Lentz also showed himself to be one of the finest defensive catchers in college baseball. A First Team All-Ivy selection this season, Lentz threw out 19-of-55 would-be base stealers.

"I don't think there is a catcher in the league or even in New England that has an arm as good as [Lentz's]," Walsh said. "We were able to stop teams' running games with him."

Regardless of the limited individual successes, the 2000 season was a surprising setback for Harvard. Though the team completed Ivy League play with a .500 record, anything short of a league title has come to be considered a disappointment by the Crimson coaches and players, neither of whom had finished below first place ever before in their Harvard careers.

"This is the earliest I've ever wrapped up a season," Walsh said. "It's no fun when you've got days left in May and you're not playing."

Looking ahead to next year, Harvard should, in all likelihood, be considered a contender again. Much of the Crimson roster will be returning, including seven of the team's regular position-player starters from this year.

Walsh said he is already anxious for the team to have another chance to prove itself.

"We want to get back on top," Walsh said. "We don't want to be a middle-of-the-road Ivy League program. We want to be a program that tears up the Ivy every year and walks through these teams."

To return to its traditional status as an Ivy powerhouse and perennial postseason qualifier will definitely require some retooling.

As Walsh has learned from the events of this season, on-paper talent does not necessarily translate into success on the field.

"We're going to have to address some things and get better," Walsh said. "I don't think we can just put the uniforms on next year and count on good pitching."