It's no secret that after winning three consecutive Ivy titles from 1997 to 1999, the Harvard baseball team stumbled last year.

The Crimson finished the year with a lackluster league record of 10-10, which placed Harvard third in the four-team Red Rolfe Division.

"I felt like the league got better and we didn't," said Harvard Coach Joe Walsh at the conclusion of last season. "I'd like to say we had a good season, but there isn't anybody who's going to believe that."

After last year's struggles, the Crimson will have to increase its level of play if it plans on competing with several strong Ivy League opponents.

Red Rolfe Division

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The first step in Harvard's return to the top will be a strong showing in the Red Rolfe Division, where the Crimson faces each opponent four times over the course of the season.

Brown

Brown finished last season ahead of Harvard, capturing second place in the Red Rolfe division. This year, Brown returns seven players from last season's starting lineup, including senior outfielder Todd Iarussi.

Iarussi, who won All-Ivy First Team honors in 2000, is Brown's captain and will anchor the Bears' batting order. He posted very impressive numbers in last year's campaign: a .351 batting average with 35 RBI, 60 hits, 20 doubles and 103 total bases.

While Ivy League pitchers will be looking out for Iarussi, another member of Brown's roster has been known to give the Crimson fits.

Brown returns an average pitcher named Jim Johnson. Last season, Johnson looked like the second coming of Koufax, beating the Crimson twice and hurling two complete games.

While Brown's veterans will make the Bears formidable, they will be hard-pressed to improve on last year's feat of finishing the year with five more wins than Harvard.

Dartmouth

Dartmouth appears to be Harvard's biggest challenge this year and is the likely frontrunner in the Red Rolfe division.

The Big Green won the division last year, posting an Ivy record of 17-3 and an overall record of 29-12. Dartmouth fell 2-0 to Princeton in the Ivy Championship series, but still impressed observers around the Ivy League.

"I would think that Dartmouth is going to be real strong this year," Walsh says.

Four Dartmouth players were First Team All-Ivy selections last year. Both of the pitchers from that elite group, Conor Brooks and Jon Miller, have graduated, which hurts Dartmouth's pitching staff.