Batsmen Battle Brown for Lead in Red Rolfe Division

Although it seems spring is underway, the atmosphere surrounding Soldiers' Field this weekend is more reminiscent of October.

The Harvard baseball team enters today tied with Brown (11-15, 6-6 Ivy) and Yale (18-14, 6-6 Ivy) for first place in the Ivy League's Red Rolfe Division. The Crimson (13-13, 6-6 Ivy) is hosting Brown for two double-headers, one today and another tomorrow. This weekend's results will go a long way toward determining who will be in the best position to win a post-season berth.

Harvard is coming off of a 7-5 victory over a less-talented MIT team and a disappointing weekend in New Haven, where the team lost three out of four to rival Yale. A similar result this weekend could destroy any hopes for a division title.

"This is really a key weekend," Harvard coach Joe Walsh said. "If you don't put pressure on the opposition, you can be sure that it is going to be put on you by the time the weekend is over."

The Crimson suffered a 7-5 defeat at the hands of Brown in North Carolina earlier this season.

"It was one of those games where even though we lost, a lot of guys were saying that we were a much better team," junior Frank Hogan said.

Unfortunately for the Crimson, it will be forced to do without Hogan, the team's number-one starter, for the weekend. Hogan has been suffering from tendinitis in his throwing shoulder ever since he led Harvard to a 3-1 victory over Columbia two weeks ago.

"My main concern going into this weekend is Frank Hogan's health," Walsh said. "We don't think he'll be pitching this weekend. Obviously, it makes things more difficult when you lose your number one starter."

Freshman Quinn Schafer and junior Bart Brush are likely to get today's starts, while tomorrow's starters are still up in the air. Schafer, at 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA, has shown promising signs thus far. He had a tough, last-out loss last weekend against Yale, but looked strong despite the fact that he has been suffering from a mild tear of the rotator cuff.

Brush (2-0, 6.43), whom Walsh calls "a battler," managed to beat both Pennsylvania and Yale after falling behind early.

The unavailability of freshman Andrew Duffell (2-1, 6.23) will make things even more difficult for the Crimson pitching staff. Duffell tossed nine full innings of four-hit relief in the MIT game on Wednesday, a feat from which his arm is still recovering.

"We'll make the decision about Sunday's pitchers depending on who we don't use on Saturday," Walsh said. "It's basically like flipping a coin. If Hogan shows up and tells us that he can go, we'll use him. But things are far from certain."

Nevertheless, Walsh feels confident that the Crimson can take this weekend's series.

"We're healthy pretty much everywhere else, and the fact that we are playing at home gives us an advantage," Walsh said.

In addition to some quality innings thrown by Crimson starting pitchers, another important factor will be minimizing the impact of Brown's Ravi Malick. Malick went on a tear a week and a half ago, smashing three home runs and picking up 10 RBI's over the course of six games.

The Crimson is well aware of the necessity of winning three out of four games against Brown this weekend.

"Everybody is definitely up for this," Hogan said. We all know that this is huge, and we've spent a long time getting ready for it."

The pressure on the pitching staff may be lessened if the Crimson is able to generate some offense and play solid defense in the field. Harvard has shown signs of brilliance this season, both offensively and defensively. But as is often the case in these situations, the team that succeeds in executing the fundamentals will most likely be in the best position to come out on top.

"We have out work cut out for us," Walsh said. "We just have to take one game at a time. I know that's an old baseball cliche, but it's true, especially in a situation like this."