Lock and Load: Harvard's Rotation Poised to Dominate

There are precious few reminders of the glory days of baseball left like the Ivy weekend.

Two days, four games. It is how the game was meant to be played, back before players' unions and owners' concerns over gate receipts made the double-header an endangered species, at least on the major league level.

But for all the nostalgia sparked by the Ivy League's scheduling format, that many games in so short a time can give a manager with a suspect pitching staff plenty of headaches. In a must-win game during the stretch run, there can be nothing more frustrating than having to hand the ball over to your, gulp, fourth-best starter.

Fortunately for the Crimson, however, depth at pitching has never been a concern.

Every year under Harvard Coach Joe Walsh, the Crimson has relied on its pitching, which is consistently among the best in the Ivy League. This year's staff figures to be as good and as deep as any in the Walsh era.

The talented rotation returns its top two pitchers from last year and, in junior Ben Crockett, now boasts a potential major league prospect.

"I feel real good about our one through four [starters]," Walsh says. "I'll even go as far as saying that not only do they match up with anyone in New England or in the Ivy League, but I think we match up on a national basis."

While senior righthander John Birtwell might be the staff leader, the biggest hype this season has surrounded Crockett.

After winning Ivy Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman, Crockett was hurt by a lack of run support in his second season, finishing with just a 4-4 record.

But Crockett came on even stronger last summer, tearing up the Cape Cod League while finishing 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA. His efforts earned him Co-Pitcher of the Year honors in the premier summer league for amateur baseball players.

Crockett's performance on the Cape surprised everyone, including Crockett himself.

"Coming out of Harvard, winning that award is not even something you think about as a possibility," Crockett says. "Every time you're out there, people are looking and saying 'Harvard? Who is that kid?'"

Crockett's efforts have raised hopes of a professional career as well. The righthander's fastball improved from 88-89 MPH to a blistering 92, catching the attention of major league scouts. The premier scouting magazine in the country, Baseball America, has predicted that Crockett could be selected as high as the late first round in June's amateur draft.

Walsh had said he expected over 40 major league scouts to be in attendance at last weekend's game against Ohio State to watch Crockett pitch.

"You're going to see a lot of radar guns at our ballgames this year," Walsh said. "My phone calls are just off the wall."

Crockett says he is trying not to let the major-league attention affect him.

"It's something I'm trying not to pay attention to," he says. "If you let anything get into your head, it can only hurt you."

Summers at the prestigious Cape Cod League have become a rite of passage for Harvard pitchers. Walsh's former position as a pitching coach in the league has helped Crimson hurlers earn competitive spots.

Both Birtwell and junior Justin Nyweide joined Crockett in the Cape League last summer, and sophomore Kenon Ronz will represent Harvard after this season.

"It gives you an opportunity to face some of the best competition in the country," Crockett said. "It gives you confidence, and you learn all sorts of things about the game and different coaching styles."

Enthusiasm for Crockett's summer performance was dampened by an arm injury which was discovered this fall. Crockett says his nagging arm trouble developed after he overcompensated for soreness that he felt in his arm during the season.

However, after several months of rehabilitation, Crockett says that he has fully recovered--just in time for the start of the season.

"He's just working harder now," Birtwell says of his fellow ace. "Everyday, whether we had practice or not, he was in the training room doing rehab, strengthening his arm. Pitching-wise, he's just going to be better for it."

While Crockett's summer might have been the most impressive, Birtwell still remains the heart and soul of the pitching staff. The senior has been the staff ace since his freshman year, and his dominating sophomore season earned him Ivy Pitcher of the Year.

Birtwell was not quite as dominant last year, although he still led the team with a 3.31 ERA and 41 strikeouts. His 2-3 record was largely a product of the lack of offense that plagued the team all season.

Birtwell said the unusually cold, rainy spring also hurt the staff. Crimson pitchers were never able to settle into a comfortable rhythm, having to battle through several rainouts.

As the only senior in the regular rotation, Birtwell has become the de-facto leader of the staff, helping the younger pitchers develop.

"He's kind of like another coach out there," Ronz says. "It's nice to have a student perspective on what I'm doing."

The team expects continued improvement from Ronz. After starting slowly last year while adjusting to college hitting and the colder climate, Ronz hit his stride towards the end of the year.

In a crucial late-season game against Dartmouth, the southpaw went toe-to-toe with Big Green ace Conor Brooks for ten innings, at one point retiring 24 out of 26 batters.

Harvard would eventually lose that game, 3-2, but the clutch performance illustrated Ronz's vast potential.

"It's great to have a lefty in the rotation," Hopps said. "He's gotten much better consistency-wise, both from a velocity standpoint and with strength and stamina."

Walsh says Nyweide will fill out the final spot in the weekend rotation. Although Nyweide struggled slightly in the Cape League, posting a 4.15 ERA, he developed an effective change-up to complement his pitching arsenal.

"He picked up some real good experience on the Cape," Walsh said. "He's a complete three-pitch pitcher."

With four freshman hurlers joining the team, Harvard pitching should be stocked well into the future. Walsh says freshman righthander Steve Snyder, who features an effective breaking-ball, might challenge for a starting spot this season. Snyder's biggest worry might be health--he is recovering from tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.

"Steve's going to be a top-of-the-line ballplayer," Walsh says. "I would not be surprised if he could move somebody out of that top four."

A key to Harvard's success under Walsh has been his pitchers' impressive control. All of Harvard's top pitchers have had terrific strikeout-walk ratios during the Walsh era, and this year is no different.

"I like recruiting strike throwers," Walsh said. "I throw the guy out there who can throw strike one."

"Velocity is great, but it's hitting spots that turns into winning a lot more than velocity," Crockett said.

The Crimson's pitching staff also benefits from junior catcher Brian Lentz's expertise behind the plate. In addition to his hitting and defensive prowess, Lentz has earned praise for his ability to manage the game and help the pitchers improve.

"I'm not a guy that calls pitches, and I used to call them 75 percent of the time," Walsh says. "Last year that just dwindled and dwindled and dwindled. I have a lot of confidence in [Lentz]."

Lentz's battery-mates echo Walsh's sentiment.

"[Lentz] sees exactly what your pitches are doing," Ronz says. "He has a general idea of how certain pitches are supposed to be thrown, and he'll get on you if you leave a breaking ball up."

The Crimson won't be the only team boasting an improved pitching staff this year. Recognizing the successes created by strong rotations at Harvard and Dartmouth, other Ivy teams have begun recruiting higher-quality pitching.

Even lowly Yale, who finished last in the Red Rolfe Division in 2000, recruited several talented pitches last year in an effort to become more competitive.

"Everyone's got a gunslinger this year," Walsh said. "It's amazing."

Despite the increased competition, however, Harvard figures to have one of the best staffs in the league. If the Crimson can score some runs on its own, the team can count on a return to Ivy League prominence.