Baseball Begins Beanpot Quest

The trek down Yawkey Way. The decaying World Series flag form 1918. The monstrous green wall in left field, A Harvard jersey on the mound it can only means one thing.

It's Beanpot time.

The Harvard baseball team opens the 1999 Beanpot tournament this afternoon at Fenway Park against UMass (21-12). The Crimson (21-13, 13-3 Ivy) seek to earn the glory and bragging rights of the best team in Boston, while it roams the same field that Ted Williams did.

"For the Massachusetts guys especially, this is a dream come true," sophomore pitcher Graham McKay said. "It's amazing. The guys really look forward to playing at Fenway."

The game will give Harvard the shot at UMass that Mother Nature did not permit last season. The two teams were supposed to square off in the 1998 Beanpot final, but rain forced a cancellation three times.

Harvard lost in the last Beanpot final, held two years ago.

"It was unfortunate we didn't get to play the final game last year." Sophomore pitcher John Birtwell said. “It was a big disappointment."

Harvard could not be coming into the Beanpot playing better baseball. It just finished taking three of four from Brown this past weekend, giving Harvard nine wins in its last 10 games.

Fueling the Crimson's recent surge has been the emergence of the offense. The bats have finally awoken to provide runs and capitalize on the great pitching Harvard has received this year.

The offense has scored 112 runs over these last ten games, including a 20-4 drubbing of Yale back on April 17.

No pitcher has been immune to Harvard's power, not even Brown ace John Sunderlick, who entered the weekend with a 6-0 record and 2.32 ERA. But he didn't make it past the first inning, giving up five runs on six hits.

"We have been playing better baseball--Harvard baseball," Birtwell said. "We have had difficulties getting the big inning before, but now we are. We had a couple of those innings against Brown."

Harvard has finally started to receive key situational hitting, capitalizing on its chances with men on base.

A variety of players have joined top slugger senior Andrew Huling in knocking in runs. Huling leads the team with a .412 batting average, five home runs and 42 RBI.

"Huling is our best ballplayer," Birtwell said. "He sets the standard for the team and gets guys caring more."

Another top contributor has been junior outfielder Jeff Bridich. Bridich, The Harvard Crimson's Athlete of the Week, went 9-for-16 against Brown, doubling his RBI total by scoring 8 on the weekend, and raising his average to an even .400.

Bridich, a natural catcher, has adjusted very well to his new position in the outfield.

"[Bridich's] really come on big for us," McKay said. "He came up from JV ball this year and has really hit the ball well."

Senior second basemen Peter Woodfork, junior first basemen Erik Binkowski, sophomore outfielder Scott Carmack, and freshman shortstop Mark Mager all have averages over .300, giving Harvard a formidable starting lineup.

In fact, the only players not banging out the hits have been captain Hal Carey and senior catcher Jason Keck. The pair are still in a bit of a slump, with their averages under the magical .300 mark.

Surprisingly, Woodfork, despite his .349 average, did not play the last couple of games for Harvard. Coach Joe Walsh did not comment why Woodfork remained on the bench.

"We still have a ways to go as a team," McKay said. "I've got some arm troubles. [Woodfork's] been hurting a bit. We have to raise our game a few notches to get ready for NCAA tournament play."

Still, the bats are finally giving some run support to the Crimson's very talented pitching staff, which ranks among the best in the Ivies. They are taking a strong 4.60 team ERA into the tournament.

Harvard will have to rely on its depth, as it exhausted all of its top arms this past weekend. there was no official word on today's starters, but junior Mike Giampaolo, sophomore Dan Saken, and freshman Justin Nweide are among those projected to start.

"Coming in we know our pitching is the most formidable part of the team." Burtwell said.

One of those strong pitchers will have to shut down a UMass lineup that can wield the stick pretty well itself. Seven of the Minufemen's projected starters also hit above the 300 mark.

At the heart of the lineup is senior outfielder Aaron Braunstein. He is currently hitting .336 with nine dingers and 40 RBI, which translates into a hefty .638 slugging percentage.

The top three in the Minutemen lineup, each with an on base percentage of over .400, set the table well for Braunstein. No 3 hitter senior Mike Kulak leads the team with a .360 batting average.

"We want to take every game in stride and come out playing hard," Birtwell said, "UMass has always been known as a power team, and we didn't get to play them last year."

If the Crimson gets by Umass, it will play the winner of today's Boston College-Northeastern game. A final matchup against B.C. next Tuesday would give Harvard a chance for avenge their most recent loss against B.C.

Before Harvard's hot streak, the Eagles steamrolled the Crimson 12-6 and 16-5 on April 13.

Every player wants the shot to remove that stain from its record.

"I'm hoping to see B.C. again," Birtwell said. "Hopefully, the Green Monster will keep some of their shots in the ballpark."

But first, Harvard has to beat UMass. the glory and tradition of the Beanpot starts at 2 p.m. today on the field of Fenway.