By Paul McNeeley

Special to the Gazette

Now for something completely different.

Brian Ralph's college experience has been different from anything he was exposed to in his hometown of Laguna Niguel, Calif. In addition to the obvious, West Coast beaches compared to New England winters, Ralph has witnessed a dissimilarity in the lifestyles of the two worlds he has called home in his 21 years.

Back West, the Mather House resident explains, people are more laid back and enjoy spending hours on the beach and in the surf. But in Cambridge, the sociology concentrator hardly has time to lounge around worry-free. With classes, homework, practice, and long seasons, life is very busy. But he's discovered that different can also be better.

Life started for Ralph in Dayton, Ohio, where he was born to Edward (now an independent consultant) and Michelle (a fourth-grade teacher).

At age one, his family moved to California. Soon after, his brother, Matthew, and sister, Katie, were born, giving him instant competition. As they grew up, all three dabbled in a variety of sports, keeping their parents busy trying to split time between their children's endeavors.

Ralph began playing organized baseball at age 7, and later added basketball, tennis, and soccer to his list. But at Dana Hills High School, he narrowed down his athletic pursuits. He was a guard and two-year starter on the best basketball team in school history, while earning All-South Coast League honors three times as an outfielder on the Dolphins' baseball team. While high school baseball provided a competitive atmosphere, Ralph credits his development to the recreational leagues he played in nine months out of the year during his entire childhood. As graduation neared in June of 1994, Ralph had to choose between a number of colleges that were seeking his speed and athletic ability.

"Growing up in California, you don't hear about Ivy League baseball too much," says Ralph. "I got to be very close to a lot of the guys around the leagues in California because we basically grew up together playing baseball and they were always talking about USC, UCLA, and Stanford. I never thought I would go across the country for college but, in the end, it came down to education. And when I visited Harvard and met people on the team and around the University, my mind was made up."

After his freshman year, however, doubt crept in. While Ralph was enjoying the Harvard experience overall -- classes, friends, roommates, social life -- he had some concerns about baseball that made him contemplate transferring. In that 1995 season, the Crimson won just 10 out of 35 games.

But the team's record wasn't really the issue. The problem stemmed from the absence of a full-time head coach. Consequently, Ralph felt the program lacked the necessary cohesiveness and direction.

"I didn't think we were prepared to compete at a high level," says Ralph. "That all changed before my sophomore season when Joe O'Donnell ['67, MBA '71] endowed the program. We were able to bring in a full-time head coach [current Harvard mentor Joe Walsh] and changes could be seen immediately."

In Walsh's first season, the Crimson turned things around with the help of a talented freshman class to post a 23-17 record and advance to the Ivy League Championship series. But in that League final, Ralph and his squad were swept by their bitter rival: the Princeton Tigers.

"As tough as it was to lose to Princeton, competing in the League championship gave us something to build on," Ralph explains. "We came into the '97 season focused, and ready to work hard. From the first day of fall ball, our team attitude was optimistic."

It didn't take long for that optimism to transform into impressive results. In the first week of the season, the Crimson upset 11th-ranked Miami, 9-6. Fueled by that early confidence, the team tore through its regular-season schedule, earning a 28-12 record, including an 18-2 mark in Ivy play to win the Red Rolfe Division. Ralph and company then settled their score with Princeton in the League championship, crushing the Tigers, 22-4, in the deciding game to earn Harvard's first Ivy title since 1985.

"That game will always be among my favorite memories in a Harvard uniform," says Ralph, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, three RBI, and five runs scored that May afternoon in Cambridge. "We proved that we had arrived."

Ralph had arrived individually as well, earning the 1997 Ivy League Player of the Year award. He led the team in batting average (.390), stolen bases (24), and runs scored (55) while placing second in home runs (6) and RBI (36). Ralph also had a phenomenal year in the outfield, making countless diving grabs and gunning down base runners.

The team's success continued in the double-elimination NCAA Midwest Regional when the Crimson upended top-seeded and third-ranked UCLA, 7-2, in the first round. The victory was extra sweet for Ralph, who earned bragging rights over old friends donning Bruins' uniforms. UCLA would gain its revenge two days later, knocking Harvard out in the Regional Semifinal, but Ralph's competitiveness was satisfied for the time being.

"Last year's success will again give us something to build on," says Ralph, who batted .385 in those 10 post-season games and ended the '97 campaign on a 19-game hitting streak -- one shy of the school record. "This year, the focus remains to win the Ivy title, but we shouldn't be satisfied with stopping there."

As competitive as he is, Ralph certainly won't be.