MALE BREAKOUT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RUNNER UP: Ambidexterous Senior Pitcher Redefined as Powerful Slugger

Just when you thought a baseball player couldn’t get any more multitalented, Matt Brunnig found new life for both his arms.

The 6’7 senior, once acclaimed for his unique ambidexterity on the mound, broke out in two new ways this year: first, on the hill, going 4-0 as a weekend starter for head coach Joe Walsh; and second, becoming a regular in the thick of the Harvard lineup at designated hitter, posting an eye-opening .288 average.

Prior to this season, Brunnig had nothing more than one at-bat in college, as a freshman.

But in 2006, one of the highlights of the senior’s renaissance came during the division-clinching win against Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H. The senior threw six innings, getting roughed up for six earned, but he made up for it in the lineup by going 3-5 with two doubles, three runs, and two RBI.

His second knock of the day, notably, was launched about 400 feet, hitting the base of the notoriously deep fence at center at Red Rolfe Field.

Why the improvement? Fittingly, the Engineering Sciences concentrator attributed part of his success in 2006 to a new device: contact lenses.

“It’s definitely helped,” he said. “I’m definitely a lot more comfortable at the plate. I thought my eyes were fine before...[but] I picked up off-speed pitches a lot faster.”

The more striking development, however, might still have been on the mound.

By eating innings on Sundays, Brunnig rounded out a pitching staff many expected to falter thanks to the departures of Frank Herrmann (to the Cleveland Indians) and Mike Morgalis (graduation).

On one memorable day, he and classmate Javy Castellanos—who turned in a career season in his own right—teamed up to shut down Columbia in a doubleheader, each garnering a win. Castellanos allowed two earned over six innings, while Brunnig followed him by allowing just one run over seven strong frames.

The importance of the event wasn’t lost on Castellanos.

“Me and Matt have been buddies since freshman year,” he said. “We’ve been waiting to go back-to-back for four years now.”

The year wasn’t perfect, of course. Brunnig’s ERA finally settled at 5.88, for one.

But for a pitcher whose potential originated in part due to a curiosity—whose career has been more frustratingly inconsistent than anything—he put it together in his senior year like never before.

“I’m real proud of him,” Castellanos said. “He’s worked real hard, through a lot of injuries and minor things and stuff. He put it all together...we reaped the benefits.”

—PABLO S. TORRE