The Catcher

In June 1987 the New York Yankees tailed to sign Catcher Brad Ausmus '91.a recent high-school graduate who chose, instead, to attend Dartmouth. Ausmus held fast when the Yankees Weekend the offer during his family vacation that August in Cape Cod. but riding home to New Haven Connecticut, he wavered. "I made a provision [with the Yankees]," Ausmus says, "that I could go to college my entire freshman year and not have to go to spring training. The other years I could squeeze in two trimesters and go to spring training in March "

During the next five and a half years Ausmus fought through the minor leagues of baseball and coursework at Dartmouth. "Brad had to craft an Ivy League education around the demands the Yankee farm system, and he did it," says professor of government Roger Masters, who remembers Ausmus completing a paper from spring tranining.

Ausmus earned- his degree in government in 1993, the same summer he was Called to the major leagues."when those tow things happened two month a says Ausmus's father, Harry, "getting the degree Nas more of a thrill than becom- ing a major league ball player.

Ausmus was selected by Colorado in the 1992 expansion drift and later tradedto San Diego.Detroit, and I luiiston. It was in Houston last year thit the 5-foot 11,195pound backstop found roots. Playing in 130 games,Ausmus threw out 49.5,percentof runners tryiag to steal, tops, in the National League, and became recognized as one of the top defensive catchers in baseball He hit a respectable .266, stole 14 bases and lashed a career-high 25 doubles. His three-run homer in the seve enthinning in September 1997 broke open a 2-l game as Houston beat Chicago 9-1, to win their first divisional championship since 1986! The Astros signed him to a three-year, $7.5 million contract before the 1998 season, hailing him as the solution to a 15-year problem "We've had a lot of catchers that shared time." says Houston manager Larry Dierker. "We were looking for a guy who had the tough ness to catch every day and had the mentaiity to help young pitchers and show leadership." They found that combination in the Ivy League graduate one of just three Ivy Leagners in Major League Baseball (Cincinnati pitcher Mike Remlinger '88 and Philadelphia outfielder Doug Glanville of Penn arc the others).

Houston's decision seems to be paying off. At this writing, as the '98 season heads into the home stretch, Ausmus is catching even day. hitting .260, helping young pitchers, and showing leadership as the Astros sir just where they want to be: on top of the National League's central division.

Ausmus '91 scored a government degree and a call to the major leagues in 1993. '