The Penn baseball team's season began over a month ago, but today the Quakers are essentially starting anew as they travel today to play Lafayette.
After returning from the Rollins Tournament in Florida on March 14 -- during which the Quakers went 4-7 -- Penn had five games canceled last week due to inclement weather.
The team continued to practice despite the weather, often indoors at the Hollenback Annex. But the Quakers know that nothing can replace actual game experience.
"We're still ready to play, but it's been pretty tough," senior co-captain Mike Goldblatt said. "It's been two weeks since we last played so a lot of that momentum is gone.
"We have to start it up all over again," he added. "It's like a new season."
Junior co-captain Bryan Graves mirrored Goldblatt's sentiments.
"It's horrible to have to be inside the annex," he said. "But we've worked hard and practiced almost every day, whether inside or out.
"We're ready."
Penn coach Bob Seddon praised his team for its hard work and strong practices over the last week.
"They've kept their focus and really practiced hard," he said.
Despite the apparent obstacles in their way - canceled games and lack of outdoor practices -- the Quakers realize they need to defeat Lafayette.
"Leading up to the Ivy League season, it's obviously incredibly important to get a win," Graves said.
Goldblatt noted that a win over Lafayette would help propel the Quakers into the Ivy League season, which begins this weekend against Columbia.
"We need the momentum heading into the Ivy season," he said.
Seddon added that because it's a Liberty Bell game, a Penn victory would secure two additional games on the team's schedule. This would help to alleviate the five canceled games; Penn recently added a game against La Salle for March 30 and rescheduled its game against Temple for April 21.
"It's a Liberty [Bell] game, and more importantly it's a game that is preparation for the league," Seddon said. "You want to win it of course, but you also want to get experience before the league starts."
For that reason, Seddon will experiment with the lineup today, starting senior Graham Bangert in centerfield.
"We just need him to hit the ball," Seddon said. "Because he can go get the ball in the field and that's what we need out there."
Penn has a relatively inexperienced team this season, with only three seniors.
"We're a young team," Seddon said. "But this team has a great attitude and they really enjoy the game."
Among the Quakers' underclassmen, freshman pitchers Drew Matheson and Joe Thornton particularly impressed Seddon in the Rollins Tournament.
Matheson notched five strikeouts in two appearances and boasts a 1.42 ERA, while Thornton recorded a 2.31 ERA, a 2-0 record and a team-low .108 batting average against. Together, Matheson and Thornton have the second and third-highest ERAs on the team, respectively.
Seddon also singled out the top of Penn's lineup as having played well throughout the Rollins Tournament. Indeed, juniors Nate Moffie and Evan Sobel, Goldblatt and Graves are all batting over .400.
Penn will need to continue its strong hitting in order to beat Lafayette.
"Lafayette is 4-9 and they just got off their spring trip," Seddon said. "They'll be very formidable.
"And it's at their park," he added. "It's windy and it's cold out there."
Indeed, because of the weather, Seddon warned his players to be extra cautious out in the field.
"I told the team that a key here is you have to be able to throw and catch the ball," he said. "In these early games, there are always throwing errors because your hands are cold, your arms are cold."
