Baseball to face Lions in home-and-away series

Let the Ivy League season begin. After a spring break trip to Florida and two midweek battles with St. Joseph's, Penn (8-7) faces off against arch-rival Columbia (5-12). And this time it's personal. "We don't like each other very much," Quakers catcher Rick Burt said. "There's a lot of trash talking and disagreements. Ever since I've been here, that's been our number one rival. The first time I played them I thought they had attitudes. I didn't like their attitudes, and it makes me want to beat them very badly every time I play them. And it's been like that every time." The two schools have battled for the Gehrig Division title since the Ivy League instituted the two-division system four years ago. Two years ago, Penn swept a doubleheader from the Lions to take the division title. Last year, Penn already had an established lead, which it sustained. The Quakers have emerged as victors for two straight seasons. "It's always a war up there," Burt said. "They're pretty intense, as are we. It gets pretty heated." While the on-field play may be heated, the temperatures have been far below normal for spring. Penn has been watching the weather forecast with added interest. Yesterday's ice storm drove the Quakers indoors, and the team expects to battle the elements, as well as the Lions, this weekend. Continued cold weather, an advantage to the older Penn pitching staff, may help power them past Columbia. "A pitcher can dominate a team in the cold weather," Quakers assistant coach Bill Wagner said. "One batter comes up and all the other batters are sitting in the dugout freezing their butts off while a pitcher is constantly warmed up and into a groove. If you can keep your pitcher in a state of mind where the weather's not a problem and he can grip the ball, the pitcher can have an advantage." Penn staff ace Mike Shannon (1-1, 4.12 ERA) will be leading the Quakers into New York. In the tiny confines of Coakley Field, he will have to keep the ball down and away from the hitters, according to Wagner. He has had no problem with that task thus far, striking out a Ivy-leading 20 hitters. As a hitter, Shannon has fared much better against opposing pitchers than opposing hitters have against him. The co-captain leads Penn in batting with a .403 average while holding the opposition to a .270 batting average. Columbia star pitcher Steve Ceterko is no stranger to the Quakers. He has faced them three times during his collegiate career, and each time, he has lost. "He self-destructed against us for three straight years," Penn head coach Bob Seddon said. "He's a pretty good pitcher, and I'm sure he's on a mission." However, the Quakers have their own mission-fulfilling pitcher. Junior lefty Mike Greenwood (0-0, 3.21) will be starting the second game in New York. Projected as only a weekend reliever in the preseason, Greenwood replaced junior righthander Alex Hayden last Sunday and shut out Coppin State for six innings. It will be the second start of his collegiate career. "I think he's ready," Burt said of his batterymate Greenwood. "He showed up really focused and ready to play. He's looked very good every time out. I have complete confidence in him. I think he's going to shut them down." Columbia's strength has traditionally been power hitting and, with the centerfield fence a mere 350 feet from home plate, the Quakers anticipate a home run derby in New York. Third baseman Marc Mezzadri leads the Lions in batting this year with a .344 average, 13 runs scored and nine RBIs. He has become a top-notch third baseman this season, after making the switch from catcher. Travis Hunter is tied with Mezzadri for the team lead in hits. He also has three home runs so far this season. "Columbia's very determined," Seddon said. "Their stats don't show that they're a good team, but when it gets into weekend play, forget all the stats." On Sunday, Ivy League Pitcher of the Week Armen Simonian (2-0, 0.75) brings his microscopic ERA and perfect record into the first game of a noon doubleheader for the Quakers. Junior righthander A.B. Fischer (1-2, 4.50) will be on the mound for the Quakers in the latter contest. A flyball pitcher, Fischer has the advantage of throwing in relatively spacious Bower Field. It is Simonian's and Fischer's jobs to keep the Lions from upsetting the Quakers at home. "It's a little bit easier to get to the top than it is to stay on the top," Seddon said. "They have a psychological advantage, something to fire them up as opposed to our case, since we've beaten them. Now it's a question of continuing to do so."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.