He lost a 1-0 duel to national power Ohio State on Mar. 25 before the Ivy League schedule began. And, in his final appearance, Birtwell went a gutsy ten innings in a 3-2 loss to eventual Red Rolfe Division champion Dartmouth.

"He's one of those guys who you hope gets a shot at the next level," Harvard Coach Joe Walsh said after the team's final game.

While Birtwell's selection was not shocking, the absence of other Crimson players on the First and Second Teams was a surprise.

Several juniors, including pitcher Ben Crockett, shortstop Mark Mager and third baseman Nick Carter received honorable mention. Senior right fielder Scott Carmack and freshman Trey Hendricks also received the honorable mention distinction.

"I was a little disappointed that there weren't more players named to the First Team," Birtwell said. "I thought several of my teammates were more deserving than I was, guys like Nick Carter and Mark Mager."

Carter led the Crimson with a .380 batting average and eight home runs overall, but had the misfortune of playing at the same time as Dartmouth's Brian Nickerson. The senior, widely recognized as one of the great cornermen in Ivy League history, graduates as a three-year First Team selection.

Similarly, Mager led the Crimson with 33 RBI, but Brown shortstop Dan Kantrovitz batted .417 and was fourth in the Ivy League in RBI.