Shepard Depends on Pitchers

College baseball players in this section of the country should be given some sort of award for trying out, since their task requires an inordinate amount of endurance and patience besides the regular tasks of hitting, running, and throwing.

They must have endurance, because many of the games are played in cold, damp weather which tightens the muscles and numbs the fingers. And they must have patience, since games are often not played at all when the capricious New England weather gets too bad. Add to that list a true desire to play, because row upon row of empty stands face the college baseball player when he steps onto the field. This last point is especially disheartening at Harvard, where games are played next to the football Stadium that houses the cries of thousands of fans in the fall.

But the players keep coming out, and in five of the last six years under coach Norm Shepard the Crimson has a winning record. The first time it failed to make .500 was last year. Shepard says of this year's club: "This look better at this time than they did last year." This means that he thinks a winning percentage is possible. During the spring training trip to Virginia and in the early league games, the Crimson has played exactly .500 baseball, and when the weaknesses and strengths add up, that record seems like a fair prediction.

On the plus side, the strength of the team is in the outfield, the front line pitching, and the double play combination. On the other, question marks are apparent in the relief pitching, catching, first and third base, and the bench corps.

On the training trip and in the early games, Shepard found two pitchers who can be counted on to handle most of the starting assignments. The top man is righthander A1 Yarbro, who had a 1-3 record as a sophomore last season, but turned in an impressive 2.39 earned run average in 49 innings pitched. Thus far this season Yarbro has won two games, and lost to Navy when his defense collapsed and let in four unearned runs. Though not over powerfully fast, he mixes a curve, change-up and slider well.

The other starting pitcher is Dick Garibaldi, who was 3-1 with a 2.30 earned run average for last year's freshman team. Also a righthander, Garibaldi is faster than Yarbro but prone to wildness, which can be fatal in college baseball where so many runs are scored without the benefit of solid hits. The sophomore won one game on the training trip, and turned in an excellent relief turn. Against Tufts he survived a shaky first inning and went on to pitch four hitless innings before being removed for a pinchhitter during a rally.

When rainouts necessitate the bunching-up of games late in the season, the Crimson will need a third starter. The only one who has shown that he might fill the spot is senior Dave Larkin, who pitched only 8 and 1/3 innings last season, but turned in a one-hit relief job against Tufts. After Larkin the prospects are darker. Shepard is carrying senior Wally Cook, juniors Tom Boone and Roy Williams, and sophomores Drew Kemalian and Tom Jones, but none have been particularly impressive in early games.

The outfield is perhaps Shepard's strongest point. Seniors Dick Shima and Charlie Ravenel play center and left respectively, where each was named to the Eastern Intercollegiate League second team last season. Shima is a left handed hitter, and tied for the team lead with a .288 average last year. He's fast in the field, and has a good throwing arm.

Ravenel, better known for his football exploits, is in his third year of varsity competition, and hit .261 last season. He can hit for distance upon occasion, and was third in RBI's last year with nine Mike Drummey, the right-fielder, was an infielder last year, and can be used there if needed. He hit .240, but as the lead-off batter drew 16 walks for the team leadership. Others that could help are sophomores Andy Shea and Gavin Gilmor, who has been sick, and senior Charlie Lockwood.

Around second base the infield is fine. A1 Martin, in his second year as captain, plays second and keeps the team hustling. His .193 average of a year ago doesn't show his great clutch talent, since he led the team with 17 RBI's on only 16 hits. The shortstop is Dave Morse, also known for his scoring feats in hockey. Morse's .283 average tied him with Shima for the team title in his sophomore year.

The third base position has three men, senior Billy Rodgers, and sophomores Corky Cronin and Curl Combs fighting for it. Cronin holds it now, but the other two will see action. Sophomore first baseman Jim Mullen hit .283 for the freshman team, but has yet to prove that he can hit for the varsity with consistency. Senior Phil Bernstein, a good pinch-hitter, is his replacement.

Shepard's catching problem could be solved if sophomore Dick Diehl's arm, injured while playing football, stays healthy. Diehl hit almost .400 down South, and also handled the pitchers well. His substitutes include two seniors, Pete Tague and Dave Borkenhagen, neither of whom hit .200 last season.

Overall, the team's biggest weakness is hitting. No one can be legitimately called a power hitter, and only Diehl, Ravenel, Martin, and Gilmor can hit the long ball even occasionally. In any case, the Crimson couldn't challenge Army, Navy, or Penn for the Eastern League title, though it might have a chance in the Greater Boston League, which it has won four of the last six years. The last Eastern League title came in 1958.

The weaknesses are many, but with some consistent hitting, consistent pitching, and consistent weather the Crimson might have a pretty good year.