Harvard Pitchers Find Their Summer Groove

The day before the Harvard baseball team’s playoff hopes were drowned by back-to-back losses to Dartmouth, the Crimson had given itself the chance to earn a trip to the Ivy League Championship Series.

On a sunny Saturday at O'Donnell Field, Harvard swept the first of two double headers against the eventual league-champion Big Green. The Crimson needed another sweep on Sunday to punch its ticket to the ILCS, but Harvard couldn’t follow up on its performance, surrendering nine runs in two losses.

That weekend, the one that laid the Crimson's bats to rest, showed just how close the team was to being a league championship contender. It seemed that all Harvard needed was a little more consistency, a little more luck, or a little more power. Or maybe just one more ace.

Enter Max Perlman. Recently named a Cape Cod Baseball League all star, the righty has been on a tear this summer, posting a 1.65 ERA at the all-star break in nearly 43 innings with the Wareham Gatemen. In his one inning of work at the 2010 Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game on July 28 held at Fenway Park, Perlman retired the side in order, facing the minimum three batters. In some ways, Perlman looks like his old self.

Back in 2007 as a freshman with the Crimson, the hurler posted a 2.91 ERA, was named to Ping!Baseball's All-Freshman third team, and was a second-team all-Ivy selection.

But because of an elbow injury he suffered heading his second season, the rising senior has not been able to match his rookie performance, missing his sophomore season and playing sparingly this past year. But when Perlman did take the mound last season, he showed signs of his old self, shutting out Cornell in a one-inning performance before four straight shutout innings against Brown in the Crimson's 9-0 win over the Bears.

But while Perlman may have shown flashes of dominance this past spring, he almost didn’t have a place to pitch this summer as the the righty's recovery from injury made him a risk for teams to sign.

"We were a little bit hesitant at first," said Tom Gay, general manager of Wareham.

But Gay, who had coached Perlman during the pitcher's last stint with the Gatemen, changed his mind after watching Harvard's game against BC. Though the Crimson lost, 7-3, Perlman demonstrated enough progress to merit a contract offer from Wareham.

"He's had unbelievable performances," Gay said. "He's been fabulous both on and off the field...That just goes to show how hard he's worked to get back...He's been a great leader for us, certainly well deserved to be picked for the all-star game."

Gay doesn't appear to be the only one who thinks so.

"There's a lot of interest in him from pro scouts," Gay said. "We have scouts out every night watching him."

Perlman hasn't been the only Harvard pitcher drawing attention to himself. The Crimson's top hurler from the 2010 season, rising junior Brent Suter, has been making a name for himself in the Great Lakes League. A first team all-Ivy selection this past spring, Suter has been named the Pitcher of the Week twice in a row this summer. The lefty boasted a 5-0 record and an ERA of 1.27, good for third in the league and the best among starters, through nearly 49 innings of work with the Hamilton Joes. During the previous college season, Suter went 4-0 in league play and led the Ivies in strikeouts with 33.

"I feel comfortable on the mound," he said. "I'm focusing on hitting my spots, developing my curveball, my change-up...My philosophy's been the same: not being tentative, going out and trying to throw strikes. It's just fortunate the numbers have been nice."

All of the Crimson's pitchers showed moments of brilliance this past season. Junior Eric Eadington also posted four wins over the course of the season. Sophomore Conner Hulse recorded seven strikeouts in the season's opener, a 9-6 win over Notre Dame, and classmate Marcus Way had the team's best ERA and a 2-1 record. But despite fleeting success, Harvard struggled to perform consistently on the mound, ending the year with a .500 league record.

The 2011 season will be a chance for the Crimson to turn things around and the last chance for Perlman and his fellow seniors. In addition to Suter, the team returns three all-Ivy selections: fellow first-team member Sean O'Hara, and honorable mentions Tyler Albright and Dillon O'Neill. The three have kept the middle of the field in check for their past three seasons, and Harvard got a boost at the plate from sophomore Jeff Reynolds. The Crimson's 2011 squad has the talent to go to the next level. And having Perlman back on the mound might be the difference Harvard needs to make the leap.

"We're all excited," Suter said. "We got a lot of confidence coming off last season. It should be a fun year."