Baseball hopes to win Gehrig

Balanced team expects to improve Just ask Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon to talk about the roster for the 1994 Quakers, and you can't help but notice it. It will be there when he talks of the depth he sees on the team. And the defense. And the timely hitting. At first you may struggle to put your finger on just what it is, but then it will suddenly hit you. This is a coach truly excited about what he sees. And what he sees in the 1994 Quakers is the makings of a winner. "Our goal with this team is definitely to win our division and win in the playoffs," he said. "This team has a lot of depth, probably more than any we've had. We've been able to use our speed and get hits. We've gotten off to a great start, and hopefully that will give us confidence going into league play." If the team's play early on is any indication, then Seddon, who enters his 24th year as the Penn skipper, may have good reason to be excited. The Quakers (9-4, 1-1 Ivy League) have jumped out of the gate this season, and should challenge defending-champion Columbia for first place in the Ivy League's Gehrig Division. They played solid baseball during spring break at the Cal State-San Bernardino tournament in California, and have continued to do so since returning to the East Coast, splitting a doubleheader at Columbia Saturday to open league play. "We have a really strong club this year," junior first baseman Allen Fischer said. "We've got a bunch of returning players, and a few strong freshmen and transfers. We all hit the ball, and our defense has been solid. It's a very well-rounded ball club." Fischer will play most of the time at first base, but sophomore Mike Shannon may see some time against left-handed pitching. Both players have started the season with hot bats and both play strong defense. (Fischer has made only one error in his Penn career.) Sophomore David Krzemienski is also capable of fielding the position. The second baseman is sophomore Derek Nemeth, who won the team's Outstanding Freshman award last year. Nemeth hit .306 in his rookie campaign, during which he played shortstop when Eddie MacDonald was injured. MacDonald, one of team's senior co-captains, will be the shortstop. He missed the second half of last season with a broken finger, but has completely recovered. He hit .378 during the summer in the Virginia Valley Baseball League. MacDonald will be counted on to provide leadership both on and off the field. He will most likely bat leadoff and is a stabilizing force in the field. "Eddie's as good a player as you're going to find in the league," Seddon said. "He has really done a great job as a captain, and he's just a really strong player all-around." At third base the Quakers will often play freshman Mark DeRosa, along with junior Rob Naddelman. Naddelman was a first-team all-Ivy selection last year, and his power at the plate may earn him some starts as the designated hitter. Much of optimism surrounding the team concerns the infield. All of the players in the infield are solid at their positions, and the team is fortunate to have some depth and flexibility. "Our infield is really strong and we're going to make very few errors," Fischer said. "Eddie is a great shortstop and he'll pick up any ground ball. Derek is so dependable at second base that you would be happy late in the game if the ball was hit to him. Mark has come in as a freshman, and he is a very smooth player." The outfield is also characterized by depth this season. Junior Michael Green, who was 16th in the nation last season with a .430 batting average, plays left, and junior Sean Turner, a transfer from Stanford, patrols center. Senior co-captain Tim Shannon will play in right field after hitting .291 with 16 RBI last season. Others who will be expected to contribute are senior David Goldberg, junior Ray Esquieres and junior Tim Henwood. Freshmen Jeremy Milken and Dan McCarthy have also been solid in early-season action. "In the outfield, we've traditionally been strong, especially in center," Shannon said. "That continues with Sean, who has come over from Stanford. I'll be playing in right, and there are a few guys in left. "There are a lot of people fighting for a few spots. Those are the kinds of problem you like to have. Those are good problems. As a captain, that's the kind of thing I like to see. Offensively, everyone's been hitting the ball hard. I'm happy with how everyone's been producing." Behind the plate is the combination of sophomores Rick Burt and Joe Piacenti. The two will be attempting to replace Ben Breier, who graduated last season after a memorable career. The Quakers are also deep on the mound. Three juniors, Ed Haughey, Dan Galles and Lance Berger, will be the top starters. Freshman Alex Hayden has also demonstrated the ability to be an effective starter. Junior Michael Martin, after being a starter part of last year, has developed a side-arm delivery and will be the team's closer. Seddon is quick to point out that amount of talent means there isn't really a "No. 1" on the staff. "We don't really feel like we have that kind of guy, because they're all equal," Seddon said. "It doesn't matter because you're going to pitch guys in big games based on how they've been throwing the ball." The Quakers will also bring an improved attitude and focus to the field this year. Many players felt the team lacked concentration at times last season and lost games it should have won, especially down the stretch and in late innings. "Our first concern was changing the attitude of the team right from the start," MacDonald said. "Last year, guys were complaining about playing time, but this year we set the tone for a team attitude. Even if you're on the bench, you're pulling for the guys out there. This year, the depth on the team and the competition with each other are forcing us to play well." Fischer has also noticed a greater concern for the good of the team this season as compared to last year. "This year's team is very unselfish," he said. "We're not as concerned with statistics as some guys were in the past. There's more of a focus on the team and on winning." At the plate, the Quakers do not have an abundance of power -- they will have to compensate for the loss of their top three home run hitters. But Bower Field is known as a pitcher's field. So Penn will rely on timely hitting and speed to manufacture runs. The team will play aggressive baseball from the first inning to the very last. "This is a not a team that is going to hit a lot of balls out of the ballpark," Seddon said. "We just don't have that kind of power. We can't sit and wait for someone to hit it 400 feet. We'll get our hits and we'll hit and run on the basepaths. We'll manufacture runs. We will gamble all over the place -- we'd be foolish not to. We will not be dormant and wait for something to happen." If this aggressive play pays off, then Penn will indeed be a force in the Gehrig Division and in the Ivy League. And then Bob Seddon will have even more reasons to be so excited.