CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University baseball opens its Ivy League series with Columbia University with a doubleheader on Friday, April 28 at noon (ESPN+) at O'Donnell Field with game three of the series tentatively slated for Sunday, April 30 at noon (ESPN+) with a finalized date and time to be determined based on weather conditions.

What to Know

• The Crimson (14-21, 10-5 Ivy) and Lions (23-13, 11-4 Ivy) will vie for positioning in the Ivy League standings as both teams enter the weekend in the top half of the conference. Columbia and Penn rank in a tie for first place at 11-4 while Harvard and Princeton sit just one game back in a tie for third place at 10-5.
• Harvard is set to throw RHP Chris Clark (3-3, 5.51 ERA) in game one, either RHP Will Jacobsen (0-2, 7.85 ERA) or RHP Jay Driver (1-2, 4.17 ERA) in game two, and then a to be determined pitcher in game three.
• Columbia is set to counter with RHP Andy Leon (6-1, 3.70 ERA) in game one, RHP Joe Sheets (3-2, 3.42 ERA) in game two, and a to be determined pitcher in game three.
• Harvard leads the all-time series with Columbia, 91-70-1. The two teams first met in 1886.
• The Crimson won an Ivy League series for the fourth time in five conference weekends this season with its 2-1 series win over Brown. Harvard pitching registered a 2.03 ERA over the three-game series against the Bears with first-year right-hander Callan Fang earning a pair of saves. The Crimson won both games one and three via 4-1 scores.
• Harvard ranks 25^th in the NCAA in doubles per game (2.29) as a team while junior Peter Messervy stands 30^th in the nation in doubles per game (0.42) as an individual. Harvard has hit at least two doubles in 26 games this year and knocked a season-high six in game two vs. FIU (Mar. 4).
• As a team, Harvard ranks second in the conference in doubles (80) as well as pitching strikeouts (308), while leading the league in sacrifice flies (18). In Ivy play, Harvard's pitching staff ranks third in ERA (4.95) and strikeouts (142). The Crimson has tallied double-figure runs in five games and double-figure hits in 16 games in 2023.
• Junior Ben Rounds has posted a .290 batting average, 38 hits, 25 runs, 10 doubles, five home runs, and 28 RBIs. He stands third in the Ancient Eight in walks (22) and second in sacrifice flies (three). In Ivy only play, he leads the conference in walks (15) and stands sixth in stolen bases (five). Rounds notched a season-best four hits in game three at FAU (Mar. 12).
• Junior Jake Berger has posted a .285 batting average alongside 37 hits, 23 runs, nine doubles, and five home runs. He paces the league and sits 11^th in the NCAA in sacrifice flies (six). In Ivy only play, he stands first in sacrifice flies (three) and fourth in RBIs (15). He hit a key two-run home run in the Crimson's 3-2 win in 10 innings in game one at Penn (Mar. 24). Berger notched four hits in game two vs. Princeton (Apr. 4).
• Junior Peter Messervy ranks third in the Ivy League with 14 doubles and ranks 30^th in the NCAA in doubles per game (0.42). Messervy stands fourth in the conference in walks (14). Overall, he has hit .276 with 34 hits, 26 runs, and 13 RBIs. Messervy hit a go-ahead, bases-clearing double to help lead Harvard to a game two win over Dartmouth (Apr. 8).
• Senior Logan Bravo has notched a .281 average with 39 hits, 25 runs, 10 doubles, four homers, and 19 RBIs. In Ivy only play, he has hit .288 with 17 hits, 12 runs, and 12 RBIs. He tallied three two-hit games in the Texas A&M-CC series (Mar. 16-18) before a 3-for-5 effort with the go-ahead home run in the 10^th inning in the series opener with Penn (Mar. 24).
• Senior Hunter Baldwin has hit .296 on the season with 32 hits, 22 runs, six doubles, two homers, two triples, and 18 RBIs. In conference play, he ranks fifth in the conference in in stolen bases (six). Baldwin launched a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning in Harvard's game one win at Dartmouth (Apr. 8), blasting his second career homer and first since March 2019.
• Senior Will Jacobsen serves as a two-way player for the Crimson. At the plate, he has hit .292 with 26 hits, 10 runs, seven doubles, two homers, and 21 RBIs. In Ivy play, he has hit .327 with 18 hits, eight runs, four doubles, and 11 RBIs. On the mound, he has thrown 28.2 innings over eight appearances and seven starts. As a hitter, he posted six RBIs in game two of the FIU series (Mar. 4), and as a pitcher, he allowed just two runs over 6.0 innings in the Beanpot semifinals against Northeastern (Apr. 4).
• Sophomore George Cooper has hit .333 on the year with 31 hits, 15 runs, eight doubles, and 13 RBIs. He ranks ninth in the league with a .333 average. He has posted a pair of four-hit games this year – at FIU (Mar. 4) and at Brown (Apr. 22).
• Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Clark ranks 11^th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (13.69), while leading the Ivy League in strikeouts (72). He has tallied seven or more strikeouts in seven of his nine starts in 2023, including a career-high 11 strikeouts at Dartmouth (Apr. 8). Clark has registered 72 strikeouts over 47.1 innings pitched on the season. In Ivy play, he leads the league with 42 strikeouts over 28.1 innings.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Jay Driver ranks fifth in the Ivy League in strikeouts (54) and has notched a 4.17 ERA, throwing 49.2 innings on the year. He has posted six or more strikeouts in six of his starts this season.
• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Sean Matson has tallied a 3.41 ERA in conference play, while standing fifth in the Ancient Eight in strikeouts (33) in Ivy play. Overall, he has ranks eighth in the conference in strikeouts (45).
• Senior left-handed pitcher Harrison Stovern ranks sixth in the Ivy League in wins (four) and seventh in saves (two) after notching saves against Holy Cross (Mar. 28) and Northeastern (Apr. 4). In Ivy play, he sits fourth in the conference in wins (three). Over his last nine outings, he has allowed four earned runs over 15.0 innings.
• In Ivy League play, first-year right-handed pitcher Callan Fang ranks second in the conference in ERA (1.59), second in opponents' batting average (.169), and fourth in saves (three). He notched a pair of saves against Brown (Apr. 22, Apr. 25) and one against Dartmouth (Apr. 8).

Up Next

Harvard closes its regular season with a three-game home series against Yale with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 13 at 11:30 a.m. (ESPN+) and a single game on Sunday, May 14 at noon (ESPN+).