Lentz Named to Baseball All-Ivy First Team

Brian Lentz was Harvard baseball's version of Clint Eastwood this year. When opposing baserunners took off for the next bag, the sophomore catcher shot from the hip, usually getting his man. On his watch, stealing didn't pay.

For his phenomenal, Lentz was named to the All-Ivy First Team at catcher this week, the only Crimson player to make the list this season.

While playing in 39 of the Crimson's 43 games this season, Lentz threw out 19 of 55 would-be base stealers for a success rate of 34.5 percent.

In Ivy play he was even better, nailing 11 of 22 baserunners who tried to get around the bases on the sly.

And he also got it done on the offensive side.

Lentz got 39 hits in 138 at-bats for a .283 average, placing him fourth on the team. In the course of the season, he hit four doubles, two triples and one homerun, driving in 16 runs in the process.

The Crimson's stolen base hit man stole five himself on the year, and his .363 on-base percentage was tops on the team

In Ivy play, he was even better at the plate. Lentz was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for April 4, after he got both game-winning RBI in a double header against Cornell on April 1 and went 5-for-9 during a twinbill against Princeton the next day.

While playing in 19 of Harvard's 20 Ivy games, Lentz drove in 11 runs and led the Crimson with a .393 batting average.

This season marked Lentz's first at the varsity level for the Crimson, making him a true impact player.

The 2000 season marked the first time in three years that Harvard (18-25, 10-10 Ivy) did not win the Ivy Championships and go on to the NCAA tournament.