"I never wanted to say. 'Screw baseball,'" hesays. "I want to be the best. I'm aperfectionist."
Most of all, he simply enjoys playing the game."I just like hitting a baseball," he says.
Even by the standards of his high school, whichhas sent 29 players to the Major Leagues, Lopezstands out. In his senior year, he scored fivehome runs and 44 RBIs, turning in a .415 battingaverage.
"That's a good batting average, coming from thebest program in the country," he says. "We don'tface weak competition--we face the toughestpitchers in the country. At our school you have toearn every statistic you get."
There is a trace of bravado in the stockyoutfielder's voice as he reels off the numbers,but then perhaps that isn't surprising. Lopez washeavily recruited in his senior year, attractingthe interest of the Atlanta Braves and PittsburghPirates. In July he ever appeared in a MiamiHerald magazine cover story.
Lopez seems to enjoy the attention. He tellsthe story of a night game his senior year againstKey West High, a match-up between the twotop-ranked high school teams in the country. Thegame, he says, attracted 5,000 spectators to theUniversity of Miami ball field, including collegeand pro scouts, and was being broadcast on ESPN.
When Lopez came to the plate in the lateinnings, it was as the Warriors' last chance.
"We were losing 3-2, there was a man on first,they had their ace on the mound," he says. "I hita home run and we won by that run."
As Lopez displayed bulging gold championshiprings, it was clear that consistent wins havebolstered his confidence.
"It's a fun game, you know," he says."Especially when you do well."
Though Enough
Although he sparked the interest of MajorLeague teams, Lopez decided that going prostraightaway wasn't worth skipping college. Andwhen Harvard called, he decided the school'sacademic reputation was too good to pass up.
"I really didn't plan on coming to Harvardbecause I didn't think I could hack it," Lopezsays. "But I just decided that Harvard could giveme the best of both worlds."
While he was an excellent student in highschool, Lopez is nervous about college and lifeafter graduation. He has reason to stress--theprospective biology and anthropology jointconcentrator hopes to someday attend medicalschool.
In high school, he says, "I just did my work.Here it's going to be a much different ball game."
One way Lopez is coping with the pressure isthrough religion. A devout Catholic, heimmediately sought out the ministry at St. Paul'sChurch on Bow St.
"I've noticed myself praying more because I'mhomesick," he says--especially