Notebook: Workhorse Crockett Defies Pitch Count

With the Harvard baseball team trailing 6-3 after seven innings in the second game of a crucial doubleheader against Brown Saturday, Crimson ace Ben Crockett trotted back onto the diamond.

On a day when Crockett set Harvard’s single-game strikeout record with 17, his simple return to the mound to begin the eighth may have been his most impressive act.

Crockett’s pitch count had already reached an astronomical 132.

“It’s a tough situation,” Crockett said. “You never really want to give the ball up. You kind of have to balance how you feel with where you are [in the pitch count].”

After struggling in the eighth, Crockett was relieved by senior Mike Dryden with a final pitch count of 140.

“I felt alright, but I was a little tired,” Crockett said. “You just try to win games.”

A high pitch count is nothing new for Crockett. In last weekend’s 8-3 victory over Yale, Crockett struck out 14 Elis, but threw 148 pitches in nine innings.

Fortunately, Crockett hasn’t felt the wear on his arm.

“He stays strong,” said freshman Schuyler Mann, who has caught each of Crockett’s starts this season. “He wasn’t really throwing as hard in the last inning [on Saturday], but when he needs to, he can pump himself up and throw just as hard.”

Crockett showed his endurance by striking out the side in the seventh with a pitch count hovering around 120.

However, as sexy as strikeouts are, they aren’t as efficent as ground balls when it comes to getting batters out. Crockett didn’t retire a single batter on a ground ball, which is unusual for the ace and could explain why he was roughed up for 12 hits.

“I think I was up a little bit off and on with the fastball, and I got hit a little bit on breaking stuff I left up early in the count,” Crockett said.

Trey Magnifique

With the Crimson one game up on Brown in the Red Rolfe division standings and the Bears in town for a pivotal four-game set, Harvard needed a spark to set the tone for the weekend.

Sophomore first baseman Trey Hendricks obliged.

With one out in the first inning and senior second baseman Faiz Shakir standing on first base, Hendricks stepped up to the plate and drove a two-run, 400-foot shot just to the right of the flag pole in right-center field.

The Crimson grabbed the 2-0 lead—which was stretched to 3-0 on a homer by Mann two batters later—and the critical 4-2 victory.

It was the first of two homeruns and five hits on the afternoon for Hendricks.

“Trey had an incredible day,” Crockett said.

Hendricks’ bat has been hot for a while now.

By going 10-for-15 with six runs and six RBIs in four games this week, Hendricks raised his batting average to a team-high .369. Hendricks also leads the club with five homeruns.

“It’s nice becase Trey is always hitting right in the middle of the lineup, and you know that if you can get a couple of guys on, he can drive them in,” said senior shortstop Mark Mager. “He’s swinging a hot bat and hitting the ball the way everyone knew he could.”

Stu-’pen-dous

With complete games from Crockett, senior Justin Nyweide and sophomore Marc Hordon in a four-game sweep of Yale last weekend, the Crimson bullpen saw little action.

On Saturday it provided much relief.

Senior Mike Dryden and juniors Kenon Ronz and Barry Wahlberg combined to throw four innings of perfect relief, allowing no hits, no walks and no runs.

“Those nine-inning games are always going to [require] a combination of pitchers,” Mager said. “And it’s nice to be able to count on your bull pen.”

Wahlberg, a converted starter, continued a strong stretch of relief appearances with his third save of the season Saturday. Wahlberg struck out five of the seven batters he faced in 2.1 perfect innings.

In Wednesday’s 15-10 win over Northeastern, Wahlberg took the victory with one and two-thirds innings of one-hit ball.

“I just do whatever Coach tells me to do,” Wahlberg said. “I want to get the most innings I can, but obviously we have a lot of guys who have proved themselves as starters.”

Ronz also appears to have a new role—namely, getting left-handers out.

In two appearances Saturday, the lefty was brought into the first game for the sole purpose of facing Brown’s top slugger, sophomore Matt Kutler. Both times he did the job, striking Kutler out in the first game and getting a ground out in the second.

“Having Kenon come in and get their best hitter out—that was huge,” Mager said.