Baseball travels a few blocks to play a pair vs. Drexel

Last weekend, most of the Penn pitchers never left what was surely a crowded bullpen. With three starters hurling complete games, there were limited opportunities for the rest of the Quakers staff to see action. Today's game up the road at Drexel (17-14-1) has very little meaning other than providing a chance for Penn (13-15-1) to throw the rest of its staff on the mound. "We need a lot of games to give our pitchers a chance to play," Penn coach Bob Seddon said. "This game will have no meaning for the weekend -- it's not a momentum thing." Penn's starter in the Drexel games will probably go only two innings, so the choice has yet to be made. The probable starter will be freshman John Dolan, who would make his first collegiate start. He will be followed by fellow freshman Anthony Napolitano, as Penn will utilize a revolving door system for its pitchers with up to seven hurlers seeing action. Penn will not only call upon its younger pitchers, but also starter Mike Greenwood, who has struggled with a 8.03 earned run average this season. After getting knocked out in the first inning against Yale last weekend, it is vital for Greenwood to try to regain the form that had him penciled in as one of Penn's top starters. The coaches will also bring underworked closer Travis Arbogast in the last inning, regardless of the score at the time. "Every time you go out there, you pretend it's like the World Series," Arbogast said. "You have to be focused. Its the same every time you pitch, no matter what the situation is." The lineup Penn faces will certainly provide the pitchers with a challenge. The Dragons feature four hitters batting over .370, and as a team they have hit .312. Leadoff hitter Kevin Fahy is a threat on the basepaths, as evidenced by his 27 steals in 28 attempts. He is backed up by a powerful lineup, including outfielder Matt Sparling (.373 average, eight home runs and 40 RBIs) and catcher Lou Marchetti (.433,10 and 43). Despite scoring almost eight runs a game, Drexel has managed a record only slightly better than .500 because of its poor pitching staff. The Drexel hurlers have a less than impressive ERA of 8.12, and in eight of the Dragons' losses, the opponents have scored over 10 runs. "Their pitching has given up a lot of hits and bases on balls (19 baserunners per nine innings)," Seddon said. "Their pitching has been their Achilles' heel." This is good news for a Penn lineup which continues to struggle along with a .273 average. Most of the Penn regulars will be in the lineup, as the Quakers try to regain their form after being held in check by the Yale hurlers. Penn may even hit one out of the park for the first time at Drexel; the Dragons have finally installed an outfield fence at their field at 43rd and Powelton streets. The renovations made on their field is typical of the progress Drexel's program has made in recent years. Head coach Don Maines has created a respectable program at his school -- last weekend the Dragons defeated a very good Delaware team. As Seddon said, "This is not the Drexel of old." Yet Penn is not kidding itself that this game is of extreme importance for either team. There is definitely a focus on the upcoming games against Cornell this weekend, where Penn needs to win at least three of four to remain in contention for its division title. "The division games are the ones that matter," Seddon said. "You're not going anywhere in two weeks if you don't win the weekend games."