ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Pitcher Sets Precedent Early

Softball players are known for their superstitions, and freshman pitcher Rachel Brown is no exception. Before and during each game, she makes sure to avoid stepping on the chalk lines of the infield. This ritual is just about the only concession Brown makes to forces that are beyond her control.

When the rookie hurler takes the mound, everything else is up to her. And that is exactly what she craves.

“I think of myself as a pressure pitcher,” Brown said. “If I need a strikeout or an out, I can buckle down and really do that. “It comes from digging deep and wanting it.”

One might expect such confidence from a well-seasoned upperclassman—not a bright-eyed freshman from San Diego, Calif., especially one forced to adjust to a higher level of play as well as a new climate. Brown, however, exhibits tenacity far beyond her years.

“We have total control of the game once she’s on the mound,” co-captain Bailey Vertovez said. “If we get her just one run, she’ll hold on for the win.”
In fact, there’s a lot about her that would be impressive for a veteran, let alone a rookie.

The numbers are what immediately stand out. She carries a 10-1 record through nine starts, plus a save in relief. She has finished each of her starts, pitching 73.1 innings out of the team’s total 147 innings. Opposing batters have struck out against her an astounding 115 times, as opposed to only 18 walks.

The accolades deserve mention next. The first week of her young career, she was named Ivy League pitcher of the week. Flash forward to present day, where she stands as reigning Ivy League rookie of the week. And she’s picked up two straight tournament MVPs along the way, the most recent one coming at the Highlander Classic over spring break.

Most Valuable Player was almost an understatement. She struck out seven hitters as part of a 3-2 victory to take the championship against Radford, which had been undefeated in the tournament.

That was after she helped the Crimson reach the tournament final by allowing one run on two hits in 3.1 innings of relief in a semifinal win against Eastern Michigan, resulting in her first career save.

And she had given Harvard its first win in round-robin play with a complete-game four-hitter against Toledo, accumulating 12 strikeouts.
Everyone knew Brown was a talented recruit, but few saw this coming.

“I hadn’t heard much about her before she came in, but our first practice in September, the first five balls she threw to me, I think I almost cried,” said co-captain Hayley Bock, the team’s starting catcher. “She can throw it for strikes; she can throw it so batters chase it…she’s surpassed my expectations by far.”

Capable of putting up strikeout after strikeout, Brown’s style is dominating but not overpowering. Her greatest weapon against hitters is her mind, as she constantly focuses on getting ahead in the count and keeping batters of balance. Each and every pitch is governed by the reminder to “make the balls look like strikes, and the strikes look like balls.”

Her repertoire of trickery includes an outside curve, a change-up, and a riser; the glaring lack of a fastball amidst her numerous strikeouts is a testament to her intimidating presence on the mound.

And what’s even scarier is that she’s still getting better.

Take her first and only loss of the season, for example. It took a four-hit pitching gem from UNC Greensboro starter Hannah Angel last Tuesday to beat the Crimson ace. Though not one to make excuses, Brown pointed to fatigue as a possible reason for the loss. Ever the competitor, she could not wait for a chance to “regain her footing.”

Two days later, Brown was presented with an opportunity to step up, and she took full advantage of it, striking out 12 of the 14 batters she faced in a relief appearance in Harvard’s 2-1 win over Bryant.

The next contest was Brown’s Ivy League debut, a matchup with host Columbia. She admitted to feeling some pressure.

“Right before the game I was pretty nervous,” Brown said. “I had butterflies in my stomach.”

Unsurprisingly, the anxiety didn’t show. Brown put together a beauty of an Ancient Eight start, tallying 14 of her 21 outs by strikeout while allowing only two base-runners in a one-hitter. The league dominance continued Monday against Penn, when she had yet another strong game, surrendering one run on seven hits to reach double-digit wins for the season.

As the Crimson heads into the heart of the Ivy slate, pitching will become even more integral to its success. Harvard will depend on its workhorse, its ace, to eat up innings and take control of games.

She’ll be ready.

—Staff writer Dennis J. Zheng can be reached at dzheng12@college.harvard.edu