But just as impressive as his bat, arguably, was the right arm that held it.

The freshman served flawlessly as the team’s official closer, recording six saves—the most in Harvard history—over 12 appearances, limiting opponents to a feeble .180 batting average.

Oftentimes, a late-inning meeting at the mound meant that Wilson was going to make the short walk from third to the pitcher’s mound, and that the game was essentially over. He featured a hard fastball, a changeup, and a knee-buckling curveball that few Ivy Leaguers were able to touch.

“He’s got some bulldog in him,” Harvard coach Joe Walsh said after he shut down Cornell at home. “There are certain things about a closer, and he doesn’t fear hitters. He just goes after people. He’s going to come in there and throw strikes.

“He drops that curveball over when he’s behind in the count, and if you can do that you’re a quality pitcher. I was watching that Texas-Nebraska game for 14 innings, and they didn’t have a guy who could throw a breaking ball when they were behind in the count. We do.”

Stolen out of the clutches of Wake Forest as a recruit, Wilson decided to don crimson in lieu of basking in the Deacons’ southern climes after a late visit to Cambridge and last-minute call from Walsh.

“The other teams I had visited weren’t nearly as accepting, didn’t have the same kind of team—I guess chemistry that I felt was here,” Wilson said earlier this year. “Not to mention it’s the best school in the world. Both of those things together really changed my mind.”

Expository Writing, apparently, be damned.

—Staff writer Pablo S. Torre can be reached at torre@fas.harvard.edu.