BASEBALL '06: California Kid Surfs Onto Scene

Players and coaches agree: Matt Vance, Harvard baseball’s starting center fielder, is a real “California guy.” While in some spheres the description might suggest laziness, beach bum-ness, or overuse of the word “hella,” it remains a shining compliment when those who know Vance describe him.

Though just a sophomore, the Solana Beach, Calif. native has already made a name for himself. Nowhere was his big-time baseball charisma more prominent than in the 2005 NCAA Regional Tournament, which took place in Fullerton, just an hour away from where Vance grew up. While the Crimson suffered humbling defeats at the hands of nationally-ranked Cal State-Fullerton and Missouri, Vance filled up the box scores and his position in center field, seemingly unfazed by the crowds of 2,000-plus or CSF’s storied tradition. The Vance fan club gave an equally impressive performance, turning out in full force for each game with posters, painted chests, and lots of noise. Vance even spotted his grandmother holding up a “Matt is hot!” sign.

“When we got to California,” Harvard coach Joe Walsh says, “we didn’t know anyone out there. But Matty was out there saying, ‘I played with these guys.’ He almost hit one out—he hit one off the wall—and played some great center field. Afterwards, I said to Coach Diaz, ‘We’ve got ourselves a player.’”

“He went out there as a freshman,” Walsh adds, “and left as a veteran. We’re building off of that. He’s going to be an anchor for us.”

Vance’s performance did not go unnoticed by tournament officials, who named him to the Tournament’s All-Regional team. Upstaging more established stars like Zak Farkes ‘06 and Schuyler Mann ’05, he was the only Harvard player to receive the honor.

Vance has not lost a step since the end of last season. If anything, he expects to come in stronger and faster than before. After a summer playing in the Horizon Summer Series in Northern California and training under a strenuous off-season workout regime—he partnered with team captain Morgan Brown—Vance will hope to outlast the competition.

“Freshmen sometimes wear down,” Brown says. “He’s bigger, stronger. Hopefully [he will] hit the ball out of the park a few more times. And hopefully that’ll help him. He’s put on all positive weight. It’s all muscle strength and everything. So hopefully that’ll help him maintain it throughout the season.”

Considering his freshman status last year and his effort at learning an entirely new position—he switched to center from shortstop, his high school position—Vance had an outstanding rookie year, hitting .275 and leading the team with 15 stolen bases. Still, much room for improvement remains, as Vance will hope to lower his number of strikeouts—he led the team with 37—steal more bases, and get on at an even higher clip in front of the rest of the Crimson’s power-laden lineup.

Last year, Vance recorded an impressive on-base percentage of .387, a number that with more patience and solid contact will be sure to rise.

“I’m hoping to be in the leadoff spot again, and I hope to be more solid and consistent than I was last year,” Vance says. “I’ve been focusing on not striking out as much. I’ve been working on facing the slider, which I didn’t do very well last year. Every time I jump in the cage the guys are throwing me sliders, and I think it’s helping.”

“Also, I’d like to get some more steals,” he adds. “Maybe try to keep up with the kid at Dartmouth”—Will Bashelor, who stole 30 bases in 33 opportunities. “Hopefully, I can get past the freshman struggle to become a more consistent player.”

All signs point to this California kid having a breakout year for Harvard, which looks to improve on last year’s 29-17 record.

If so, the Ivy League should not be fooled by the center fielder’s relaxed grin and laid-back attitude—behind the persona lies a strong outfielder and an even stronger hitter, waiting to catch the rest of the league back on its heels.

—Staff writer Julie R. S. Fogarty can be reached at fogarty2@fas.harvard.edu.