Sunshine state of mind: Baseball heads to Boca

After months of inclement weather, infield puddles and indoor practices, the Penn baseball team is finally headed for greener pastures - if only for one week.

The Quakers (0-1) flew to Boca Raton, Fla., last night, where they will play out an eight-game spring break slate over the next eight days.

Ironically, the Red and Blue will travel 1,200 miles to face predominantly northeastern competition. Big East foes Pittsburgh and Connecticut await the Quakers in Boca, as do mid-majors like Lehigh and Maine. Air Force, Penn State, Dominican (N.Y.) and New Jersey Institute of Technology round out Penn's opponents in the Sunshine State.

Coming off last Friday's 2-1 home loss against Division-II West Chester, the Quakers' goals are unambiguous as they head south: rack up some wins.

"We're not there to fool around," senior captain Kyle Armeny said. "We want to come back with a perfect record."

That ambition has been elusive. Last year, Cole's squad went 3-5 down south. That was an improvement over the prior two years, when the Quakers went 1-15 combined.

And after adhering to a scripted pitching order in the West Chester game - staff ace Todd Roth threw only three innings as the starter - Cole is set on taking off the training wheels this week.

"We've gotta be more result-oriented," he said. "We'll look for more lengthy pitching outings now. I just had to see some guys under the fire [last Friday] instead of wondering what we would get down in Florida."

The team also hopes to sharpen its small-ball skill set.

In the eighth inning of Friday's loss, bunt specialist Michael Gatti failed to put the ball in play to advance the potential tying run after a leadoff walk, effectively stifling the Quakers' last chance to rally from one run down.

Bunting "is a priority here, it's an emphasis here," Cole said. "It's just a matter of execution."

Cole also views the Florida trip as a means of evaluating his players' physical fitness. With his team playing every day in the hot sun, he cautioned, only the strong survive.

"The good-bodied kids will continue to hang on," he said. "If they're a little bit weaker, they start to fade during the week."

Weather aside, the field conditions on Boca's pristine diamonds are a far cry from the frost-laden infield dirt at Meiklejohn Stadium.

On a team with three underclassmen in the infield, Cole feels that the "quickness of the game" on these new surfaces will present the most difficult adjustment for his young squad. Grounders previously slowed down by the soft ground at Meiklejohn might dart through a firmer infield for base hits.

After managing a meager five knocks in its opener last Friday, the Quakers will hardly mind if a few more dribblers find their way to the picturesque outfield grass in Boca.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.