Front and center

Dusty Harvard did not know high school baseball existed until he came to Oklahoma State.

Harvard, a native of Casper, Wyoming, didn't play for his high school because Wyoming high schools didn't offer baseball.

"Finding out that there is high school baseball is kind of different," Harvard said. "I used to just tell them my statistics from the summer league."

Harvard played with the Casper Oilers summer league team, and in 2006 hit .502, had 10 home runs, 71 RBIs and 52 stolen bases, and was a 28th-round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants.

"We all wondered how a guy could get here and get drafted who didn't play high school baseball," fellow senior Tyler Lyons said.

Harvard was a three-sport star, playing baseball for his summer league team, football and track for his high school.

He was a safety and receiver in football at Natrona County High School. He still holds the record for the most passes caught in a season and is second for most receiving yards in a season.

Harvard was recruited by Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado State and Boise State, but said he saw a brighter future in baseball.

"Getting drafted out of high school really made me realize that maybe there is an opportunity to play professionally and I never really thought I had that chance in football," Harvard said. "I mean I could play at the Division 1 level but playing in the NFL would be pretty tough. So I made my decision after I got drafted that I was going to stick with baseball."

Once he made that decision and got his scholarship to Oklahoma State, he was the first to receive a Division I baseball scholarship in Wyoming since 1986.

"They made it a pretty big deal," Harvard said. "My senior year coming out of high school it was all over the papers and stuff. It's a small state, so it was statewide."

Once at OSU, Harvard said he knew he would be coming in with a disadvantage and knew his coaches would have some work to do.

"Just playing in the summers really hurt me coming in as a hitter," Harvard said. "I'm limited in how much I've played. But they knew I hadn't had as much experience, so they knew I'd be a little rough around the edges."

Coach Frank Anderson said Harvard not playing in high school was a factor but not a big enough one.

"He's such a good athlete that we took a chance on him," Anderson said. "He's probably made himself one of the best center fielders I've ever been around."

Junior catcher Kevin David raved about Harvard's abilities and admitted the team has become a little spoiled with him in center field.

"He made a diving attempt at Texas and it looked like he really hurt himself," David said. "It was crazy because coach said for all of us, we were kind of mad he didn't make the catch because we're used to him doing it now. He makes those plays all the time."

Harvard has not made an error on 106 attempts this season, giving him the highest fielding percentage on the team. He also sports a .304 batting average and is 13-for-14 in stolen bases.

"He's a great athlete," David said. "You watch him and you wouldn't think he never played high school baseball. That's one of those things that catches you off guard."

Harvard said he has enjoyed starting his senior year, even though he said it is a strange feeling to be the only senior on the field at most times.

"When they announce my name and say, ‘senior Dusty Harvard,' I feel kind of weird being the only guy out there," Harvard said. "It's a big leadership role, and I try my hardest to help the younger guys and do what I can to make the team better."

Harvard graduates in May and will be the first in his family to do so.

He said getting a job is a possibility but would prefer a different route at this time in his life.

"Hopefully the good ol' batting average goes up by the end of the season and I get drafted again and I just see where that goes," Harvard said. "I'm not ready for a real job."

Perhaps getting drafted shouldn't be a concern for Harvard.

"I've played this game for probably 15 years now, and I've never seen a center fielder that can play like he does," David said. "He gets the balls that people shouldn't get to, and he makes plays that people shouldn't make."