Will it continue?

Losing nine seniors off a 21-man team has to hurt. The graduates include tour players who have started regularly for two or more years, and the team's two top pitchers over the past three seasons.

soon-to-be alumnus Charlie Marchese went 20-1 in his final three seasons, earning Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors in 1984. Mortarboard-wearer Jeff Musselman went 21 6 in a Crimson jersey. This season Musselman and Marchese accounted for more than half of Harvard's victories.

Four of this year's top six hitters were seniors, and seniors accounted for 19 of the squad's 32 homers. Four-year starter Tony DiCesare will be hard to replace at shortstop, as will first baseman Elliott Rivera, Harvard's single-season RBI record-holder. DH Mickey Maspons, last year's Eastern League batting champion, was also arguably the second best catcher in the league.

For next year, Nahigian needs to find some hitting (at DH and first base) and a shortstop Two of his three outfielders return, and freshman Frank Caprio proved himself capable of taking over from the graduating Jay McNamara in left. With both Rivera and Chris Schindler graduating, the Crimson will have absolutely no experience at first base.

Bobby Kay and Mike Pakalnis can each play second, third or short. Nahigian desperately needs one more infielder, preferably a natural shortstop.

Catcher Jim DePalo returns, but he'll need a back-up. That could be freshman Frank Morelli, used primarily as a bullpen catcher this year.

Nahigian's pitching staff will contain a lot of unproven potential. Sophomore Chris Marchok enjoyed a fine year, posting a 6-1 record with a 2.76 ERA. The rest of the pitching staff was plagued with sore arms and inconsistent outings.

In 24 innings of work, junior Doug Sutton (2-1, 1.88) looked strong, but his history of arm trouble came back to haunt him. Sophomores Jim Chenevey and George Sorbara have shown potential, but Chenevey still has control problems and Sorbara--an excellent reliever as a freshman--was unreliable this year.

Junior Cecil Cox remains an unknown quantity, with the ability to now down opposing batters, but nagging control problems. Sophomore Mike Press will try to bounce back from the shoulder injury that knocked him out one week into this season.

Gaping holes in the lineup, on the mound and at shortstop will make it difficult for the Crimson to remain one of the top powers in the Eastern League.

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Don't count'em out, though

Two years ago Harvard lost its top four hitters, its second best starter and its ace reliever. The result last year's Eastern League pennant.

The losses from the batting order this year are mild in comparison to those of 1983 Five players with the proven ability to hit 300 (Paul Vallone, Chris McAndrews, Bobby Kay, Jim DePalo, Frank Caprio and Mike Pakalnis) will take the field for Harvard next year. When the eventual-champion Crimson took the field last year, only two players (Mickey Maspons and Elliott Rivera) had ever hit 300.