Joe Walsh really, really, really wants to win next Tuesday.

Fun stuff from a solid McPhillips gamer:

LYNN, MASS.—Minutes after the final out of yesterday’s first Beanpot contest on Boston’s North Shore, Harvard baseball coach Joe Walsh couldn’t help himself.

First, the Crimson dispatched Northeastern by a smooth 8-5 score, sending to next week’s consolation game “the best team,” according to Walsh, that “we’ve beaten this year, in my estimation.”

Then the coach testified to the allure of a shiny relic.

“That trophy’s been sitting next to me since I got it, and it hasn’t moved,” he said, referring to the Beanpot, which Harvard captured last year for the first time. “And I’m hoping to look at it next year, you know?”

Once upon a time, Brian Fallon and I quietly wondered whether the Beanpot mattered very much to the coaches. Between this and the fact that it'll be B.C., I think it's safe to say that this one will. And on top of this, you've got Steffan Wilson talking about a Beanpot dynasty...

“It’s going to be unbelievable under the lights out there,” Wilson said. “It’d be great to win two in a row and maybe start a dynasty-type deal, you know?”

You know what? I like it. Go ahead and care about this. It didn't hurt a bit last year.
Meanwhile, Matt Brunnig continues to produce at the plate:

Brunnig, who also executed a textbook suicide squeeze in the third inning, notched his seventh RBI of the season in just his 35th at-bat.

Brunnig’s first three years were marked by inconsistency as an ambidextrous pitcher, but the senior has found success this season as both a right-handed starter and a valuable hitting option.

“He’s coming along, you know?” Walsh said. “We’re trying to take what he’s been doing in [batting practice] onto the field, but we’re staying with him because he’s having such good at bats.”

Those of you who called Matt Brunnig muscling some of the more heralded new bats out of the regular lineup at the start of the season can collect your prizes. Now, do we get to see what he can do against Brown?
Also, Frank Herrmann says it's hard out here for a pitcher.