Crimson Nine Face Penn In Season Opener Today

Spring training, as any baseball writer will tell you, can be quite deceptive. The New York Yankees, for example, looked like the team to beat in the A.L. East during spring training, only to return North to get shellacked in the first four regular season games. The Harvard baseball squad, which went 13-0 during its Florida swing this spring, faces its first game up North today against Penn.

This is not to say that certain doom is to befall the club as it opens its "regular" season at Penn. It's just that Quaker coach Bob Seddon doesn't hold much stock in the Crimson's early season record.

"We were only 4-6 in the South, but our competition was a little different from Harvard's," Seddon said, sarcastically emphasizing the word 'little'. "13-0, that's a joke. Harvard will be hearing a lot about that during the year."

Depth Lack

The Red and Blue played a tough schedule during the Florida swing, ten games in nine days against some of the better college teams in the state. Seddon credited the mediocre record to the squad's lack of pitching depth.

"We have really no relief beyond our five starting pitchers. When you get so many games jammed into so few days, you just run our of pitching," Seddon said.

Since returning North, Penn has gone 4-3-1. The club is young, with three sophomores, four juniors and only two seniors in the starting line-up. The starting battery for today's game will be sophomores Andy Muhlstock (4-1) on the mound and Bill Tuman catching.

"We're a young team," Seddon said, "and we're capable of playing super baseball, but the squad has been inconsistent so far. We beat Columbia and split with Princeton last weekend, then tied Drexel; that's inconsistency."

The Quaker infield consists of all juniors. Ed Boone will play first base, John Harwood second, Andres Laurits at short stop and Gary Ozga at third. In the outfield, senior captain Ken Mulvaney will play right field, senior Rich Geary will be in center and sophomore Don Valenzano in left.

Caught in a Draught

Offensively, Seddon hasn't decided the batting order yet. He is, however, worried about the hitting. "We've been in an awful draught since returning from Florida," he said. "We hit .280 down there and only .190 up here. Fortunately the pitching carried us through four games when we got only 15 hits."

Seddon seems optimistic about today's game, though. "We do better against the better pitchers," he said. And indeed the squad will get a look at one of the best in the East, as Roz Brayton will be hurling for the Crimson. Brayton, a senior, posted two wins during the Florida tour.

Defensively, coach Loyal Park will play Leigh Hogan at first, Larry Barbiaux at second, Ed Durso at short stop, Jim Stoeckel at third, Kevin Hampe in center, Hal Smith in left, Dave St. Pierre in right and Rick Briditch behind the plate.

The game will be Harvard's first in the Eastern League; Penn has already posted a 2-1 record. Park feels that the Quakers will be one of the top three teams Harvard will face. "Penn has one of the strongest teams in the league," he said yesterday. "They're a veteran ball club, they got 16 guys back this season."

Seddon disagrees. "We're not playing up to our potential," he said. "I've seen too many inconsistencies. I'd say we're a year or two away from being a championship club."