Penn third baseman shines in ACBL

Jim Mullen, who is tops in the ACBL in average, leads the list of Quakers in summer leagues. How important is summer league baseball for Penn coach Bob Seddon's players? "It's so important," Seddon said, "that if the players don't play in the summer, they probably won't be playing on the team in the spring." Apparently, players aren't deterred by the Quakers' disappointing 9-28 record last season, as Seddon estimates that 80 percent of his players are playing in strong summer leagues, and the rest are playing baseball in some fashion. But the star Penn player this summer has been junior Jim Mullen, who plays third base for the Delaware Valley Gulls in the Atlantic Coast Baseball League. Mullen, who hit .311 for the Quakers last season, was leading the league with a robust .418 average at the all-star break. "Overall, the pitching is better in the league because every guy throws in the high 80s, sometimes low 90s," said Penn's Ralph Vasami, who catches for the ACBL New York Generals. "In the Ivy League the guys don't have that kind of velocity, but they'll be craftier." Mullen has dealt well with the tougher pitching -- as well as with the use of live lumber. Like almost all summer baseball leagues, the ACBL is different from college baseball in that players use wooden, not aluminum, bats in games. "The more you swing wood, the more you become adjusted, and then it's the same game as metal," Seddon said. "When you swing metal all the time and then go to wood, it's a different world because you just break the bat off with your hands on the inside pitch," Seddon added. But Mullen has thrived swinging wood. Last summer he hit .400 in 35 at-bats for the Gulls, and this year he leads the team with seven doubles, 19 runs scored, 28 hits, a .582 slugging percentage and a .551 on-base percentage. Most impressively, however, he has cut down his strikeouts from a team-leading 27 in 135 at-bats at Penn to only three in 67 at- bats for the Gulls. Mullen was selected as the starting third baseman for the Wolff Division in the ACBL All-Star game on Monday. Wolff won, 4-3, and Mullen contributed a hit in the game. The 6'0'', 190-pound junior opened the season with a six-game hitting streak and currently has hit safely in nine consecutive games. But except for a four-game hitless drought, Mullen has been a model of consistency, charging his way to a possible batting title. "There's no pressure for that," Mullen said of his chase of the hitting title. "It'll be nice if it happens, but it's not what I'm going after. I'm just trying to improve every day, and if it happens, it's a bonus." The Gulls play an upwards of six games and practice once or twice each week. Mullen attends the Gulls' games and practices and also plays for Narberth, Pa., in the Penndel league -- meaning he's playing baseball practically every day during the summer. "He's a very dedicated kid," Seddon said. Mullen and Vasami are the only two Penn players currently in the ACBL, but sophomore Mike Mattern might pitch for the Gulls before the summer ends. "[The Gulls] are a little short on pitching and they're trying to win," Seddon said. "They're trying to load up a little at the end of the season." Delaware Valley has 13 games remaining in their 40-game season. The Gulls are battling the Quakertown Blazers for a spot in the playoffs. "I think the league is more centered around player development and exposure," Mullen said. "But we're trying to win the league. That's the secondary goal." The ACBL has had its share of future pro baseball players on its teams' rosters -- including Craig Biggio, Walt Weiss, Frank Viola, Eric Young, Matt Morris and Pete Harnisch. But the ACBL's level of competition pales in comparison with other summer leagues. "The most prestigious leagues in the country are, number one, the Cape Cod League, and, number two, the Alaskan League," Seddon said. "To get into the Cape Cod or Alaskan, it's a very difficult invite -- usually by scouts that control it." No Penn players have been invited to either of those leagues this summer, but Doug Glanville and Mark DeRosa are among the past Cape Cod League alumni. Quakers are playing in leagues around the country, however. Junior Randy Ferrell is playing in Maryland, while junior Matt Hepler is playing outside of Chicago. Transfer first baseman Michael Bland is playing for the San Francisco Seals, while Senior Jeremy McDowell is playing in West Chester, Pa. Although they are playing in different places this summer, the Quakers will all reap the benefits of playing in wooden bat leagues next spring. "Summer league baseball is very, very important for the collegiate career of an athlete," Seddon said. "It gives him more confidence and prepares him for the next season, particularly if he didn't get a lot of at bats that spring." Mullen certainly did get a lot of at bats last spring for Penn; he led the Quakers with 135. But his ACBL success will no doubt give the Newtown Square, Pa., native increased confidence for next year. And, who knows, maybe an ACBL batting title in the summer will translate into an Ivy League batting title in the spring.

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