Baseball hopes Burt's return will spark victory over Phila. Textile

If the weathermen are wrong, or if the rain isn't falling hard enough, then the Penn men's baseball team will take the field against Philadelphia Textile in a non-league contest this afternoon. The Quakers are scheduled to host the Rams at Bower Field today at 3 p.m. Once Ivy League play is underway, Penn coach Bob Seddon plans to use midweek games such as today's showdown with Textile as an opportunity to start players who usually are not in the lineup. Seddon subscribes to this line of thinking primarily for two reasons -- it gives his starters a chance to rest for weekend Ivy League doubleheaders, and it gives his bench players a chance to gain valuable experience. But this week is an exception to the rule. The Quakers have two midweek games -- they host Coppin State tomorrow afternoon -- but there are no Ivy games this weekend with which to be concerned. Because of a later finals week this season compared with most years, Penn was able to move back its slate of games in the Ancient Eight. As a result, Seddon finds himself with two completely open dates this weekend. He has been in touch with La Salle, but as of last night no games had been scheduled. With this lack of games in the near future, Seddon is forced to use his starters today. "It's certainly a little bit different than a usual midweek game," Seddon said. "These games are different than when we have Ivy games on the weekend, so we'll need to play our regulars." Among the regulars taking the field this afternoon will be Penn starting pitcher Mike Shannon. In two starts this year, the senior right-hander is 0-1 with an ERA of 3.27. He has walked one and struck out five in 11 innings. Seddon said Shannon will be backed up by Penn's fourth starter, senior Lance Berger. Berger has posted an ERA of 2.45, with no wins and two losses. A bright spot for the Quakers today should be the return of junior Rick Burt. The catcher is expected to be back in action against the Rams after missing four games with a strained hamstring. "He's ready to play," Seddon said of Burt's condition. Continuing on the injury front, sophomore shortstop Mark DeRosa is not ready for action. DeRosa, who also quarterbacked the Ivy League champion Penn football team last fall, has been forced into the designated hitter role due to a shoulder injury. If the Quakers hope to get hot before Ivy play kicks in, then their bats will soon have to come alive. For much of this season, the Quakers have gotten solid pitching but inconsistent offensive production. "We're trying to teach the guys how to read into their stats," Seddon said. "If you look at our team batting average, it's .296. That doesn't translate to a 4-7 record. But stats don't usually tell the whole story -- we've had problems hitting with two outs and problems with men on base."

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