Baseball | Penn lineup looks to feast on Ivy League

Penn baseball's early-season play has been one of mixed success.

The young guys have played beyond their years, but the lack of veterans has sometimes been apparent. The starting pitching has been rock-solid, but the bullpen has been erratic. The defense was shaky early on, but it has started to come around.

This weekend, the Quakers' mindset can be encapsulated in a mere three words:

These ones count.

Dartmouth and Harvard will each take on the Red and Blue (10-7) at Meiklejohn Stadium for a doubleheader, marking the start of league play - and the first games that affect the outcome of the Ivy season.

"Our approach will be the same," coach John Cole said, "but I'm sure there's obviously some more excitement with the start of conference play."

The Big Green and the Crimson, however, might not have the firepower to match the excitement that comes with the first Ivy weekend.

Dartmouth (1-9) sports a lowly .186 batting average and has been altogether putrid at the plate. While veterans Nick Santomauro and Mike Pagliarulo have held down the middle of the order for the Big Green, they have seen their team fall to the bottom of the Ivy League in nearly every offensive category.

Penn, meanwhile, will be without center fielder and leadoff man Adrian Lorenzo due to a finger injury, and outfielder Jeremy Maas' status is questionable, as well.

Cole said he hasn't worked out the matchups yet, but Todd Roth, Paul Cusick and Reid Terry will certainly start, with Robbie Seymour likely getting the fourth start.

This rotation will have a leg up on both opponents' pitching this weekend.

Even a depleted Quakers lineup likely won't have too much trouble with either the Big Green or the Crimson, as they will be facing the owners of the league's two worst ERAs (7.11 and 8.49 for Dartmouth and Harvard, respectively).

The Crimson (2-13) will rely on their speedy offense to create runs. Harvard's 14 stolen bases is good for third in the league, but outfielder Matt Rogers - the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week - is the centerpiece of Harvard's offense. Rogers leads the team in slugging percentage at .542, and is tied for the team lead with four stolen bases on the season.

But for all of Cole's concern with the Crimson's ability to create for themselves - "They've got a good running game, you gotta keep their speed off the bases," he said - Penn has found a catalyst of its own, even in Lorenzo's absence.

Freshman outfielder James Mraz has found himself entrenched in the leadoff spot, and has compiled a .356 average this season. A leadoff hitter in high school, Mraz is more than comfortable in his new role.

"I'm used to having to fill those shoes and get on base," Mraz said. "I definitely try and start off the game by showing everyone on the bench what the pitcher's throwing."

While Mraz might not be the sparkplug of the Penn lineup just yet, it's performances like his that Cole looks to for success.

"He's done a really good job. Anytime there's injuries on a team, there comes an opportunity for other people," Cole said. "We just gotta have guys like James . keep producing."

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