"Velocity is great, but it's hitting spots that turns into winning a lot more than velocity," Crockett said.

The Crimson's pitching staff also benefits from junior catcher Brian Lentz's expertise behind the plate. In addition to his hitting and defensive prowess, Lentz has earned praise for his ability to manage the game and help the pitchers improve.

"I'm not a guy that calls pitches, and I used to call them 75 percent of the time," Walsh says. "Last year that just dwindled and dwindled and dwindled. I have a lot of confidence in [Lentz]."

Lentz's battery-mates echo Walsh's sentiment.

"[Lentz] sees exactly what your pitches are doing," Ronz says. "He has a general idea of how certain pitches are supposed to be thrown, and he'll get on you if you leave a breaking ball up."

The Crimson won't be the only team boasting an improved pitching staff this year. Recognizing the successes created by strong rotations at Harvard and Dartmouth, other Ivy teams have begun recruiting higher-quality pitching.

Even lowly Yale, who finished last in the Red Rolfe Division in 2000, recruited several talented pitches last year in an effort to become more competitive.