CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University baseball opens its 2025 season with three games at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina from Feb. 21-23 (USA Baseball.TV) with games against Fordham (Feb. 21) as well as a pair of Big Ten opponents – Northwestern (Feb. 22) and Indiana (Feb. 23).
What to Know
- The weekend – and Harvard's 2025 season – opens with Fordham on Friday, Feb. 21 at 2:00 p.m. prior to matchups against Northwestern on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1:30 p.m., and Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 10:00 a.m.
- Harvard's weekend rotation will feature LHP Brian Dowling (2024: 1-3, 11.29 ERA) on Friday, RHP Truman Pauley (2024: 1-4, 6.14 ERA) on Saturday, and RHP Andrew Abler (2024: 1-1, 4.70 ERA) on Sunday. Fordham will counter with RHP Aidan Dowd on Friday.
- Harvard leads the all-time series with Fordham, 5-3, in a series that started in 1892. The Crimson and Rams last met in 1936. Harvard trails Northwestern, 0-9, all-time and trails Indiana all-time, 0-1.
- Opening non-conference play, Harvard plays eight of its first nine games against Power Four conference opponents with matchups against the Big Ten's Northwestern (Feb. 22) and Indiana (Feb. 23) as well as the SEC's Florida (Mar. 7-9). The Crimson plays at neutral or road sites for the first 16 games of its season (Feb. 21 to Mar. 23) before competing at home for the first time vs. Holy Cross on Mar. 25.
- On the mound, Harvard brings back 2024 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Callan Fang (83 strikeouts in 64.0 innings in 2024).
- Harvard returns several key hitters to its lineup from the 2024 season, including two-time All-Ivy selection and senior captain George Cooper (.303 career average), 2024 Second Team All-Ivy pick William Lybrook (.340 average in 2024), and 2024 Honorable Mention All-Ivy honoree Jack Rickheim.
- Senior George Cooper will serve the Crimson as the team's captain in 2025. For his career, the two-time All-Ivy selection has played in 107 games with 103 starts, hitting .303 with 78 runs, 135 hits, 26 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, and 55 RBIs.
- Fenway Park will host this year's Baseball Beanpot on Tuesday, April 29. The college baseball doubleheader will feature teams from Boston College, Northeastern, the Massachusetts, and Harvard. Fenway Park has hosted the tournament 24 times since it began in 1990, including most recently in 2019. Harvard has won five Beanpot titles all-time including in 1991, 1998 (co), 2005, 2014, and 2018.
- Highlights from the Crimson's schedule include three trips to the South during non-league play, its first Ivy series at Penn (Mar. 22-23), its home opener vs. Holy Cross (Mar. 25), its first Ivy home series against Yale (Mar. 29-30), The Baseball Beanpot at Fenway Park (Apr. 29), the final series of the regular season at home vs. Columbia (May 3-4), and a hopeful berth in the four-team Ivy League Tournament (May 16-19).
- Harvard earned the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the eighth straight year for its achievements in the classroom during the 2023-24 academic year.
- Harvard featured a pair of draft picks in the 2024 MLB Draft as right-hander Sean Matson went to the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth round before right-hander Tanner Smith went to the San Diego Padres in the 15th round.
- Hunter Bigge '20 made his Major League Baseball debut on July 9, 2024 with the Chicago Cubs. In 2024, he pitched for both the Cubs and the Tampa Bay Rays, making 19 appearances and posting a 2.60 ERA over 17.1 innings.
Up Next
Harvard plays a three-game series against Michigan State in Greenville, South Carolina from Feb. 28 to Mar. 2 with game one on Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m., game two on Mar. 1 at 6:00 p.m., and game three on Mar. 2 at noon.
