Walsh agreed.

"I think Crockett's got the best fastball on the team and a good hard breaking ball," he said. "But that's not what makes him great. He's competitive, he wants to finish what he starts and I think he's going to be a real inning-eater for us."

Walsh said he will throw the Topsfield native No. 2 in the rotation.

Two other seniors--righthanders Andrew Duffell and Donny Jamieson--made 16 starts between them and combined for an 8-3 record. Both are capable of filling the fourth slot in the weekend quartet, but Walsh said he was leaning toward using Jamieson out of the bullpen. Last year, Jamieson got both of the Crimson's NCAA tournament wins in middle relief.

"It's all about the guy on the bump," Walsh said. "And we got that guy."

Down the rightfield line, the Crimson can trot out an impressive pen alongside Jamieson, one which racked up better than half of its 36 wins in relief, including a combined 11-0 mark from graduates Mike Marcucci and John Wells.

Junior Derek Lennon is the long relief anchor who in his first season out of the JV program put together a 3-1 record and threw 29 innings in 11 appearances, limiting the opposition to a.223 batting average.

Junior Mike Madden--who is also a defensive back on the football team--is the incumbent closer, one of the reach-back-and-gun variety. But Madden has battled an elbow spur on-and-off.

"Madden is showing signs of being able to handle a lot more innings this year," Walsh said. "As a freshman, he was our No. 1 pitcher, and if he gets back to where he was in freshman year, whoa! He's gotten much, much stronger."

The Crimson gets another two-sport wonder in freshman Justin Nyweide, who came over from the men's swimming team.

"He's got potential written all over him," Walsh said. "He's a little behind, because of swimming, but he's a guy who can help our staff immensely."

Keck, whom Walsh consistently praises as calling the best game in the conference, will handle the pitchers. Keck hit .386 with three home runs and 37 RBI last season.

Around the Horn

Harvard only loses one infielder, but at times, Dave Forst '98 seemed more like two.

"Forst was important, to say the least," said senior second baseman Peter Woodfork. "He was a captain and a leader--but we're all capable of doing the job and hopefully it'll work out."