What can a team that won three Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League championships in as many years possibly hope to do as an encore? That is the problem faced by coach Loyal Park and his 1974 version of the Harvard baseball team.

Last year the Crimson batmen stormed to a 34-3 regular season record and the NCAA Region I title before falling to Southern California and Georgia Southern in the college baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

This year Park has to fill the mighty large vacancies left by All-East pitcher Roz Brayton and the 1973 EIBL batting champion Kevin Hampe as well as hard slugging left fielder Hal Smith.

But luckily for the Crimson, six starters, including the entire infield, are returning to firm up the lineup. "Our real strength this year," coach Park said, "will be our defensive infield. We have everyone back from the unit that worked so well together last year."

Holding down the first base spot for Harvard again this year will be the duo of senior Joe Mackey and junior Leigh Hogan. Hogan sported a .308 season Eastern League average as the pair shared the duties on the 1973 squad.

Senior Ric LaCivita, All-Greater Boston League last year, is pegged for the second base position this spring. Second team All-East Ed Durso will be at shortstop and senior Jim Stoeckel will cover the hot spot at third.

Durso slashed out hits last year at a rate of .395, second in the league behind only teammate Hampe. Stoeckel was voted first team All-EIBL in '73 behind his slick glove work and a .335 bat (fourth in the league).

The outfield is still a little bit of a question mark for Park with four contenders for the three spots. Returning veterans Jimmy Thomas and Dave St. Pierre appear to have the leading track for starting positions with the remaining spot in contention by junior switch-hitter Scott Adzik and sophomore Leon Goetz.

The receiving end of the battery will be held down by Dan Williams and John Friar. Williams saw back-up action last year behind Rich Bridich while Friar sat out the year with a leg injury from football.

"We have the potential for two real strong catchers this year," Park said. "Williams and Friar are both big and strong and have good arms."

"Our biggest problem this year," Harvard pitching coach Bob Lincoln said, "is to find a number one stopper and a number four starter. We've got to find that one man we can count on to go out on any given day and win for us. And we have to find a fourth man in our starting rotation," he said.

The "number one stopper" will be filling in the oversized shoes left by Roz Brayton, first team All-East two years in a row for the Crimson and now in the Boston Red Sox organization.

Prime candidates for that mythical position are lettermen Mike O'Malley, Don Driscoll, and Milt Holt. O'Malley, all-GBL last year, sported a perfect 6-0 record with a brilliant .054 ERA, the third lowest in the nation.

Driscoll opened the '73 season with a sterling arm, but was injured mid-way through the season and only resumed work-outs the week of the region playoffs. A strong return to form by Driscoll could go a long way to improve Crimson title chances.

Holt, the only southpaw among the three starters, turned in some fine performances, especially towards the end of last spring.