Many things help a baseball coach realize that his team is of championship caliber -- timely hitting, strong pitching, and solid defense.
But for Penn baseball coach Bob Seddon this season, it was two broken wrists and an illness that showed him just how special his team was.
When three Quakers starters -- junior rightfielder Bryan Graves, junior third baseman Mike Goldblatt, and sophomore centerfielder Alex Blagojevich -- were forced out of the lineup at the start of this season due to sickness and injuries, it was the first time in Seddon's 33 years of coaching that he was forced to go so deep into his bench.
But Seddon wasn't worried.
He was too busy to be worried.
"You don't have lots of free time to think about how this will hurt your season," he said. "Because you've got a lot of games to prepare for."
Penn captain Nick Italiano wasn't worried either.
"We have been stressing all year that it is never easy to win a championship," he said. "We knew in advance that we would have to overcome adversities."
Graves was sidelined when he broke his wrist in the first game of the year in Fresno, Calif., after running into the outfield wall while trying to catch a fly ball.
"When I got hurt, I was upset at first," Graves said. "But we were confident going into the year that our team was capable of big things. You can't have that feeling without good depth."
Graves was joined on the disabled list a few weeks later by Goldblatt, who also broke his wrist after colliding with a baserunner from West Chester.
Blagojevich has also not played all year, as he has been fighting an undiagnosed illness.
"He has got an illness they haven't figured out," Seddon said after a 4-0 win over Lehigh on March 25. Penn's coach is still unaware of the technicalities of the illness.
Luckily for Seddon, his team had depth. Lots of depth.
Into centerfield stepped freshman Coba Canales.
"I had mixed feelings at first," Canales said. "On one hand, I am a baseball player, and being an athlete, you always want to play. But at the same time, nobody wants to come in like this. Nobody wants to get to play only when their friends get hurt. It's a weird feeling."
Despite his inexperience, Canales has already made significant contributions to the Quakers.
On March 23, he delivered the winning run against Hartford with an acrobatic slide into home, past the opponent's catcher.
"Coba's done a wonderful job," Seddon said. "He's a natural. He's very mature for a freshman. Coba's also really coachable because he's not closed-minded."
Italiano cites Canales' athleticism as the reason for his success this season.
"He's a ridiculous athlete," Italiano said. "He plays football in the fall. And as the baseball season has progressed, he has got ridiculously better. He's done everything that has been expected of him -- stepping up on offense and defense. He's very smart and fast, and he's an anchor in centerfield. He gets every ball."
While Canales was a second string player, he doesn't believes that the team is worse with him in the lineup.
"I like to feel like we aren't losing anything with me in the lineup," he said of replacing Blagojevich.
Another player who has stepped up in the absence of his teammates is sophomore third baseman Evan Sobel.
"Sobel started as a utility kid this year," Seddon said. "He was dying for a chance to play."
Nevertheless, Sobel was extremely disappointed when Goldblatt broke his wrist.
"It was a huge blow to the team," Sobel said. "Goldblatt was named to the all-tourney team at Fresno and still leads the team in homeruns even though he hasn't played the last 15 games. I wasn't happy he got hurt, but I was excited to play."
Teammates have praised Sobel for his tremendous success in the field so far this year.
"He has an awesome glove," Canales said. "We are not missing anything in the field with him out there."
Sobel admits that his offense is still in need of improvement, as he is only batting .237 this season.
"My hitting is starting to come around," he said. "But I really need to work harder to even come close to Goldblatt's numbers."
Hoping to add offense to third base, Seddon has been platooning Sobel with freshman Josiah Brand.
"When Josiah comes to bat, it's not a weak spot in the order," Seddon said.
"We knew he had all the tools coming into the season," Italiano added. "He has tremendous right-handed power."
Freshman Ken-Ichi Hino has also impressed his coach with his stepped-up play.
"He's a great dual player," Seddon said. "He can succeed in the infield or outfield."
Graves has been extremely pleased with his replacement, junior John Slaughter.
"I am not surprised by his play," he said, "He had success in the past when he got the opportunity to play."'
While his team has thrived with these replacement players -- sitting atop the Lou Gehrig League with a 6-2 record -- Graves still regrets that he is unable to join his teammates in their victories.
"When I watch them, I wish I could be a part of it," he said.
Still, Graves considers himself an important part of the team.
"At games, people come to me and I give them advice," he said. "It's the least I could do. When a guy looks confused, I help out."
The team is thankful for the help it has received from the injured players.
"It really helps," Canales said. "One time I didn't charge a ball and Goldblatt told me what I should do better."
While the team's depth has helped the Quakers, Seddon stresses the fact that his team needs to stay healthy.
"We don't have any more guys," he said. "We can't afford another injury or two."
The Red and Blue are anxiously awaiting the time when all three players return, just before the Ivy Championships.
"I can't wait to see what it looks like when everyone gets back and we get all out wheels rolling," Sobel said. "Then we'll truly be something to watch."
