Tough Tuneups, Ivy Slate Await Crimson

Nearly two weeks removed from its last game, the Harvard baseball team is in store for a change of pace on Friday as it kicks off a nine-game, 12-day road trip over spring break.

The Crimson (2-2) begins the marathon stretch in Florida, capping off its annual tour of the Sunshine State. The team will go up against Ohio State, Northwestern, Tampa, Eckerd, Central Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and Barry in seven different cities.

Harvard then heads north for the onset of the Ivy League season, getting a taste of the Gehrig division with double-headers Saturday and Sunday as it travels to Philadelphia to play Penn and then to New York to face Columbia.

The Crimson has not played a game since March 11, as last weekend’s games in Florida were cancelled after a snowstorm prevented the team’s plane from leaving Logan Airport.

“We’ve had some good quality practice indoors,” said Harvard assistant coach Gary Donovan. “But there’s no substitute for game action.”

After so much time off, having to play so many games in so little time could be a grueling endeavor for Harvard. But the squad has taken measures to make sure it is well prepared for the task.

“This week [Crimson head coach Joe Walsh] has really put us through some tough practices to get us ready,” sophomore pitcher Adam Cole said. “It’s just something we have to fight through.”

Fighting through will take some effort in the Florida portion of the trip as Harvard faces formidable competition. The Buckeyes (11-3) are the most recognizable of the Crimson’s opponents, and the challenge they present may be increased dramatically if star pitcher Cory Luebke gets the starting nod against Harvard. In four starts, Luebke is 3-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 25 strikeouts.

“We’d love to beat them,” Cole said. “Ohio State is a big name.”

Another team the Crimson would love to beat is Tampa (23-5). The Spartans took the first meeting with Harvard earlier in the season in an 11-5 blowout. The Crimson will seek some revenge before it returns to the Northeast.

But the main goal of the Florida trip for Harvard is to prepare for the fast-approaching Ivy League season. The Crimson is still trying to figure out its best lineup, and there are questions regarding the pitching staff as well.

“We’re going to be toying with [the lineup] a lot,” Donovan said. “A kid who can sparkle in practice sometimes doesn’t bring that to the game. Hopefully by the time the Ivy League starts we’ll know what’s what and who’s who.”

In the rotation, Cole and junior Shawn Haviland are firmly entrenched in their roles. Freshmen Max Perlman and Eric Eadington seem to have taken the lead for the last two spots with their combined shutout of Notre Dame on March 11, but junior Brad Unger is still in contention as a starter and senior Jake Bruton pitched well in one appearance and has impressed in practice as of late.

Ancient Eight play begins next Saturday, when the Crimson play two games against the Quakers. Penn (5-7) is thriving offensively this season, led by red-hot catcher Tim May. May is batting at a bloated .395 clip with a homerun and 11 RBI.

“[Penn is] a pretty patient team,” Cole said. “You have to hit your fastball spots and keep them off-balance. One bad pitch could be the difference.”

On the mound, Tim Roth paces the Quakers with a 1.77 ERA in five appearances (three starts), including a complete game shutout of Georgetown on March 18.

After Penn, Harvard travels to New York to take on the Lions. Columbia (4-9-1) is struggling again in 2007 after finishing tied for last in the Gehrig Division last year. But it is getting some outstanding production from veteran outfielder Andrew Ward, who is batting .417 with two homers and 20 RBI.

In the highly competitive Rolfe Division and with the short league schedule, it is essential that Crimson get out of the gate quickly.

“You take it on the chin one weekend and its going to hurt for a while,” Donovan said.

When the Ivy season starts, Harvard hopes to be the only one delivering knockout blows.

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.