Byrne Shines on Diamond, Ice

Of all the big league stars out there, Harvard freshman Brendan Byrne is probably most like Tom Glavine.

Not because of similar positions—Byrne’s a second baseman and Glavine an All-Star pitcher—and actually, not even because of baseball.

The Massachusetts natives who grew up only 30 miles apart, share a second love—hockey.

Each played at the elite level of both high school baseball and hockey, and while Glavine chose to enter the minor leagues after being drafted by both the NHL and MLB out of high school, Byrne is taking a different route. He’s playing both at Harvard.

Byrne has played a major role in his first season on the Crimson baseball team (18-15-1, 11-5 Ivy), filling in seamlessly at second base and providing a spark for Harvard in the second half of the season. And if that weren’t enough, Byrne had already walked on to the men’s hockey team as a forward this winter. Although he never dressed during Harvard’s 2003-2004 ECAC Championship season, he made his presence felt during practices and in the locker room.

“It’s impressive especially in this era where there is not a lot of hockey-baseball guys out there,” said Harvard coach Joe Walsh. “He definitely brings a hockey mentality to the team.”

After some unfortunate injuries to the Crimson’s infield—sophomore third baseman Josh Klimkiewicz was out for a month (hamstring) and sophomore shortstop Morgan Brown is still sidelined (quadricep)—Byrne stepped in at second base and has played excellent defense in addition to providing timely hitting. In 28 games as a freshman, Byrne has started 17, hitting for a .289 average and mounting a .970 fielding percentage.

“With a few early injuries to key members of our infield there was a big question as to who was going to step up,” said sophomore infielder Zak Farkes. “Brendan jumped at the opportunity and has been huge for us.”

“Brendan has done a nice job for us this year,” Walsh added. “When Brendan came in we thought he was going to be a role player, developing as he came in. He certainly has exceeded the coaching staffs and my expectations.”

Byrne was a star shortstop at Milton Academy, but when the Crimson needed a second baseman, Byrne stepped right in and excelled in his new role, ready to tackle the new challenge.

“I played shortstop in high school, but I had plenty of second base experience in AAU and legion ball,” Byrne said. “The adjustment hasn’t been that bad, and I’m pretty comfortable at second base. It’s actually a little easier than shortstop except the turn for double plays.”

Byrne has gotten a big jump in his collegiate baseball career and the experience he has gained has been invaluable.

“I’m definitely fortunate to get as much time as I’ve had as a freshman,” he said.

Byrne has also has benefited from playing in the middle infield next to Farkes—the 2003 Ivy Rookie of the Year at second base—who has helped his freshman counterpart learn the tricks of the trade.

“Zak is an outstanding player and the biggest thing when you look at Zak is his work ethic,” Byrne said “I’ve been trying to emulate that, and I’ve really gotten to know him well which has been great.”

In as much as Byrne admires and emulates the play of his infield partner, Farkes has nothing but praise for his teammate.

“He is an unbelievable addition to our baseball team bringing both a tough attitude and versatile athleticism that no team can ever have too much of,” Farkes said. “Brendan also brings a certain swagger and attitude to our team that is as important as his contributions on the field. Not many of us really look at Brendan as a freshman because of the way he carries himself, always ready to crack a joke to loosen the team up or set the tone with his work ethic.”

Coach Walsh added even more praise for his freshman second baseman.

“He has a hard nosed attitude and he always wants to play,” Walsh said. “He is one of the best teammates you can have on a ball club, and he is somebody who in the future will take on an even more important leadership role.”

Just this past Sunday in the ninth inning of Game 4 against Brown, Byrne had a hit and scored one of Harvard’s four ninth-inning runs to cap off a thrilling 9-8 comeback victory against the Bears (13-21, 8-8 Ivy). The Crimson won three-of-four against Brown this weekend, knocking the Bears out of contention for the Ivy League title. This coming weekend Harvard has four critical games against Red Rolfe division leading Dartmouth (22-11, 13-3 Ivy) and the Crimson hopes to ride recent momentum towards a possible division title.

“We’ve had some ups and downs and injuries have definitely played a factor,” Byrne said. “But the most important thing is how we finish. Take the hockey team. For a while it was rocky, but they played well at the end and had a lot of heart and fight. For the baseball team we want to get our way into the NCAA’s and see what we can do when we get there.”

Byrne’s mention of the Harvard hockey team’s playoff run this past season was not just from the perspective of a casual fan but rather as an actual varsity player.

Byrne was recruited to play Division I hockey out of high school by various schools, but an offer to play baseball for the Crimson was too enticing to turn down.

Byrne did not abandon his hope to play hockey, however, and when he contacted Gene Reilly, one of Harvard’s assistant coaches, his Crimson hockey quest began.

“They told me to go out for JV first, but there was an injury a week into the season, and I was brought up,” Byrne said. “I caught a big break. [senior forward] Kenny Turano went down, and he’s an unbelievable player, and it was unfortunate to lose him. But from there they put me on the team, and I stuck with it.”

Byrne joined the squad in November after the team’s first weekend series, and although he never dressed he played a critical role on the team.

“I didn’t dress at all but it was great to get to know the kids and go to practice everyday,” Byrne said. “It’s a special team. To win ECAC’s like they did was great.”

Much like his early experience with the baseball team, the hockey players quickly became enamored with Byrne and really valued his role on the team.

“I actually played against Brendan all through high school,” said newly-elected captain Noah Welch. “He’s a great player and a great athlete, He got after us in practice and made plays and pushed everyone else which is great. He’s a great addition to our team and everyone expects him to play next year.”

“He added a lot of energy and enthusiasm to all our practices and lifts, and he was always working hard,” added freshman forward Kevin Du. “Growing up and playing hockey in this area, he’s played against and with some of the guys on the team. So, he was pretty comfortable as soon as he joined the team.”

As the hockey team went into their stretch run in the playoffs in the ECAC and NCAA tournaments, the baseball season started and Byrne had to honor his original baseball commitment.

The rest of the hockey team didn’t forget about Byrne, however, and throughout the baseball season many of the Crimson skaters have cheered on Byrne from the baseball stands at O’Donnell Field.

“I like having the guys out there a lot,” Byrne said. “I think they might razz me a little, but most of it is positive. I appreciate their support, and I hope they continue to do it. The other baseball guys appreciate it too.”

“Going to his baseball games have been great,” added senior forward Tim Pettit. “It gives us someone we know really well to cheer on and support.”

Even if some of the cheering takes on a tone of playful mockery.

“I still think of him as a hockey player,” said Welch. “It’s good getting out there. I wish we were still playing, but its good to support him, because he’s a teammate of ours. The fact that we get 10-20 shots at him during the game yelling at him is great. We can’t hold back in the stands though. He’s a pretty witty kid. So it’s a back and forth type thing.”

In only one year at Harvard, logging time on the hockey and baseball team, Byrne seems to have made quite a connection with all of his teammates, and he has also shown both squads his versatile athletic talents.

Achieving success in two college varsity sports is a feat accomplished by only a select few, and Byrne is certainly on his way towards dual success in his collegiate career.

“It just goes to show people how talented and hard-working Brendan really is, playing varsity hockey and baseball,” Du added.