While Cox may prove to have the best arm in the long run, he has been hampered by injuries all year and the early not will probably go to Musselman, who wowed the squad in his first simulated outing at Briggs and has thrown fairly consistently since.

CATCHING: Joe Wark, last year's captain and a superb defensive catcher, has graduated, and junior Vinnie Martelli inherits the spot. The squad's top all-around hitter a year ago. Martelli has spent time at designated hitter, first base and in the outfield the past two seasons, but his first love, and best position, is behind the plate.

While his ability as a receiver may be a shade below Wark's, Martelli's arm is nearly as strong, and there is no comparison at the plate. The Revere native came within five runs batted in of breaking Mike Stenhouse's single-season mark of 40 last year, hitting 336 and swatting four homers and a team-leading six triples. Behind Martelli is sophomore Kevin Lennon, a strong fielder but weak at bat, and hard-hitting freshman Mickey Maspons.

INFIELD: Unquestionably the deepest in recent years, this bunch will likely rival the pennant-winning infield of 1980 in skill by season's end.

Only Brad Bauer: Harvard's starting shortstop since he stepped on the field two years ago, returns from that crew, and the junior will be moving elsewhere this season. He may end up at second or third, but a spot will have to be found for the pro prospect who hit 317 last year and pounded out 13 extrabase hits to win a spot on the EIBL, first-team.

Two freshmen, third baseman Scott Vierra and shortstop Tony (Coots) DiCesare, and a sophomore, second baseman Gaylord Lyman, will be worked around Bauer, manning whichever spots he doesn't. Bauer will probably open the season replacing the slick-fielding but weak-hitting (.170, two RBIs in 88 at bats) Lyman at second, and stay or move depending on Vierra's progress.

DiCesare, a quarterback on the freshman football team, won himself a spot in the starting lineup by fielding well in Florida and making good contact at bat all spring.

Nahigian has no hesitations about manning the left side of the infield with two freshmen, so if highly recruited Vierra can stay healthy (a recurring back problem has sidelined him periodically) and get hot at the plate. Bauer will remain at second. If not, look for the shift to third.

After a year's absence. Eddie Farreil returns to Cambridge to anchor at first base Potentially the team's heaviest hitter. Farrell played for Orange Coast Community College in California last season, hitting in the high 360s in one of the nation's tougher circuits Newcomer Elliott Rivera will fill in any where in the infield, as well as contend for a spot in the outfield.

OUTFIELD: Harvard's most underrated player last year, sophomore Bruce Weller, stepped in for the departed Charlie Santos-Buch in center field and hit 309, amassing 19 walks and a team-leading six stolen bases. He also led Crimson outfielders in fielding percentage, playing the crater-laden Soldiers Field gardens as well as anyone who tried.

Weller will be flanked on the right by Donnie Allard, a comeback-of-the-year success story who raised his average 200 points from the previous campaign and belted a team-leading six homers.

Allard's defense also improved notably last season, and highlights include his four assists from the outfield to lead the team and a handful of sensational grabs, including a running catch of a Joel Mock liner to save Brown's no-hitter against Penn

Scheper Back

Paul Scheper returns in left field, but the fleet contact hitter will be pressed by freshmen Rivera and Chris Schindler. Scheper hit 267 in 75 at bats last year but managed only two extra-base hits while playing a solid left field Look for all three to see time in left field and elsewhere.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Senior Captain Paul Chicarello is unable to field any position, can't run well and hit a mediocre 295 a year ago, yet many people call him Harvard's most valuable player Why? The only real answer is intangibles not only is the Winthrop native the most intense competitor on the field, but his exceptional attitude and commitment seem to make everybody he plays with play better.