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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University baseball senior infielder Jake Berger will serve the Crimson as a captain for the 2024 following a vote of the team’s student-athletes.
 
“It really means a lot to have the respect and trust of every single one of my teammates on the team,” Berger said. “Ever since I’ve joined this program, I’ve wanted to step into a leadership role, and this is a great opportunity for me.”
 
This past spring Berger earned a spot on the Ivy League All-Tournament Team and gained selection to the NEIBA New England All-Star Game. He played in all 44 games; one of three Crimson to do so. Berger made 43 starts, while ranking second on the team in hits (47), home runs (six), RBIs (32), slugging (.472), and walks (25) while ranking third in OPS (.863), runs (31), OBP (.391), and stolen bases (six). He hit .292 on the year with 11 doubles while pacing the team with 14 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games.
 
“I mean, it means the world these are the guys that I spend every day with when I’m around here, and even when I’m at home, I get to see a bunch of them,” Berger said. “So just to have this as a sign of respect, it means a lot.”
 
As a sophomore in 2022, Berger started all 41 games, one of only two Crimson to do so, while earning First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District. He ranked fifth in the Ivy League in walks (29) and led the team in runs (35) and walks (29). Berger ranked second on the team in OPS (.890), doubles (10), homers (seven), RBIs (29), and slugging (.484).
 
“I think that the path that’s been paved through the Harvard baseball program so far has set up this job to be fairly easy,” Berger said. “We’ve got really good culture within the team, guys that want to get better every day.”
 
In 2023, the Crimson gained a berth in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, securing the No. 2 seed behind a 15-6 Ivy League record, marking Harvard’s most Ivy League wins since 2005. The Crimson captured six of its seven Ivy League series during the regular season.