ED HAUGHEY: Master on the mound

Penn assistant coach Bill Wagner can still recall the first time he saw Ed Haughey play baseball. It was at Haddon Township in Westmont, N.J. Wagner was instantly impressed by Haughey's poise and character as he watched the high schooler crush a 400-foot home run. What went unnoticed at the time was Haughey's winning pitching performance. Although Haughey's hitting expertise did not attract the attention of scholarship schools, Penn and Princeton both drooled over the young prospect. The Tigers envisioned him filling their hole at third base for years to come. The Quakers saw something more -- maybe even a Division I pitcher. Since the fateful day when Haughey finally chose the friendly confines of West Philadelphia, he has never even logged one at bat for the Quakers. Instead, Haughey has spent the past four years stabilizing the Penn pitching rotation while posting some of the Ivy League's most prolific numbers on the mound. "He never really got a chance to hit because he became too valuable as a pitcher," Wagner confesses about his staff's ace. Haughey's value to the Red and Blue was evident the first day he walked down Locust Walk. The six-foot senior broke into the starting rotation just in time for the league campaign in his freshman season of 1992 -- a feat not accomplished since Craig Connolly did it in 1987. Connolly is still playing professionally today. Over the course of the past four years, Haughey has led the team in innings pitched and wins and ranks second in strikeouts. Because of his consistency and reliability, Wagner's decision to name his starter for the Ivy League opener was simple. Wagner considered only one factor when making his decision -- he wanted to start the Ivy season with a win. And after one game of league play, Penn stood at 1-0. "Ed Haughey threw like he always throws. All he does is win games," catcher Rick Burt said after the Quakers' 4-2 win over Harvard. "He threw great. He's consistent. He's a great pitcher." Haughey, however, was not the same caliber pitcher he is today when he first arrived at Bower Field. He had the potential, but he had not developed what is now by far his most deadly pitch -- the slider. This addition to his arsenal came during the summer following his first season. As Haughey, just a sophomore, perfected this pitch, Wagner wrote his name into the No. 1 slot. With this honor, though, came responsibility. Haughey had to set the tone in the opening game of every Ivy weekend. He went head-to-head with the opposition's best pitcher. He was the stalwart of the rotation, the rock of consistency and quality. No doubt there was added pressure. But if there was, it never affected Haughey. "It's really not that much pressure," Haughey shrugs at the suggestion. "You've got to keep in mind that you're not pitching against the other pitcher, you're pitching against their hitters. You just do all you can." With that awesome slider, Haughey has given the Quakers more than anyone could have ever expected. "It's always the slider. It's the only pitch he ever throws -- eight out of 10 pitches are sliders," Burt says of the secret to Haughey's success. "I don't know how his arm doesn't fall off. But he wants to throw it every time and I want to call it every time. It's no secret. It's a nasty pitch. People know it's coming. They just can't hit it." It is a slider right-handed hitters wish they could reach and one lefties wish they could lay off. This year, it's produced a league-leading 6-1 record and 45 strikeouts. He's also held opponents to a 2.31 earned run average. But even after four years of giving everything to the Penn baseball program, Haughey still dreams of unfulfilled opportunities. "I love to hit. I wish I could still do it," Haughey fantasizes. "I'm still hoping that one game it's a blowout and I can get an at bat, but I'm not counting on it." After relying on Ed Haughey's right arm for four successful years, maybe it's time the Quakers' coaching staff sees if that magic Wagner witnessed at Haddon Township is still there.

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