Freshman Nine Turns Early Season Gloom Into Extraordinary Success

The Freshman baseball season that closed with a brilliant victory over Yale last week following equally impressive triumphs over Holy Cross, Princeton, and Andover has aroused considerable enthusiasm among University diamond followers. Not only is the record a highly successful one for the team as a whole, but several individuals have shown that they will be valuable acquisitions to next year's University nine.

Coach Davidson faced a dreary prospect when the indoor work opened with far less seasoned material than usual and several of the best players under a scholastic ban. Coach Mitchell developed from the corps of pitching aspirants one star, Booth, who twirled the team to victory in its last five games, and three or four others of good average ability.

Team Has Poor Start

Meanwhile, the rest of the nine was finding its path a rocky one. Several games that should have been won were lost despite Coach Davidson's frantic juggling of the line-up. Then Howard and Ullman because eligible and were put in at shortstop and second base, Captain Zarakov moving over to third. Later Tobin moved from catcher to first base and Duchin went behind the plate, strengthening both positions. Durant and then de Becker, also removed from probation, bolstered the shaky outfield, and Coach Davidson had a team.

It was too late to erase the early season record, but the men set to work for a successful finish. The team as it finished the year was far better than its percentage of nine wins and five losses indicates.

Stars Show Promise

Among the most likely Freshmen for regular berths next year are Captain Zarakov, Howard, Bennett, and Booth. The Crimson captain, playing on his third major sport team, fielded and hit well and also steadied the whole field. Howard, shortstop, was the hardest and most timely hitter on the team and his fielding was brilliant. He has as fine a throwing arm as any University player in recent years. Bennett, the only man to play regularly in the same position all season, his well over 300 and fielded in sensational style. Booth's pitching record speaks for itself. He has everything that a pitcher needs--speed, control, curves, and a tantalizing slow ball. With an added year of experience and a University nine behind him he should help solve the Crimson pitching problem for three years to come.

Coach Slattery already has an eye on these men. He has combined the pick of the Freshman and Second teams and plans to send it into action against his regular nine two or three times a week for the rest of the year.

The batting averages for the season are unsatisfactory in that the men who played in the early season against weak pitching have higher averages than the men who replaced them as the harder games came along. Howard, Tobin, and Bennett are really the team's ranking hitters.

The season's record follows: Harvard '27  4  Middlesex  5 Harvard '27  1  Pomfret  2 Harvard '27  16  Loomis  1 Harvard '27  7  Choate  6 Harvard '27  16  Huntington  3 Harvard '27  3  Dean  7 Harvard '27  6  Cushing  2 Harvard '27  4  Worcester  8 Harvard '27  4  Dartmouth '27  9 Harvard '27  3  Holy Cross '27  1 Harvard '27  6  Princeton '27  2 Harvard '27  13  Brown '27  0 Harvard '27  2  Andover  1 Harvard '27  5  Yale '27  4

AVERAGES OF THE 1927 BASEBALL TEAM   G.  A.B.  R.  B.H.  2b.  3b.  H.R.  Ave.  P.O.  A.  E.  Ave. Phelps p.,l.f.,3b.,2b.  7  10  4  8  2  0  0  .421  5  4  3  .750 Gross 2b.  9  17  4  6  2  2  0  .363  3  2  1  .853 Howard s.s.  8  33  6  11  1  5  1  .333  24  31  7  .887 Tobin c., 1b.  13  46  10  15  2  0  0  .326  112  8  3  .976 Bennett c.f.  14  54  12  17  2  2  0  .315  21  2  2  .920 de Becker r.f.  3  10  2  3  0  2  0  .300  6  0  0  1.000 Zarakov s.s., 3b.  14  51  16  14  1  0  0  .275  26  24  8  .862 Bailey l.f.  9  25  3  6  1  1  0  .240  17  0  1  .944 Booth p.  11  26  2  6  0  0  0  .231  5  30  2  .946 Ellison 1b.  10  38  6  8  1  0  1  .211  58  4  5  .925 Durant l.f.  5  19  2  4  0  0  0  .211  4  1  0  1.000 Robinson p.  3  5  1  1  0  0  0  .200  0  3  0  1.000 Duchin c.  8  22  2  4  0  0  0  .182  48  8  2  .966 Ullman 2b.  8  32  5  5  0  1  0  .156  21  25  4  .920 Scott r.f.  4  13  2  2  0  0  0  .154  1  0  2  .333 Hamlen r.f.  12  35  9  6  0  0  2  .143  5  5  3  .769 Gales P.  5  8  1  1  0  0  0  .125  2  6  2  .800 Clifford p.  2  2  0  0  0  0  0  .000  1  2  0  1.000 Baldwin  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000  0  0  .000 Seaver  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  .000  0  0  0  .000 Totals  14  455  88  117  12  13  4  .256  358  155  45  .919

AVERAGES OF THE 1927 BASEBALL TEAM   G.  A.B.  R.  B.H.  2b.  3b.  H.R.  Ave.  P.O.  A.  E.  Ave. Phelps p.,l.f.,3b.,2b.  7  10  4  8  2  0  0  .421  5  4  3  .750 Gross 2b.  9  17  4  6  2  2  0  .363  3  2  1  .853 Howard s.s.  8  33  6  11  1  5  1  .333  24  31  7  .887 Tobin c., 1b.  13  46  10  15  2  0  0  .326  112  8  3  .976 Bennett c.f.  14  54  12  17  2  2  0  .315  21  2  2  .920 de Becker r.f.  3  10  2  3  0  2  0  .300  6  0  0  1.000 Zarakov s.s., 3b.  14  51  16  14  1  0  0  .275  26  24  8  .862 Bailey l.f.  9  25  3  6  1  1  0  .240  17  0  1  .944 Booth p.  11  26  2  6  0  0  0  .231  5  30  2  .946 Ellison 1b.  10  38  6  8  1  0  1  .211  58  4  5  .925 Durant l.f.  5  19  2  4  0  0  0  .211  4  1  0  1.000 Robinson p.  3  5  1  1  0  0  0  .200  0  3  0  1.000 Duchin c.  8  22  2  4  0  0  0  .182  48  8  2  .966 Ullman 2b.  8  32  5  5  0  1  0  .156  21  25  4  .920 Scott r.f.  4  13  2  2  0  0  0  .154  1  0  2  .333 Hamlen r.f.  12  35  9  6  0  0  2  .143  5  5  3  .769 Gales P.  5  8  1  1  0  0  0  .125  2  6  2  .800 Clifford p.  2  2  0  0  0  0  0  .000  1  2  0  1.000 Baldwin  2  0  0  0  0  0  0  .000  0  0  .000 Seaver  1  0  1  0  0  0  0  .000  0  0  0  .000 Totals  14  455  88  117  12  13  4  .256  358  155  45  .919