Bulldogs No Normal Last-Place Squad

As the last-place team in the Red Rolfe Division, it might seem that Yale (15-10, 5-3 Ivy) would pose little threat to first-place Harvard in four games at O’Donnell Field this weekend.

Yet the Bulldogs are not a team to be taken lightly.

Despite its place in the division cellar, Yale leads the league in both team pitching and team fielding, arguably the two most crucial qualities of winning baseball.

Yale boasts a 3.76 ERA, 0.59 better Harvard’s current second-place number of 4.35.

Also contributing to Yale’s league-best pitching staff is its stable of power arms, headed by the top four pitchers in the league in strikeouts. Bulldog ace Josh Sowers—whose twin brother Jeremy was picked sixth overall in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft by Cleveland—leads the pack with 42 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. Yale hurlers Jon Hollis, Mike Mongiardini, and Alec Smith round out the league strikeout leaders.

“We can’t take Yale lightly,” Harvard captain Schuyler Mann said. “They’re a good team with good pitching.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs continue to show strength as they lead with a 0.959 fielding percentage, four teams better than Harvard at 0.954.

Leading the league, then, in what seems to be two crucial areas, how has Yale found itself at the bottom of the Red Rolfe standings?

The answer is simple: the quality of division competition.

For perspective, Princeton leads the Ivies’ rival Gehrig Division with a 5-3 league record—a number identical to Yale’s.

So what would appear to be a lopsided match-up should actually prove to be more challenging.

A challenge is just what the Crimson would love to avoid after losing three out of its last four games against the Bulldogs—all in 2004.

So while Yale currently sits at the bottom of the standings, action this weekend could turn the tables—in one weekend, Yale potentially could overcome its two-game deficit.

Ready to counter the Bulldog’s force is junior shortstop Morgan Brown, who has proved to be one of Harvard’s key defensive players.

After shoulder surgery last year, Brown earned limited action, forgoing regular time at shortstop to rising sophomore Zak Farkes.

After rehabbing his shoulder, Brown has returned to his position and proved to be a Crimson cornerstone, starting all 23 games.

“Defensively he’s been very solid at shortstop,” Mann said. “He’s made a lot of big plays that in the past we haven’t been able to rely on. He’s huge for the team in that position.”

Compounding the defensive challenge for Brown and other Harvard regulars this season has been transitioning to grass from artificial turf, where the team opened its season-opening series at Minneapolis’ Metrodome on March 11. Brown has handled the challenge.

“He’s been able to transition from the turf to the fields really well,” Mann said. “He’ll be out there the rest of the season.”

For Brown, returning to shortstop has been somewhat of a homecoming.

“This is where I am most comfortable,” Brown said.

And as the condition of the grass improves while the season progresses, so too will Harvard hope to put forth a steady defensive effort.

Mann noted that the number of team errors has dwindled and fieldwork has improved.

“I think we’ve done a really good job, and it’s definitely something we’ve improved on,” Mann said. “It’s going to be huge for us to play defensively this weekend.”

And what about those notorious Yale pitchers? Brown and company may be able to take care of the field, but handling the Bulldogs’ arms should prove an entirely different story.

Enter junior Josh Klimkiewicz, Harvard’s third baseman, who leads the team with a batting average of 0.355.

“As a team, we have to not strike out,” Klimkiewicz said. “We need to get the bat on the ball and put the ball in play. Once we do that, we will be able to get started.”

Even as Harvard’s top hitter, Klimkiewicz knows that putting up big numbers won’t necessarily guarantee victory. Getting the ball in play, hitting line drives and getting runners on base is what the Crimson needs.

“If they give me pitches to hit, I am going to capitalize it,” he said. “I am just looking to hit the ball this game.”

Other key hitters include Mann and freshman Steffan Wilson. Wilson currently boasts a 0.350 batting average, making him the team’s second best hitter so far.

As both have driven in 20-plus runs, Mann and Wilson have been two of the team’s most reliable sluggers, and will give a challenge to Yale’s vaunted pitching rotation.

The Crimson will take on Yale in two doubleheaders weekend—beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

“We are going to continue with the intensity we’ve had the past few weekends,” Mann said. “We want to keep our record as clean as possible until [division rival Dartmouth].”

So as Harvard takes the field this weekend, it must not let Yale’s last-place standing distract from the reality of the Bulldogs’ overall team strength.

After all, stranger upsets have been known to happen.