Baseball's Tumultuous Season Will Pay Dividends

The Harvard baseball team had a number of strikes against it before the season even started.

The team was coming off a 12-30 record in a 2012 campaign in which it won only one of its first 17 games. In late July, beloved head coach Joe Walsh passed away and the squad was leaderless for the first time since 1996.

Perhaps most significantly, the Crimson essentially started from the bottom of the pack as it lost most of its top talent in the offseason. Six of the team’s top nine hitters were absent from its roster, and the players that remained accounted for less than 30 percent of last year’s hit total. The losses extended over to the pitching side as well, as two of the squad’s top hurlers departed.

As of late February, it looked as if the season might have been worse than a rebuilding year, as the majority of players were relatively unproven.

But the Crimson must have thought differently. Looking back on the season, there is little doubt that the team exceeded expectations—things are certainly looking up for the Harvard baseball program.

The Crimson won ten times on the year, a one game improvement from the 2011 season and just two fewer wins than last year. It posted a 7-13 record in Ivy League play, only dropping two of its seven series. Seven of those 13 losses were decided by three runs or fewer.

It is true that Harvard lost 14 straight games after winning its first contest of the season. But in the duration of that losing streak, the squad faced off against some of the best talent in the country. In addition, eight of those losses came in a relentless Texas spring break trip in which the team played 10 games in as many days.

At times, the offense came alive and was tough to stop, including in a 20-19 victory over Princeton and a 12-10 win over Brown. The Crimson repeatedly demonstrated its grit, most notably by winning twice in extra innings, first in walk off fashion against Bucknell and later in a 4-2 nail biter over the Bears.

But most importantly, players banded together in the face of adversity and attempted to make the best of their circumstances. According to coach Bill Decker, this is what matters most—especially considering the tumultuous state of the program he inherited in October.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and this group of kids gave a pretty good darn effort day in and day out,” Decker said. “We certainly had a few bumps in the road, but I don’t think that this year should be measured by wins and losses alone…. What makes it special is that you have guys that can give to one another and understand that I’m working for you and you’re working for him. That’s what it’s all about.”

Decker understands that the team in its current condition was not built to win an Ivy League title. Indeed, what will ultimately be the season’s greatest takeaway was the chance for many underclassmen to get extensive playing time.

This year, the Crimson had only three seniors. Co-captain Rob Wineski ranked ninth on the squad in batting average, fellow co-captain Jordan Haviland pitched fewer innings than six other hurlers, and senior Matt Doyle dealt with a leg injury that sidelined him for most of the second half of the season.

While the seniors provided invaluable leadership, it was the younger guys who carried the majority of the weight throughout the year. In the final game of the season, eight of the nine starters were either freshmen or sophomores. The remaining starter was a junior.

Three of the ball club’s key players this season were sophomores. Outfielder Brandon Kregel led the team with a .288 batting average and 14 RBIs. Utility man Mike Martin overcame an early season injury to hit .287 with 12 extra base hits. Tanner Anderson was a workhorse all year, ranking third in innings pitched and fourth with a .261 average at the plate.

The freshman class demonstrated similar promise. Sean Poppen became a reliable weekend starter, DJ Link caught every game down the stretch and ranked third on the team in hits, and infielder Mitch Klug finished right behind him with 33 knocks. Each will undoubtedly make large contributions going forward.

In a normal season, many of these players would not have seen nearly as much action. But the team will have a very good idea of its identity going into next year, which could not have been further from the case this season.

Decker was right. Don’t judge this year’s Harvard baseball team by its record. The Crimson will come back a good deal stronger next year, and even more so the year after that. You might be surprised by the results.

—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at dsteinbach@college.harvard.edu.