In-Fall-ibly Speaking: Young Guns Provide Bright Spot for Baseball

With yesterday's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Vermont, the Harvard baseball team has now dropped four straight games, as well as eleven of its last fourteen.

As a result of its current losing streak, the Crimson has officially been eliminated from the playoffs, and seen its streak of three consecutive Ivy League championships come to an abrupt end.

That's the bad news.

But even the darkest of clouds have their silver linings. And while Harvard's offense may have left something to be desired against Vermont yesterday, one sure bright spot was the solid outing turned in by Harvard starter Justin Nyweide (2-4).

The sophomore right hander did everything Harvard coach Joe Walsh could have asked of him in a losing effort, fanning a career-high ten batters and giving up just three runs while going the distance.

Nyweide proved particularly effective as the game progressed, surrendering just two hits in the final six frames.

"[Nyweide] came out a little wild in the early innings," said sophomore catcher Brian Lentz. "But after that, he really settled down. He threw a great game the rest of the way."

Nyweide's impressive performance was representative of the surprising success enjoyed lately by several of the younger members of the Harvard pitching staff.

Even as the Crimson's two best pitchers, sophomore Ben Crockett and junior John Birtwell, have encountered difficulties this year, Nyweide, along with a strong group of freshman hurlers, have displayed flashes of brilliance.

Such contributions have proved especially important given the recent wave of inclement weather, which has forced the postponement of several of Harvard's games and significantly altered the pitching rotation.

"All the rain outs we've had has really strained our staff," Nyweide said. "But our freshman guys have really stepped it up."

One of those freshman guys is southpaw Kenon Ronz. Faced with a must-win situation last Saturday against Dartmouth, Ronz showed himself to be more than up for the task, going ten innings strong while allowing just five hits and two walks.

During one stretch, Ronz retired 24 of 26 batters he faced.

Though Harvard went on to lose the game 3-2, the masterpiece woven by Ronz did not go unnoticed by his teammates.

"[Ronz] threw an incredible game," Lentz said. "It was a shame we couldn't score more runs for him."

Ronz has quickly established himself as one of the most dominant power pitchers on the team. So far this season, Ronz has fanned nearly one batter per inning, chalking up 28 strikeouts in just 30.2 innings of work.

"Kenon throws his fastball with a lot of movement," Lentz said. "Plus he has a good curveball that he can mix in as well. He's probably the most improved guy on the staff."

In addition to Ronz, several other rookies have showed great promise on the hill this season.

Freshman Madhu Saty, who pitched a one-run, three-hit gem against Northeastern last week, boasts the staff's highest winning percentage with a 2-0 record in nine appearances.

Classmate T.J. Sevier, meanwhile, has held opposing hitters to a .231 batting average, the lowest among pitchers with at least fourteen innings of work.

"When we entered this season, we were pretty much coming into the unknown," Ronz said of himself and his fellow freshmen. "We've just been trying to push the doubts out of our own minds."

"The upperclassmen help us a lot," Ronz added. "They are always in our corner, calming us down when necessary."

In addition to its youth, another one of the Harvard pitching staff's best attributes is its flexibility.

Time and time again, the Crimson's flame throwers have shown themselves capable of working in either a starting or relief role.

Even freshman Ryan Tsujikawa (1-0), whose eight relief appearances are the most on the staff, has made a start.

"It's a different mentality depending on whether you start or come in for relief," Nyweide said. "But you just adjust based on what you need you need to do."

Clearly equipped with both the talent and the poise to succeed on the college level, Harvard's young hurlers surely have a wealth of potential.

"These guys are getting the game experience and confidence that they need," Lentz said. "They are only going to get better, and that will help us improve as a team."

Regardless of where it finishes in the standings this year, Harvard clearly has much to look forward to in seasons to come.

While an Ivy League title may be an

impossibility this spring, the Crimson stands a tremendous chance of becoming a dynasty all over again, so long as Harvard's freshman and sophomore pitchers live up to the high standard they have set for themselves.