Hot Penn bats will be hard-pressed to keep it up

A no-hitter is one of the rarest occurrences in sports.

But for Villanova -- Penn's opponent in today's Liberty Bell Classic semifinal -- it is becoming almost common.

After no Villanova pitcher threw a no-hitter in the previous 42 seasons, two Wildcats have already done so this year. Unfortunately for the Quakers, one of them will be 60 feet, 6 inches away from their hitters today.

Senior Nick Allen, who tossed a seven-inning gem against Norfolk State on Feb. 26, will take the hill but will likely see limited action to preserve his arm for the weekend.

Sophomore Kevin Mulvey has the other Villanova no-hitter; he needed just 77 pitches to finish off Connecticut.

Fresh arms

In a season of rebuilding for the Penn baseball team, three freshmen pitchers have already emerged ready to be the foundation of a revamped squad.

For Steven Schwartz, Nick Francona, and Andy Console, it seems that the transition to college baseball has been much easier than the hitters' transition to their nasty stuff.

"The freshman pitchers have contributed a lot," senior pitcher Remington Chin said. "A lot more than they have in years past, and we're just fortunate to have them. And they have a really good future."

All three pitchers have shown flashes of brilliance in the young season as closers and starters, helping Penn win five of their last six after dropping their first nine.

Francona has the most hype of the three -- not surprising considering his baseball pedigree. Although his father was able to lead the Red Sox to their first championship since 1918 in his first year as manager, Francona probably won't end Penn's decade-long Ivy League title drought just yet.

Nonetheless, the younger Francona has certainly shown how good he can be. In eight innings of work against Columbia, the freshman put his nasty stuff on display, but gave up four runs in the second inning and then a three-run homer that put a damper on his night. However, coach Bob Seddon was quick to compliment his performance -- especially since Francona retired 14 consecutive batters in between the opponent's offensive bursts.

"Francona pitched until the eighth inning and he pitched very well," Seddon said. "He was one batter away and a guy hit a three-run home run over the right field fence."

Console has shown his flare for the dramatic, closing a game at Columbia that went from a 11-2 blowout to a 11-8 nailbiter when junior Brian Cirri and senior Dan Finkelstein weren't able to get hitters out. Console came in with the bases jammed and one out. He proceeded to force Columbia's Ray Waters into a fielder's choice. William Niosi then singled to bring in a run.

Under pressure, with the tying run in scoring position Console dug in and struck out Mike Malfettone to preserve the two-run victory.

"He's gonna be good," Seddon said. "You can see how important our freshmen are on this team."

The third in the triumvirate, Steven Schwartz, has also contributed well, starting one game, pitching 11 innings and holding hitters to a .268 batting average.

The three freshman hurlers, along with rookie Jarron Smith, who had a game-winning hit against Lafayette and is competing for playing time in a crowded outfield, have helped keep Penn out of the Ivy League basement.

Honors in the outfield

This weekend saw the emergence of a new standout in Penn's outfield -- senior Alex Blagojevich.

Blagojevich was named Ivy League Player of the Week after going 8-for-18 in the series against Columbia -- good for a .444 average.

He leads the Ivies in doubles with six and is second on Penn to senior Nate Moffie with 19 hits.

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