The baseball team belongs to John Cole. Whether that's a good thing or not will soon become apparent.
Coach Cole's first season with Penn didn't yield great results. The team was 12-27 overall and 7-13 in the Ivies, though the record was less reflective of Cole than of the enormous transition the team was undergoing. Cole took over from legendary coach Bob Seddon, who retired after 33 years in the dugout.
Now in his second year, Cole has his own recruits and a team that knows his system. With those pieces in place the aim is simple.
"It's always our goal to win the Ivy League," Cole said. "From there we get into the NCAA Regionals and anything can happen."
As with any baseball team, the Quakers are only going as far as their pitching. Their starting rotation returns Bret Wallace, Joe Thornton and Todd Roth, as well as Nick Francona, who is back after missing a year due to surgery, but the biggest addition may be freshman Jim Birmingham. The 6-foot-5 Birmingham was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 24th round of last year's MLB draft.
"Jim is going to be a big part of the staff," Cole said. "He has a great work ethic and a very good makeup. The sky is the limit for that young man."
Senior captain Josh Corn will be catching Birmingham and has also seen something dynamic in that left arm.
"I definitely expect a good year from him," Corn said. "But as a freshman it's unfair of us to ask him to be the No. 1 guy, even though he probably has the talent to do it."
Instead, the burden of carrying the team rests with a strong senior class, specifically the three captains. Along with Corn, Cole named seniors Joey Boaen and Doug Brown captains.
Boaen returns after a strong junior year where he lead the team in batting average, home runs and slugging. He broke his hand and missed the last 11 games but looks to be ready to start where he left off.
Brown, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection, seemed to do everything out of the bullpen for the Quakers last year. He lead the team in wins, saves, strikeouts and earned-run average.
"We have a lot of depth with our starting rotation," Cole said. "But I think we are strongest at the end of the game. If we get the ball to Brown we will be fine."
The seventh inning will be crucial, and so will the end of the season. The Quakers have circled their four-game series with Princeton to close out the year as a time to shine. The defending champions have a strangle hold on the Ivy League and have won five of the last seven years.
"We want to come into the last weekend with something on the line," Cole said. "But we have to get there first."
A quick start would certainly help the Red and Blue. The season starts on Sunday in Florida and it will be the Quakers' first time on a diamond this season. They have been practicing indoors, because snow covers Meiklejohn Stadium.
While Cole can't get his team on a diamond, he has been trying to create game situations.
"A lot of teams are in the same position and we can't use it as an excuse," Corn said. "Our practices have been very intense and we are certainly ready for the season to get underway."
When they do finally start, Cole will have exactly what he wants: a core of talented seniors and some can't-miss freshmen. The only thing left on his wish list will be a championship trophy for his office.
