Baseball Ready to Move Outdoors

Technically speaking, the 2005 Harvard baseball team has yet to see the light of day.

Ever since officially beginning the season on February 1, the Crimson has mostly been indoors, putting up the nets and practicing in the decidedly un-scenic confines of the Palmer-Dixon Tennis Courts and Lavietes Pavilion.

But while the team decries the obvious matter of cabin fever—an especially potent ailment given Ivy League teams’ relatively late starting dates—there is a silver, if obscured, lining.

The Crimson will actually kick off this year’s schedule on artificial turf, playing three games this weekend inside the Minnesota Twins’ similarly un-scenic Metrodome. Harvard will meet Louisiana-Lafayette on March 11, St. John’s on March 12, and Minnesota on March 13.

“We’re anxious to get ground balls going off of Astroturf,” head coach Joe Walsh said. “For the very first time, we’re opening up indoors...Hey, we may be the best team indoors in New England right now.”

According to Walsh, the set-up has also let the coaching staff transfer attention upon the more minute, but no less important, aspects of the game. Though outdoor on-field action often lends itself to players simply trying to blast the ball out of the park, indoor baseball facilitates work with bunt and first-and-third defenses, the running game, and swing mechanics.

“If we can do those little things better than other teams and be better prepared, then I really feel that we get a chance to win the tight ballgame,” Walsh said. “To me, the bigger the ballgame, the better your bunting game’s gotta be.”

ON ROTATION

For this weekend’s Metrodome Tournament, the Crimson will send two juniors and a freshman to the mound recently made famous by American League Cy Young winner Johan Santana.

Junior Javier Castellanos will toe the rubber on Friday, while Saturday will see freshman Shawn Haviland, followed by junior Frank Herrmann on Sunday.

Castellanos will match up with Louisiana-Lafayette, which pounded Harvard early last season by unnervingly high margins of 14-5 and 23-9.

This year, Walsh notes, the junior from Hialeah, Fla. will be increasingly leaned upon to recover the 61.2 glistening innings thrown by former captain and Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Trey Hendricks ’04—now within the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.

“[Castellanos] has worked extremely hard at his conditioning program, which has helped him,” Walsh said. “I think he just deserves it. He’s been throwing extremely well.”

Haviland, the frosh out of Farmington, Conn., will make his first collegiate appearance against St. John’s the day after.

“Haviland’s looking real good,” Walsh said. “He’s got a breaking ball that he can throw on any count. I think he’s going to be a very good pitcher for us over four years. And we’re going to use him a lot here as a freshman.”

As for Herrmann, who’s coming off a solid off-season playing for the Berkshire Dukes of the New England Collegiate League, resident host Minnesota awaits. This past summer with the Dukes, Herrmann posted a 2.49 ERA in five starts, going 3-1 on 47 total innings while striking out 36.

“When we first saw him, he was real raw,” Walsh said. “But we saw that arm strength, his size, and his work ethic. Man, you shake hands with that kid and it’s like shaking hands with a shovel. He’s worked real hard.”

CENTRAL TENDENCY

In addition to Haviland, Harvard looks to feature at least two more freshmen from the get-go. Walsh is retooling a Crimson which misses starters Hendricks and centerfielder Bryan Hale ’04.

Steffan Wilson, out of State College, Penn., will likely see action at second base while hitting in the middle of the lineup, something that’s unusual for a kid yet to play a minute of college ball.

Walsh will also try converting speedy Matt Vance, of Solana Beach, Calif., to an outfield slot, perhaps the one just vacated by the acrobatic Hale. As of now, it’s looking like either he or junior rightfielder Lance Salsgiver will be patrolling centerfield.

“[Vance] came in here as an infielder. We have been, as best we can, trying to work him a little bit in the outfield,” Walsh said. “We’ve got a lot of depth in the infield this year. With his speed and his athleticism, we’re thinking of converting him just to get his bat in the lineup.”

Freshman Max Warren may also get a chance in the outfield as well.

“[Warren’s] got great speed,” Walsh said. “Eventually, I can see him given a chance during the season. [You’ll be] saying, ‘Where was this kid all year?’”

By way of veterans, Harvard does return its slugging captain, catcher Sky Mann, as well as Ivy home run king and Boston Red Sox-draftee, junior shortstop Zak Farkes.

“I’m glad they’re on our side and we don’t have to face them, that’s for sure,” Walsh said.

But Walsh is also looking forward to the resurgence of junior infielder Josh Klimkiewicz, who has lost weight, regained quickness, and looks to be well-recovered from injury last year.

“Klim has come in, he dropped about 20 pounds,” Walsh said. “When we recruited Klim, I really thought he was going to be a middle-of-the-lineup guy for us…They’ll know how to pronounce his name before the season’s over, I can tell you that much.”

NO. 28

Still looming large in the minds of all associated with Harvard baseball is the progress of pitcher Wes Cosgriff, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer after Thanksgiving. A 6’7” lefthander, Cosgriff has just finished chemotherapy to fight the cancer’s spread, and currently awaits a critical surgery within the coming month.

Needless to say, for the Crimson, Cosgriff’s absence extends far beyond the game of baseball.

“Wes is one of those guys that every coach has to have,” Walsh said. “When we’ve got a big recruit coming in on campus, Coach Hyde and I are always saying, ‘Well, let’s find out what Wes is doing this weekend.’ He’s such a great kid. It’s been an unbelievable, courageous battle.”

This year, the Crimson will wear his number on their jerseys—“not making a big splash about it,” Walsh said—and will join so many others in hoping and praying for his immediate recovery.

“We all feel like we’re just waiting for some good news. It’s hard to explain into words what we’re going through,” Walsh said. “And it’s on everybody’s minds. And we’re all like, ‘What can we do, what can we do?’ And it’s gonna be a great day, and I’m hoping it’s this season, when we’re going to get Wes back on the field and in uniform, and back at Harvard.

“That’s gonna be our success, how it’s gonna be measured this year. If we get Wes back.”

ENGLISH ON THE BALL

Two Robs, senior Rob Wheeler and sophomore Rob Nelson, look to be competing for serious playing time this season. “Those guys have shown me remarkable improvement at the plate,” Walsh said. “Right now, those are two guys that have, ‘Play me, play me, play me,’ on the backs of their shirts.”….There will be a few new, noticeable additions to O’Donnell Field this year. There will be brand-new dugouts, and now, a permanent locker room, an odd first in Crimson baseball history….Hendricks has made some notable adjustments to his mechanics with the Diamondbacks organization, including the changing of his hitting stance. “I just hope they get back to doing what he likes to do,” Walsh said. “Just let if fly out there. He can swing.” The team hopes to visit Hendricks on its road-trip to Florida, where Arizona has a minor league complex.

—Alex McPhillips contributed to the reporting of this article.

—Staff writer Pablo S. Torre can be reached at torre@fas.harvard.edu.