Baseball Season Preview | No sophomore slump expected

Last year, a Penn team picked by Baseball America to finish last in the Gehrig Division rode a remarkable season on the mound from Rookie of the Year Todd Roth to prove the pundits wrong. The Quakers played themselves to the brink of NCAA Tournament qualification, winning their division before falling in the Ivy playoff to Rolfe Division champion, Brown.

This year, however, the Red and Blue are feeling the love. The folks over at Baseball America have changed their tune, picking Penn not only to take the Gehrig Division, but also to emerge as Ancient Eight champions.

Still, as well as the Quakers did last season, it didn't stop the year from ending on a bitter note. In the first game of the best-of-three Ivy championship series against Brown, Roth pitched a gem for his seventh consecutive complete game - but Penn fell to the Bears, 1-0, on a sacrifice fly. Demoralized, the Quakers were blown out of Game 2 in convincing fashion, 20-6, and watched helplessly as Brown punched its ticket to NCAAs.

That enduring disappointment, coupled with newly raised expectations, have given the preparation for this year an entirely different character. Penn will open its season with a Friday doubleheader against West Chester.

"I think there's always a different feeling when you achieve some goals," head coach John Cole said. But "we didn't finish them all. . Coming into this season, they're hungry. They want to get back and they want to certainly do better."

The Red and Blue look equipped to do just that and take home their first league title since 1995, and sixth overall.

It starts on the mound with sophomore co-captain Roth. The Lanoka Harbor, N.J., native led the league with a 1.98 ERA and seven consecutive complete games, and came within one strike of throwing a no-hitter.

The awards committees took notice afterwards, naming Roth Ivy Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Ivy and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

While simply equaling that effort would be a feat in itself, Cole and the Quakers are hoping for big things from the player who figures to be the league's most dominant starter.

"He'll just go out, pitch and compete, and we expect him to be our ace," Cole said. "He's got good command of four pitches, so his pitchability is about as good as I've seen."

If there is one unknown when it comes to the ace, it is his durability. Last season, he tossed 68.1 innings, well below the league high of 96. Heading into competition, Cole knows that a thin pitching staff will need to find some horses, especially with No. 2 starter Jim Birmingham no longer with the team. Birmingham is now a member of Coastal Carolina's class of 2011.

"It's a concern," Cole said. "But I think we've got some talent in that group. [Jeremy] Maas and [Paul] Cusick will get their time on the mound, being freshmen."

Also bolstering the staff will be the arrival of Villanova transfer Tom Grandieri, younger brother of basketball guard Brian. The sophomore will be the only lefty on the staff, so he should see plenty of innings.

Offensively, the losses of Joey Boaen (.310 BA) to graduation and Jarron Smith (.319 BA), who is no longer on the roster, will hurt. However, the core of the lineup remains intact, with senior captain Kyle Armeny (.326 BA, 8 HR) holding down the cleanup spot, and classmate Alex Nwaka returning.

Add to the mix a group of freshmen that Cole thinks could contribute right away, and a league championship looks like a strong possibility.

"Whether we do it or not will depend on this group of young men," Cole said. "If they're going to take care of business on and off the field, we'll have a good chance."

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