Ace Redeemed in Rivalry Match

Shawn Haviland didn’t let the cold numb his right arm or numb him to the significance of Saturday’s win over Princeton.

It was a rivalry game against Harvard’s decade-long nemesis in the battle for Ivy League supremacy and against the squad that ended the Crimson’s NCAA aspirations with an Ivy Championship Series sweep last May. It was the junior right-hander’s first victory of the season, his first in over 11 months. And it came over Tigers ace Christian Staehely, who was named the preseason Ivy League Pitcher of the Year despite Haviland returning to defend the honor he claimed in 2006.

In the near-freezing temperatures at O’Donnell Field on Saturday, Haviland went eight-plus innings in the nightcap, allowing three runs and striking out four, as the Crimson salvaged a doubleheader split with Princeton with a 6-3 triumph.

“Especially after losing game one, we really needed that one to keep ourselves in the race,” Haviland said.

With the performance, Haviland exacted a measure of revenge for his collegiate career’s most painful defeat, a 9-3 drubbing at the hands of the Tigers in Game 1 of the ICS.

“They beat me up pretty good last year in the championship game,” Haviland said. “It’s one you circle on your calendar anyway, because it’s been us or them for the Ivy League for the past few years, but there was a little extra something there because they put an ‘L’ on me.”

That loss spurred a three-game losing streak for the Harvard ace, culminating in a surprising six-inning, six-run outing against Penn the prior weekend.

“I took a lot of rest this week—might have had a little of a dead arm—which helped me out a lot,” Haviland said. “To come out and shut them down for five or six—I faded a little bit at the end—it’s a lot better feeling walking out winning 6-3 than losing.”

The turnaround came at the expense of Staehely, a 6’3 junior, who won Game 2 of the ICS and then vaulted onto the professional scouting radar (at least two evaluators were in attendance on Saturday) by hurling seven-plus innings of no-hit ball against Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. Staehely was plagued by shoddy infield defense (six errors, four by shortstop Greg Van Horn) as he surrendered six runs, only one earned, and seven hits in six innings while the Crimson lineup ran his pitch count up to 105.

When asked about the preseason Pitcher of the Year snub, Haviland jokingly said, “I didn’t notice that,” before deciding not to comment. But he did laud his team’s efforts against his counterpart.

“He’s a fastball-changeup guy, and they just drove him the other way over and over again,” he said. “Our hitters did a great job against a very good pitcher.”

Harvard coach Joe Walsh echoed the sentiment.

“I’m really pleased that we knocked Staehely out,” Walsh said. “He’s the kid that ended our season last year. I thought we were really patient, and we were taking pitches, getting deep in the count. I knew if we got in the bullpen, we had a shot.”

As for the weather, the frigid climate did not seem to bother Haviland, who pitched in short sleeves.

“I was hoping it was going to be colder actually,” Haviland said. “I love the cold. You can throw inside a little more, because if you get jammed, you’re done for the day. I love the cold weather, and I think we played well through it.”

Haviland’s baseball upbringing in the late-arriving Connecticut springs may have given him another edge over Staehely, a Houston native.

“That’s baseball to me,” Haviland said of the frosty conditions. “The first three or four weeks of the season in high school, we used to shovel snow off the field.”

Plus, he added, “the ball doesn’t go as far in the cold.”

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.