MIKE SHANNON: Major League talent

On countless high school baseball teams, the most talented player finds himself playing shortstop. He also finds himself in the pitching rotation. It just always seem to work out that way. Mike Shannon was one of those most-talented players. At Montoursville High in Montoursville, Pa., Shannon was the team's keystone. He was an excellent prospect at shortstop. And he pitched, too. But this dual role is simply not feasible in the world of collegiate baseball. There are too many games in a given week. There are back-to-back doubleheaders on weekends. The shortstop position requires too much fielding practice. Pitching requires even more work at honing and developing an effective repertoire of pitches. So when Mike Shannon chose to play baseball at Penn, he was forced to abandon one of the two positions on the diamond. With the dynamic Eddie MacDonald at shortstop for coach Bob Seddon's Quakers, it was decided that Shannon would play first base in addition to his pitching duties. He never looked back. In this, his third year wearing the Red and Blue, the junior has risen to stardom. Shannon has become Penn's leader, and this season he has been the best in Ivy League baseball. "He's had a monster year for us," Seddon said. "He's a tremendously athletic kid. He can play a lot of things other than baseball and still be just as successful." This year, Shannon has been more than successful on the diamond. He has been dominant. Splitting his time between first base and designated hitter, he leads the Quakers in numerous offensive categories: hits, runs, slugging percentage, total bases and home runs. He has also been effective as the Quakers' fourth starting pitcher. Even the 25th-year Penn skipper has found himself gawking at the stats. "I think he's been better than we expected," Seddon said. "He's just had a super year." But Shannon brings more to the table than just skills and talent. He brings a winning attitude and solid focus. As a freshman and sophomore, the righthander did not see much significant playing time. Nevertheless, there was no complaining and no lackluster effort in practice. "I think Mike has matured a lot as a player, but also as a person," Seddon said. "He's not a helmet-thrower or a bat-thrower. He's got the right attitude. He's not going to make a spectacle of himself out there on the field." Shannon's most impressive performance this season came when the Quakers truly needed it. Faced with four crucial games at Gehrig division-leading Cornell, the struggling Quakers had to have productivity from their leader. Shannon rose to the occasion, going 11 for 15 with two doubles and a dinger. He also came within six outs of a no-hitter in winning the final game of Penn's critical sweep. When Penn hosts Columbia, Shannon will likely break Glenn Partridge's 1955 Quakers record for hits in a single season. He also could break Tom Olszak's 1979 single-season Penn RBI record, set in 1979. But the records will not be important -- Shannon just wants to win. "The other day, I asked him to bunt," Seddon said. "I said, 'Mike, I hate to do this, but I've got to get this guy to second.' Some guys would have been upset and showed it, but Mike just looked at me and said, 'Whatever you need from me.' He'll do anything we ask as coaches." As the Quakers head for their second consecutive Gehrig crown, Mike Shannon will continue to do everything his coaches ask of him. And then some.

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