Baseball faces critical series

Parity reigns in the Ivy League's Gehrig Division, with cellar-dweller Penn just one game out of first place. In such a tight race, one big weekend could be enough for a team to take the title. The Quakers (13-9-1, 5-5 Ivy League) are hoping this weekend's series against Gehrig rival Cornell can be the one that sends them on their way to the Promised Land -- Middletown, Conn., and the Ivy League championship series. By the same token, there is absolutely no room for error when the teams are so bunched together. The Quakers must use the friendly confines of Bower Field, where both doubleheaders take place, to their advantage. With another four-game set on the horizon at Princeton, just breaking even won't be enough for Penn this weekend. "These games are extremely important, no other way to put it," junior center fielder Sean Turner said. "It's key that we at least win three. We really should win four, in order to put ourselves in the best position." Trying to put the Quakers in a less-than-desirable position will be Cornell, which has surprised Ivy League baseball pundits with its fast start. Last year the Big Red finished a putrid 3-17 in league competition, but now Cornell is 5-3, 7-10 overall. Penn coach Bob Seddon doesn't think the turnaround is necessarily a tribute to the amount of talent on the Cornell roster. "Cornell this year has turned their program around amazingly quickly, but it's not because they have a lot of great players," he said. "It's because they've made the plays in the field and their pitchers throw strikes." Fundamentally sound teams are always tough to beat, and the Big Red will throw at Penn four starters who led Cornell to a stunning 4-0 record in a pair of doubleheaders against solid Dartmouth and Harvard teams two weekends ago. Cornell coach Tom Ford tentatively plans to start right-handers Matt Herrick and Drew Smith tomorrow ,and James Rothschild and Jared Cottle, another pair of right-handers, Sunday. "We just have to go out and play our game and if we hit the ball like we should it won't be a factor," Seddon said. "I'm just not worried about who's pitching for them and who's playing for them." Seddon is giving some thought to his own pitching rotation in the wake of the 42 runs in four games Penn gave up last weekend to Dartmouth and Harvard. Out is freshman starter Alex Hayden, who was thrashed in the two innings he pitched in a 15-2 loss to the Crimson. Sophomore Mike Shannon takes his place in the second game tomorrow in what will be Shannon's first career start in a league game. Leading off tomorrow's doubleheader is Ed Haughey, who has had his problems despite a 3-0 record. The junior is supposed to be Penn's top pitcher, but his 7.33 ERA does not bear that out. It is absolutely crucial for Haughey to get it together because the first two games may be the most important for the Quakers. "We have to set the pace on Saturday," Seddon said. "Our pitchers have to come to the front. It's tough to beat a team three or four times but we're in a position where we really need those wins." Pitching in games three and four will be juniors Dan Galles and Lance Berger. Berger has been by far the most consistent of the Penn starters with an excellent 2.93 ERA. The Quaker pitchers will go up against a Cornell lineup that Big Red coach Tom Ford readily admits is less than potent. As a team, Cornell is batting .263, which pales in comparison with Penn's .322 average. It is a lineup that fits in with the defense and pitching, in that it does what it needs to do to win. One player who knows how to win is senior outfielder John Tellford, who can do it all from the plate. He tops his team with a .333 batting average, three home runs, three doubles, and three stolen bases. Neither Tellford nor anyone else on Cornell is at the top of Seddon's list of concerns heading into the weekend. Spring Fling, looked forward to by most of the Penn community, is a time of the year Seddon dreads, and he told his team as much after practice yesterday. Seddon has placed senior co-captains Eddie MacDonald and Tim Shannon in charge of making sure that all the players stay away from the festivities for the most part. If the players do keep their heads, there is no reason why they can't take three or four games from the Big Red and put themselves one giant step closer to the Promised Land. "I think we have better baseball players than Cornell," Seddon said. "But that doesn't mean we're a better team. I personally think we're a better team, but we'll see after the weekend."