Since You Been Gone...

Figured it was time we posted something on the current team for a change, even in the absence of real Hot Stove activity in Harvard baseball. We know who's gone. Last year's league weekend rotation consisted of righties Mike Morgalis, Frank Herrmann and Shawn Haviland, with a combination of Matt Brunnig, Jay Brown, Brad Unger and, really, whomever they could get innings out of, in the fourth spot.

Now, Morgalis has graduated, Herrmann has somewhat unexpectedly signed with the Cleveland Indians and Haviland finds himself the team's de facto ace.

In an unusual press release last month, Joe Walsh made it clear that he would likely depend on this year's freshman to fill at least one of those weekend spots:

Walsh, whose team began fall practice on September 23, is expecting big things out of a trio of freshmen pitchers in Adam Cole (Sudbury, Mass.), Ryan Watson (Ambler, Pa.), and Hampton Foushee (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Cole, a righty, led Lincoln-Sudbury HS to the Division II state title as a senior. "We are looking for Adam to step in right away," conceded Walsh. "He is a hard-throwing kid who has a chance to be in our weekend rotation with some hard work."

Cole, a two-time Dual County League MVP looks to be joined in the spring weekend rotation (Ivy League play) by Watson, a two-time first team selection of the Suburban One American Conference, at Upper Dublin HS. "We are hoping that Watson will give us something Harvard has not seen in a long time, that being a strong left-handed starter."

That Walsh would put such pressure on his freshmen so early in the year suggests that, at the very least, he is still entirely insecure with Matt Brunnig taking the mound in one of the weekend spots. (Brunnig's career in Crimson has been staccato bursts of brilliance and ambidextrous promise interspersed with injuries and other enigmatic developments.) It also suggests the very real possibility that Brad Unger, the other intriguing 6'7 hurler, is still very much a project. (Unger will soon begin his second Harvard hoops campaign as well.)

So what of the new guys? Here are some online scraps on Cole and Watson:

ADAM COLE

Boston Globe:

A senior, Cole returns to the All-Scholastic team after an 8-1, 1.10, ERA, 98-strikeout campaign for the Warriors. He has led the team to back-to-back North sectional championships. For his career, he posted a 23-2 record with an ERA under a buck. He is a three-time Dual County League All-Star and two-time league MVP. In the classroom, Cole was an L-S Scholar in all four of his years at L-S, gaining admittance to Harvard University. Cole will continue his baseball career this summer as a member of the Summer Legion Post 191.

Here, Cole throws 141 pitches in 10 innings and hits 87 on the gun in winning the state championship. And here is evidence that he is probably not on the juice. Which is, you know, good to know:

Glenn Cole's son, Adam, led Lincoln-Sudbury to the Div. 2 baseball state championship. The pitcher is headed to Harvard in the fall. Cole believes communication and education are two of the keys in helping keep their kids away from steroid use. Like many of the other parents, he also is keen to the warning signs.
``I try to be as aware and talk to him as much as I can. A lot of times, we talk about it,'' Cole said. ``Hopefully, they stay on the straight and narrow. But a lot of times, you never know. You cross your fingers.''

Also, if you happen to subscribe to the Milford Daily News, let us know what this is all about.

RYAN WATSON

...has a less colorful baseball paper trail. Some resume items prior to his senior year here:

Ryan Watson - LHP/1B/ - 2005
HT: 6'2" - WT: 185 - GPA: 4.6 - PSAT: 1130 - SAT: 1350
B: L - T: L
HS stats: Bat Avg. .330 - RBI 15 - HR 2 - SB 1 - 60 Time 8.00 - Pitching W-2 L-2 - ERA 2.50
Career Highlights
1. Ft Washington Generals
2. Legion 10 Baseball
3. Pre-Season All-American Candidate with Baseball Factory
4. All American Baseball Training
5. Baseball at It's Best Program with Pitching Coach Rob Keu, Joe Cziepietro
4. High School Team Won Division for first time in thirteen years
5. 8-1 with a 1.33 ERA – 69 strikeouts in 63 innings
6. Selected first team Suburban one pitcher and second team 1st baseman where posted a .391 batting average
7. Selected to All-Area Team as a pitcher
8. Carpenter Cup participant All Star Tournament Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware areas
9. Legion season 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA

And some stuff from an archived version of Upper Dublin's decent-looking website.

Could we see a Haviland-Cole-Watson front three against Ivy opponents? It would've been some time since two freshman pitchers made the weekend rotation.

Here are some other notable recent seasons from freshman weekend starters:

Shawn Haviland, 2005: 7-1, 3.10 (9 starts, 14 appearances).
Matt Brunnig, 2003: 4-3, 3.55 (6 starts, 9 appearances).
Kenon Ronz, 2000: [can't find the numbers online, but I seem to recall an ERA below 4.00, his best season aside from his senior season]
Ben Crockett, 1999: 5-1, 4.88 (4-0, 3.69 in league starts, League Co-ROY)
John Birtwell, 1998: Scoreless through his first 20 innings, missed the next month with a virus, won NCAA Regional Play-In Game.

Reasons for optimism.