hits (63) and doubles (19) in the process.

A First-Team All-EIBL selection, Mrowka is expecting good team results but believes that confidence will be the key.

"We're excited for a big year. We [Mrowka and fellow Captain Dan Scanlan] are trying to instill a confidence in our players that we can play with any team in the country," Mrowka said.

Senior Co-Captain Dan Scanlan checked in at .354 with 51 hits, 7 homers and a team-leading 41 RBI's. He also played solidly at first base, committing only four errors.

Del At DH

Scanlan was usually followed in the batting order by senior outfielder and DH Nick DelVecchio, who was second on the team with a .392 average. DelVecchio is also the team's best power hitter, belting a school recordtying 10 dingers last season to go with an incredible .746 slugging percentage.

Hogan said that he is optimistic about his club's chances in large part because of its overall experience.

"Whereas last year we were predominantly freshmen and sophomores with some juniors, now we're a significantly older team because we're relying on players who have at least a year under their belt," Hogan said.

Including Scanlan and Del Vecchio, the entire infield remains intact. Sophomore Mike Giardi will likely start at shortstop after recording an impressive .360 mark at the plate. Junior Pat Hegarty returns at third. Versatile sophomore Eric Weissman will see time at short and third, particularly when Giardi plays in the outfield.

Junior Phil Andriola and sophomore David Morgan will platoon behind the plate. Andriola caught 30 games last year with a 97 fielding percentage, throwing out 18 of 47 runners and committing only five errors.

Morgan, in his first season as a backstop, improved his defense quickly while wielding a torrid bat. He hit .358 with a remarkable 34 RBI's in just 109 at-bats.

Durand's departure from centerfield should open the door for junior Juan Zarate, who batted .346 in limited action last year.

Mike "Thrill" Hill will patrol right field, where he is coming off an errorless season. Hill also hit .372 and led the team in stolen bases, with 10.

Depending on the lineup, DelVecchio, Morgan and Giardi will all share time in left.

Everyone knows that the offense is stacked. Anyone who has followed the Red Sox, however, knows that great hitting is simply not enough to win consistently.

Pitching will be the key, and with the starting four intact, the staff looks solid.

Senior lefthander Sean Johnston comes off of a perplexing season in which he won only one game in spite of a solid 3.31 ERA and the best hits-to-innings-pitched ratio on the team.

According to Hill, who played in the same summer league as Johnston, "[Sean] has added 3-4 miles an hour on his fastball and is looking good." Improved velocity should help him raise his team-high 36 Ks.

Senior Tom Hurley was 4-2 last season with a team leading 2.72 ERA. He also secured three saves out of the bullpen. Sophomore Jeff Mitchell is coming off an outstanding summer in the Jayhawk league, where he worked on a changeup to compliment his power game. Both he and junior Ray Desrocher turned in 3-1 records last season.

Mrowka said the staff has "a lot of talented pitchers." Senior Peter Rau will be counted on heavily in relief, as might junior Tony Lancette and sophomore Chris Kenaszchuk.

Freshman Jamie Irving looms as an unproven but intiguing prospect: He is ambidexterous.

Strong Tigers

The team's main competition within the EIBL will most likely come from Princeton.

Like Harvard, the Tigers return almost everyone from last year's titlewinning team.

There is league parity, however. Things don't always seem to happen the way they are supposed to.

"Anyone who knows baseball knows that it is one of the most difficult games to predict," Hogan said.