Baseball's back home

The Penn baseball team plays its home opener this afternoon against Lehigh at Bower Field. After an unusual and unexpected four-day layoff, the Penn baseball team resumes play this afternoon with its home opener at 3 p.m. against Lehigh at Bower Field. The Quakers (2-8) had originally scheduled seven games between their return from a spring break tournament in Fresno, Calif., and this Saturday's Ivy opener. But Coppin State decided before the season that it could not conform with new NCAA bat size rules, so last Saturday's doubleheader was scratched. Then, Mother Nature threw the Quakers a curveball, as rain washed out another twinbill on Sunday at Mount St. Mary's. This leaves the Quakers with only two games -- today against Lehigh and tomorrow at St. Joseph's -- before their "real" season begins. This layoff has not allowed Penn to acclimate itself to outdoor play and presents a number of pesky problems for the team. "This just backs up the whole pitching staff," Quakers pitching coach Bill Wagner said. "We're going to have to pitch three kids on Tuesday and three kids on Wednesday and they're going to have to pitch on three days' rest this weekend." Quakers sophomore Matt Hepler will get the start today on the mound and freshman Mike Mattern and sophomore Brian Burket will also see several innings on the hill. This plan is designed to limit the number of innings that each pitcher throws today and tomorrow, allowing them to pitch again in their two Ivy doubleheaders this weekend. This is Hepler's third start. The sophomore is 0-1 with an 8.00 ERA that was inflated by tough California competition. The righthander has already picked off two baserunners in '99. While both Hepler and Burket have yet to pitch on the East Coast, Mattern looked strong in a six-inning relief stint in Thursday's 10-4 win at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. That outing saw a strong display at the plate, as the Quakers notched 13 hits -- six for extra bases -- and converted two-out opportunities early and often. Playing on a large home field that is 410 feet to dead center and is still damp from weekend rain, home runs and doubles into the gaps may be few and far between. Junior catcher Jeff Gregorio leads Penn with a .387 batting average. Seniors Russ Farscht and Glen Ambrosius are also leading by example, with 23 hits and 14 RBIs between the two. The Quakers have had their ups and downs at the plate, recording 10 hits on five separate occasions but also striking out almost 2 1/2 times more frequently than they walk. "We want to play every day so it's unfortunate that it rained this weekend," said Farscht, who hit a home run in last year's 10-6 win over Lehigh. "We haven't found our groove yet. But that's why [the Major Leagues] play 162 games a year. We really just need to get out there and see some pitching every day." The Mountain Hawks (3-11) started their season off on the right foot but have lost their last 10 in a row. Despite returning eight starters, the visitors have not been able to put it all together in their recent swoon. "Defense. And offense," said Mountain Hawks assistant coach Chris Querns, when asked what were the major factors in his team's slide. "We're still working out some kinks?EI expect that it'll be a tough game." If Lehigh's hitters have anything to say about it, this will be a "tough game." The Mountain Hawks are led by senior centerfielder Keith Treonze, a two-time first-team All-Patriot League selection. Treonze is hitting over .300 in '99 and he and senior second baseman Dan Spisak are Lehigh's offensive leaders. As of yesterday, Lehigh's coaching staff remained unsure of who would get the start on the hill. The Quakers staff, however, has a feeling that the visitors may throw junior righthander Chris Frey, who is probably Lehigh's top hurler. But Penn's primary focus remains on preparing for its upcoming Ivy slate. "We have two games Saturday at home and my feeling is that against Lehigh we have to get the pieces together for Columbia," Wagner said.

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