BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: Quakers could play Explorers today

As of last night, the Penn baseball team had yet to find out if it would be playing its game against La Salle as scheduled today. The Explorers were in the midst of their second round matchup in the Liberty Bell Tournament at Veterans Stadium, where a win would earn them another game on today, which would take precedent over the game with Penn. The Quakers (10-13-1), who originally had two games scheduled this week, face the possibility of not playing any mid-week games. Penn coach Bob Seddon, realizing his team's need for game experience, scrambled to line up a game. As expected, other teams were not too responsive to scheduling a tentative game. Villanova, whose earlier game against Penn was a rainout, did not choose to reschedule for this afternoon. But mid-week games are a necessity for the struggling Quakers as they try to hit their stride. "If we had eight in a row, it would not be as important," Seddon said. "We just need to have the kids play." In a worst-case scenario, Penn would have an intra-squad game today. Yet the Quakers would miss out on game conditions in what would be little more than a glorified practice. It's safe to say Penn is hoping it faces a La Salle team coming off a loss today. · Penn has used so many lineups this season that no one can be certain who will play until the team takes the field. In the Quakers' last eight games, they have used eight different lineups. Armen Simonian, Penn's jack-of-all trades, played first base, second base, right field and pitcher -- and that was just last weekend. The shifting around has been a result of Seddon's desire to maximize his offensive potential. The Quakers are scoring too few runs to support their pitching staff and need as many bats in the lineup as possible. Despite Seddon stacking his line-up with Trent Nagata and Russ Farscht among others, the results have been less than spectacular. "We are batting .270 as a team, which is like a C in a course," Seddon said. "The biggest problem is we are striking out too much. We have struck out 153 times, which is far too many, we aren't giving the other teams a chance to make a mistake." However, too often this season the Penn defense has made mistakes in the field that have been costly. The Red and Blue have been playing numerous players out of position, and the results have been noticeable. After the defense arguably cost Penn three games last weekend, Seddon decided it was time for a final change. Well, almost final. Farscht will be at first base, his natural position, for most of the games after struggling in the outfield last weekend. Seddon realized he had to find a place for his second-leading hitter. Mark Nagata, Penn's only consistent offensive threat, will remain the designated hitter. Trent Nagata will be forced from the line-up on most days, but will still see action at designated hitter later in the games if his brother is removed for a pinch runner. Simonian will settle in at rightfield when he is not pitching. While Simonian primarily has played in the infield for Penn, Seddon believes he is a "true anything" including rightfielder. The second base battle will be between freshman Oliver Hahl and sophomore Shawn Spiezio. Hahl appears to have the upper hand already because of his defensive play and his batting average, which is significantly higher than Spiezio's (.286 to .200). "The team is going to be basically the same next year," Seddon said. "This way the players can develop without the jerking in and out of the lineup." · Despite its troubles thus far, Penn finds itself atop the Gehrig Division with a 3-4-1 league record. While the Ivy season is young, the Rolfe Division teams have established themselves as the class of the league, with Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale going a combined 11-1 against the Gehrig last weekend. Yet only one of those teams will play the Gehrig winner at the end of the season to determine the Ivy League champion. "I'm not surprised," Seddon said. "I felt from the beginning the other division was stronger. We are lucky to be where we are. Fortunately, no one else in our division has stepped up." Despite the possibility the two best teams in the league might not be the ones determining the championship, Seddon sees no reason to think the divisional format will be changed. "The coaches really fought to go to two divisions," Seddon said. "It gives each team a greater chance to win the title, it created rivalries, and it also gives us more games to play." This season Penn appears to be the biggest beneficiary of the system. While the early indications are this year's team will not match last year's 25 wins, it may be the current Quakers who win their division, while last year's squad just missed out. · Lost in the hoopla of his 500th win last weekend was another milestone for Seddon. Not only is he the winningest coach in Quakers history, but he's also the biggest loser, picking up No. 400 last weekend, an 8-5 loss to Harvard in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader. The loss puts his career record at 500-401 (.555 winning percentage).