Sophomore Brian Lentz is probably going to be a member of the miniscule three percent of Harvard undergraduates that leave without getting a degree.

That fact hardly bothers Lentz, however, as his destination will be somewhere a little more glamorous--a major league ballpark near you.

Lentz, the Crimson's starting catcher, is the key component on a baseball team that will thrive on pitching. He is a solid hitter (.283 last season with 16 RBI and five stolen bases), but his main strengths come behind the plate, where his game-calling ability and accurate arm make any pitcher feel at ease-- and any baserunner think twice before stealing.

"I take a lot of pride in calling a good game and making a pitcher look good, doing all the little things," Lentz, last season's All-Ivy first team catcher, says. "The reason catching lacks in pro baseball is that a lot of guys aren't enthusiastic about the position, but I've been catching since I was five."

While he will no doubt have a storied career before he leaves Harvard, his road to college ball is just as interesting.

Raised in Manchester, Mass., Lentz was the consummate jock during his time at St. John's Prep, a regional school in Danvers, Mass. His senior year, Lentz was a tailback on the nationally-ranked football team, starred on a hockey squad that was in the Super Eight and led the best baseball team in the state. He was always playing something, and the powers that be in baseball noticed.

"I always had a lot of exposure when I was younger, as I played on some national teams, including the 16-year old national team that beat the Cubans twice during the Pan Am Games," Lentz says. "So my senior year came and I was draft-eligible, and people were talking about me all over the place. Catchers tend to go a lot higher than people expect, because there's a shortage of them."

Lentz was in a position to go as high as the third or fourth round. Local scouts, followed by national cross-checkers (scouts who follow certain players), kept an eye on Lentz. At least twenty clubs contacted the all-star catcher, with the most persistent being the Red Sox, Reds, Royals and Padres. But Lentz was skeptical.