Pitching Is Key to New Softball Season

The Harvard softball team will venture out to the sunny shores of California this weekend to participate in the three-day UC-Riverside Tournament. And though the players might not step into the blue Pacific, the Crimson will certainly get its feet wet in a season-opening set of four games.

Getting a late start to its 2005 campaign, Harvard will use this weekend’s non-conference tune-ups to try to answer the questions that will eventually signify the difference between an Ivy League title and another runner-up finish.

“We’ve had cabin fever forever,” senior Cecily Gordon said. “We are just looking to get outside and play.”

The Crimson has undergone some changes since placing second in the Ancient Eight last season. The losses from last season’s squad include, most notably, co-Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Kara Brotemarkle. The top spot in the pitching rotation will fall to last year’s No. 2 starter—senior co-captain Lauren Bettinelli.

After Bettinelli, the pitching picture is murky, with two returning relievers and a pair of freshmen contending to fill the void on the rubber left behind by Brotemarkle.

The veterans—junior Michele McAteer and sophomore Becky Voaklander—will see the majority of the extra innings this weekend, but rookies Shelly Madick and Amanda Watkins will also be afforded the chance to distinguish themselves as the heir apparent.

“Having a senior pitcher gone is hard,” Gordon said. “But we have so much more depth this year. I feel very secure in our rotation.”

Also graduated from last year’s squad is the double-play combination of Sara Williamson and Rachel Goldberg. They will be replaced up the middle by the sophomore tandem of Julia Kidder and Lauren Brown, at second base and shortstop respectively. In addition to their role as table-setters, their contributions on defense will be pivotal in anchoring the young staff.

“We have a great sophomore class that has stepped up,” Gordon said. “I have no doubt in their ability.”

The final crucial absentee is one of those sophomores, Virginia Fritsch, the team’s leading run producer from a year ago, out for the season with a shoulder injury. That will leave much of the offensive burden to Gordon, the first baseman. Gordon led the team with a .317 average last season and ranked second with four home runs and 20 RBI.

While senior Lauren Stefanchik is slated to man left field, and junior co-captain Kerry Flaherty due to roam in center, the starter in right field is uncertain. The same is true for third base, vacated by the inactive Fritsch. There are jobs to be won, and strong play early in the season will go a long way toward nailing down a position for the stretch Ivy run.

Even if some doubts linger, the team is not concerned.

“We work really well together,” Kidder said. “And we should have a really strong mix of speed and power in the lineup.”

The Crimson’s first opponent will be Southern Utah, which has struggled to a 1-11 record in the early going this season, but maintains the decided advantage of having been active since early February. When Harvard steps onto the field on Friday, it will be its first outdoor exposure since the end of fall practice in November.

“It happens every single year and we handle it,” Gordon said. “Once you get past that first inning or get that first game under your belt, you’re fine.”

The Thunderbirds are a young team, featuring only two seniors, and their inexperience has shown thus far. A .182 team batting average and a 5.96 combined ERA have led to some lopsided losses, and make them the ideal warm-up opponent for the rusty Crimson.

The next morning, however, promises a somewhat stiffer test. In the opening game of a doubleheader, Harvard will take on a battle-tested Cal-Poly team, 10-9 through 19 games played, and one of its pair of top-flight hurlers. Eva Nelson and Robyn Kontra both sport ERAs under 1.50 and between them have pitched every inning for the Mustangs this year.

Immediately following, the Crimson will square off against host UC-Riverside. The Highlanders have stumbled to a 5-18 mark out of the gates, while allowing over four runs a game. Harvard caps off its trip with a rematch against Cal-Poly on Sunday.

The Crimson is confident it can manage the competition represented in the field, so if the team is able to shake off the winter blues, it will likely spring out to a winning record.

“We definitely should beat them,” Kidder said. “They have the advantage in games, but we’re better skill-wise.”

—Staff writer Jonathan Lehman can be reached at jlehman@fas.harvard.edu.