SEASON PREVIEW: New-look lineup hopes to pull Softball out of cellar

and Joanna Jacobs When you win, nothing hurts. So goes the back of the 1996 Penn softball T-shirt -- a motto indicative Penn's hunger for a productive season. Last spring, Penn was depleted by a rash of injuries to its key players. The Quakers ended their season with an 11-32 overall record, 3-9 in the Ivy League. But this year, Penn is salivating over its chances to climb out of the cellar, even with a lack of experience and talent looming over the team. "What I like about this team is they're excited about playing the game," Quakers coach Linda Carothers said. "They are depending not so much on talent. We've got more guts and more heart than we've had here in a long time. I think that's what's going to carry us through the season." If Penn's annual trip to Florida is any indication, there may be some truth to Carothers' claims. The Quakers improved on last year's spring break record of 1-11 with a 2-5 performance, beating Monmouth (8-3) and Sienna (5-4). But the real purpose of the journey to the Citrus State was to identify problems and fix them. "The win-loss ratio isn't really relevant," Carothers said before the trip. "When we come back [from Florida], for the most part, we should know exactly how solid we are and how solid we aren't." The meat of Penn's lineup is made up of juniors Laurie Nestler, Kara Lecker and Lisa Zelnick. After leading the team in doubles and triples last season, Nestler started this year batting .474. Lecker and Zelnick each hit .333 during the break. The heart of the pitching staff is junior Vicki Moore and sophomore Jen Strawley. Last spring Moore led the team in ERA (2.90), strikeouts (47), complete games (11) and opponents' batting average (.258). So far this year, Moore has a 1-1 record and one save. Strawley has shown promise in her three appearances, recording 11 strikeouts, while only walking three. "She struggled quite a bit last year and lost her confidence," Carothers said. "But she came back really strong for us in Florida." In fact, Strawley's aggressive play on the base paths will cost her appearances at the plate. She broke her pinky finger on her glove hand while sliding into first base during the game against Dayton. Martha Merkel will assume first base duties, with Lauren Mishner at the keystone sack and Sherryl Fodera at shortstop. Fodera's seven-game hitting streak was the highlight of the trip down south. Sophomore Amy Malerba, who played second last year, will start this season at third. Sophomore Rachel Benepe will be behind the plate. Lecker and Nestler start in left field and center field, respectively. While these two juniors have locked up their positions, right field is still up for grabs. Zelnick, sophomore Wendy Schwab and freshman Arlyn Katzen, who also is backup catcher, are competing for the open spot. While the freshmen may shore up the Quakers' traditionally porous defense, things might not flow so smoothly at bat. "Once we get to the bottom half of our batting order, things get a little sketchy," Carothers said. "The bottom is a whole lot lighter than it usually has been in the past. Every one of my juniors and sophomores is in the top half of the batting order. I think the freshmen that aren't in the top half of the batting order are struggling a little bit with their confidence." This afternoon, the Quakers will need to get production throughout the lineup if they are going to beat Villanova in today's doubleheader. The Wildcats, who went 7-5 during their own Florida trip, are always a tough opponent for Penn. Last year, Villanova swept all three games against Penn. But this year, Moore feels things will be different. "With all our new freshmen, plus a solid core of juniors and sophomores, I think we will be able to challenge Villanova," Moore said. Carothers will not guarantee a record above .500, but one thing is for sure -- she knows she can count on maximum effort from all her players for the entire season. With Carothers and the Quakers aware of how challenging and difficult this season will be, Penn will due its best to counterbalance inexperience on the field and at the plate by enforcing its new aggressive never-say-die attitude.