The win was what Walsh called a "gut check" and proved that the Crimson was committed to repeating in the Rolfe division. It also showed Harvard's come-from-behind capability, one which would serve it well late in the year.

The Crimson moved uneventfully through the remainder of its regular season slate, whitewashing Northeastern 11-0 in the Beanpot semis behind gems from Wells and junior lefthander Quinn Schafer and taking a doubleheader sweep from Boston College in a pair of riveting games that included Woodfork's game-winning two-run double.

And finally, Harvard breezed through its postseason, sweeping Princeton in its championship rematch behind 13-run efforts in both games, including a grand slam from junior catcher Jason Keck, then bounced MAAC-champ LeMoyne in a doubleheader sweep at O'Donnell Field, beating the Dolphins' ace Scott Cassidy to earn a return ticket to the NCAAs.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Next Generation

The Crimson got break-out years from several of its underclassmen, most notably All-Ivy honorees Keck, Vail and Carey, each of whom improved markedly on his 1997 campaign.

Keck, whose status as the Ivy's best pitch-calling catcher is beyond debate, upped his average from .275 to .386, belting three homers with 37 RBI and hit out of the cleanup slot all season.

Keck was named First-Team All-Ivy and finished second in the race for the Blair Bat (highest average in Ivy games) to Yale's Tony Coyne at .446.

Vail added a changeup to his repertoire and trained hard in the offseason, picking up the slack in the starting rotation left by the loss of Frank Hogan to graduation and Duffell and classmate James Kalyvas's constant battles with elbow troubles.

Vail finished Second-Team All-Ivy behind Gutshall, tallying a 5-3 record with a 2.94 ERA, and also managed to avenge his Game One loss to Fullerton with six and two-thirds innings of four-hit ball against the Titans to keep Harvard involved in Game Four.

Carey, who swapped infield positions with Woodfork midway through the season, demonstrated flexibility while handling the hot corner and solidified the Crimson's left-side defense.

With the stick, Carey, the 1996 Ivy Rookie of the Year, batted a hefty .376 with 65 hits and swiped a team-high 25 bases.

The Needham, Mass., native also carried the Crimson for much of the Regional, going 9-for-17 with five runs scored and six RBI.

Walsh's other juniors--Woodfork and Huling--enjoyed productive campaigns, Huling batting .335 with 57 hits and 21 stolen bases, while Woodfork made the switch to second base and turned the double play with remarkable facility, also hitting .289 and swiping 17 of 20 bags.

"I think the team is in good hands with its juniors," Forst said. "Guys like Keck, Hal Carey, Woodfork are capable of taking over and stepping into a leadership role."