YOUNG AND RESTLESS: BASEBALL '99

After losing offensive power to graduation, a younger, hungrier squad eyes the Gehrig title. After losing offensive power to graduation, a younger, hungrier squad eyes the Gehrig title.With the loss of several big bats, this year's squad will have to manufacture runs rather than rely on home runs. Eighteen of 28 members of the Penn baseball team are freshmen or sophomores. And they still think they can compete for an Ivy League title. Junior All-Ivy pitcher Sean McDonald said that despite the team's inexperience and youth, the Quakers still have their sights set on the top of the Gehrig Division. McDonald, for one, should know about the young Quakers. As the team's No. 1 starter, he has seen a crop of five freshmen pitchers develop throughout the year. "It's actually worked out to our benefit this year; everyone's basically competing for spots," McDonald said. "That's what's great about a young team -- new fresh blood, everybody's competing, everybody just wants to play, everybody wants to win." The freshmen will not have much of a learning curve. Without an established closer and with many of last year's bullpen arms competing for starting spots, the frosh will get plenty of innings in middle relief. "None of them are not going to pitch," McDonald said. "I know [pitching coach Bill] Wagner is intent on pitching all of them out in California just to see how they will do." Competing at Cal-Sate Pomona, Whittier College and the Fresno State/Pepsi Classic next week may prove to be a rough indoctrination for the young guns. While Penn has been indoors for most of the year, the West Coast teams have had the luxury of being out on the field in sunny California. "Indoors on the East Coast really doesn't say much," McDonald said. "But I'm pretty confident in a lot of our young pitchers coming out to California. They've come a long way since the fall." Most of the pitchers came into training camp with only a fastball and a curve, but since then have worked on gaining velocity on their fastball and developing a third or fourth pitch for their repertoires. "At this level you're going to need at least three [pitches] to be successful," McDonald said. The freshmen pitchers are looking forward to the California trip, not only as a chance to show their stuff but as an opportunity to get away from the East Coast for a while, according to freshman pitcher Dave Gonzalez. "It's just exciting for the guys to travel, [start] playing some good baseball out there and really get in shape," Gonzalez said. Penn coach Bob Seddon hopes the trip will answer a multitude of questions about his young group. "We have a lot of arms, but a lot of ifs," Seddon said. "That's a concern right off the bat. "We have some freshmen pitchers that are right in the pack there." In addition to the pitching staff, freshmen are also making immediate impacts elsewhere on the squad. At catcher, Seddon said freshmen backstops Dan Fitzgerald, Brian Fitzgerald and Bill Collins are giving juniors Ralph Vasami and Jeff Gregorio a run for their money. Brian Fitzgerald will also see action at the designated hitter spot this year. Senior captain Glen Ambrosius said that the large number of untested players puts pressure on the veterans to lead by example but ultimately the freshmen and sophomores will have to learn in game situations. "A lot of it depends on how they take that first experience," Ambrosius said. "If it's a bad experience, they really have to learn from it and not let it affect them the next time they're out there. "If they don't get down on themselves and get over those first adversities, they'll be okay." One advantage to fielding a large number of freshman is that other teams will not have detailed scouting reports on Penn's yet-to-be-tested squad. "I think we're going to sneak up on a lot of people," McDonald said. "If you look at what's coming back from our team this year, nobody would think we'd even be vying for a spot. "But I truly think that with our team speed and our team attitude --the way we're just playing baseball now -- [we'll succeed]." With the inexperience and uncertainty, the new class also brings hunger, impatience and a sense of urgency. That may just be what the doctor ordered for the Quakers, who haven't won the Gehrig Division outright in four years.

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