The baseball team took down the Harvard Crimson Sunday to earn just its second conference win this season, with an outstanding performance from Dave St. Lawrence ’15. The hurler threw all seven innings of the game, allowing no walks and just four hits — no more than one per inning. The junior was not given much margin of error by his offense, which put only one run on the board. But St. Lawrence’s shut out of Harvard nine was enough for the 1-0 victory. Following in the footsteps of fellow teammate Christian Taugner ’17, St. Lawrence was named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week. This is the first time since 2012 that Brown has had two players receive this honor in the same season. For this feat and his victory against Harvard, Dave St. Lawrence is The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.
Herald: Why did you first start playing baseball?
St. Lawrence: Probably because of my dad. He got me into it when I was little and taught me all the basics and whatnot. I was into a bunch of sports, but I guess growing up, baseball was just my favorite to play.
What made you want to pitch, specifically? Was it always something you wanted to do?
Not really. When I was growing up, all the kids learned to play all the different positions, but I definitely liked pitching a lot. When I came here, I actually played infield and pitched a little bit — I did both. Then toward the end of my freshman year, me and my coach thought it would be a good idea to just pitch, and I sort of stuck with it. I like it a lot.
Were there any points where you considered quitting baseball?
Growing up, not really. It’s a tough sport, and there’s a lot of ups and downs. There are times I feel like it, but I never actually wanted to quit. I mean, everyone has that. So not really; I always liked playing. I didn’t really know if I was going to play in college or not, but once I decided to do that, I was in it for the long run.
What made you want to come play baseball at Brown?
Well my sister is a senior here. My mom went here, and her parents went here. It’s sort of been a family thing. I always thought it’d be cool, when I would visit when I was younger, to go here. So I guess I always sort of had my eye on it. And then I met the players and some of the coaches I really liked.
What would you say is your biggest accomplishment so far?
Probably just being able to play here. We’re getting better, I think, as a team. And individually just being able to play and compete at this level, I think, has been a big accomplishment for me.
What was the game against Harvard like for you?
It was fun. It was just good to win. We haven’t had many wins in the league yet, so to get a win was probably the best part. Anytime you can pitch deep into a game, too, is fun.
Were you nervous? What kind of mindset did you have going into the game?
I always feel a little bit of nerves before, but usually once I get out there, I tell myself that I’m going to be fine. I’ve done this a thousand times, so that’s basically the mindset I have. I don’t really change anything from start to start. I just sort of try to relax, and once I get out there, I just do it. There’s no real mental preparation.
What about after the game: How did the team feel about the victory?
We were pumped. We had split the day before, so we really wanted to come out and get the first one to make sure we had at least a split of the series. I think the whole team played really well that day. I was striking a ton of guys out, defense was really good behind me and we had some good at-bats at the end of the game. So it was a good team win.
What can we look forward to seeing during the rest of the season?
Hopefully some more wins. You never know, but I think we’re starting to turn the corner, start a new page a little bit with a new, fresh, confident mentality that we can carry on into the remainder of the year and next year.
What’s your favorite kind of pitch to throw?
Probably just the fastball. I just like throwing it hard. Obviously you can’t do it all the time, but probably the fastball.
Do you have a favorite MLB team?
Yeah, the Boston Red Sox. I grew up in Connecticut, close to Massachusetts. I always grew up with my parents liking them, so I always liked them too.
Who is your favorite cartoon character and why?
I always liked SpongeBob growing up, probably the most. It was just a funny show, for no real reason. But I like him the best, if I had to choose just one.
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