The University baseball team will play its initial game of the season against the Naval Academy at Annapolis on Wednesday, April 21. The team will not stay at the Naval Academy while it is in Annapolis during the spring vacation, according to an announcement made yesterday by Davidson Sommers '26, manager of the team, who gave out the details of the southern trip which the Crimson nine will take during the week of April 18 to 25.
Team to Leave on April 18
Coach Mitchell will take a squad of about 23 players south, leaving Boston at 7.30 on the evening of April 18. The men wil arrive at Annapolis in time for lunch, and during their stay in that town will be quartered at Carvel Hall, the leading hotel in the Maryland capitol. There will be practice that afternoon, and two more sessions on Tuesday if the weather permits.
The squad will remain in Annapolis until Friday morning, practicing twice on Thursday. After that they will leave for Washington, where they will stay at the Racquet Club.
Activities for Friday afternoon will be restricted to a short practice on the Catholic University Field. On Saturday afternoon, the Crimson will meet Catholic University. The contest will take place early enough to allow the Harvard team to catch a train for Boston that night which is scheduled to leave at 7.30 o'clock.
None of the Committee to Go
Although it has generally been the custom for several members of the Harvard Baseball Advisory Committee to accompany the team on its annual southern trip during the spring recess, it is understood that this year none of the present committee wil be able to find time to go. Coach Mitchell, assisted by two managers will be in entire charge of the trip.
In not playing more than two games on its southern trip this year, the University is making a radical departure from precedent. Last year the team played five games in the south, winning the first three against Catholic University, the University of Maryland, and the Naval Academy, and losing to George-town and Columbia. In previous years, the Crimson has played as many as six games.
Team Hurt by Lack of Practice
The chief reason for the decision of the University authorities to curtail the schedule this year are the commencement of a new regime in charge of baseball at Harvard, and the fact that the team has been severely handicapped in its early games this year by lack of practice before the trip. While these southern teams have sometimes played as many as ten games before they meet Harvard, the University team has seldom been fortunate enough to have been cut of doors for more than a week or ten days. This has made it advisable that the week in southern territory be devoted chiefly to practice.
One week after the squad returns from the spring trip, it is scheduled to travel to Philadelphia to meet the strong University of Pennsylvania nine. This will be the first time since 1920 that a Harvard baseball team has played in Philadelphia.
Diamond Still Soggy
Due to the continued cold weather, the baseball squad will be forced to remain indoors for the greater part of this week at least. The University diamond is still in bad condition, and Dennis Enright, caretaker of the grounds, said that it may not be used for ten days or two week.
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