EMERSON, Ga. – The Harvard-Westlake Wolverines got to experience what it was like to have a big-league schedule for a week. The Wolverines made the trip from Los Angeles, Calif., to compete in the Louisville Slugger Select Classic #3 at Perfect Game Park South-LakePoint. After playing five games in four days, head coach Matt LaCour and his Wolverines managed to make it through some early mornings and unexpected rain to go 5-0, and take home 1st place in the LSSC #3.
These Wolverines utilized a West Coast style of baseball that fits into the makeup of the team well.
“We're a highly academic school and we sometimes don’t get the best athletes, so we have to play baseball the right way," LaCour said after his team's championship. "We have to execute the game plan, we have to run the bases the right way and we rely on that, along with our pitching, to keep us in games, and win games against good teams.”
When LaCour says “highly academic school” he means it. Senior middle-infielder Chase Aldridge is committed to Harvard. Senior Matt Beyer is a Brown commit. Paul Giacomazzi is off to Yale next year. Catcher Jackson Greyson is an Emory commit. And last but not least, Ezra Steinberg is an Oregon commit.
Harvard-Westlake outscored its opponents 37-10 in its five games at the LSSC #3. The ability to put those runs up without a home run in the tournament is a testament to the commitment of executing the bunt-and-run offense that LaCour has made a staple at Harvard-Westlake.
Senior Ezra Steinberg led the way offensively for the Wolverines, going 9-for-14 with eight runs scored and five steals in the tournament. Junior Cameron Deere went the distance in game two with two earned runs and one walk with four strikeouts. The bullpen was led by junior Paul Giacomazzi, and sophomore Ben Geiger, as each threw 5 1/3 innings with five hits allowed combined.
To LaCour, the wins are great, but the experience as a whole was the true prize.
“This trip for us is more about the team getting to know each other on a better level, bonding, going through some adversity of having to get up early in the morning, dealing with the rain which we don’t have to deal with a whole lot. It prepares these guys for college when they go to the East Coast, and it prepares us, gives us a little more toughness for when we get back into league play.”