Harvard baseball coach Joe Walsh died early this morning, according to the Harvard Athletic Department. No cause of death has been announced. He was 58.

In a statement, Athletic Director Bob Scalise expressed his grief.

“This is a tragic day for everyone associated with Harvard athletics, Massachusetts baseball and the larger baseball community,” Scalise said. “Joe's passion for the game redefined success in the Ivy League and he positively impacted the lives of so many people. To say that he will be missed would be an understatement.”

Walsh had served as the Crimson’s manager for 17 years, and spent most of his life in the Boston area.

"just don't believe it's real yet, incredibly saddened. The world lost a great man today," tweeted Andrew Ferreira, last year's co-captain who recently signed with the Minnesota Twins.

A native of West Roxbury, Walsh was twice named the Northeast Region Division I Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and spent time coaching in the historic Cape Cod League as well as in the Ivy League.

—Staff writer Jacob D. H. Feldman can be reached at jacobfeldman@college.harvard.edu.