Baseball | The perfect time for an attitude adjustment

The Quakers will have plenty to think about on their lengthy bus trip up to Ithaca, N.Y., this weekend.

As they trudge northward on the way to a pair of doubleheaders against Cornell, they will no doubt be wondering how they can lift themselves from the rut they are in - the one that has seen them fall to 0-8 in the Ivy League.

But the Quakers won't just be thinking about Nathan Ford, the Big Red's power-hitting third baseman. Nor will they be overly preoccupied with two-way player Jadd Schmeltzer, who leads Cornell in earned run average and has shown some power from the No. 5 spot in the lineup.

No, the Red and Blue won't be torturing themselves with excessive scouting reports on that ride. An attitude-adjusting pep talk from one of their captains is much more likely.

"We gotta change some things," junior pitcher Todd Roth said. "We're just not good enough of a team to come in unfocused, roll out onto the field and win ball games. We're just trying to bring the intensity level up a little bit."

This weekend marks the start of Gehrig Division play, so Penn is afforded something of a fresh start. As absurd as it may sound, even a team that's winless in the Ivies in April can be playing for the league title in May. Currently Penn is four games back of Columbia, which leads the division named after its former star at 4-4.

But to pull out the division, the Quakers will need a more solid effort from their pitching staff, which has seen its earned run average balloon to 7.24 over the past few weeks.

That means no more lead-off walks, no more big home runs and no more sacrificing big leads.

"That's been our M.O., unfortunately," coach John Cole said.

While a rotation of Roth, sophomore Paul Cusick, juniors Robbie Seymour and Reid Terry and the freshman arm du jour sounds solid on paper, they just haven't gotten the job done recently. Roth hasn't pitched like the ace he is supposed to be, and the others have followed suit.

But the issue may not be technical or physical in nature. The roadblock is likely a mental one.

"I think it's a little lack of confidence right now," Roth said. "We're just all shaky, and [when we're out there we're] not sure we can get the job done, but we know we can."

Despite the presence of Ford - who, as the Cornell football team's starting quarterback, might be the best athlete in Ivy League baseball - the Big Red have a somewhat nondescript lineup.

According to Cole, Cornell's hitters do a good job of putting the ball in play, but do nothing spectacular. Ford, however, with his 1.061 on-base plus slugging percentage, is prolific enough to shoulder the load.

"You don't want the game to roll up to him on the line," Cole said.

Cole wouldn't specify exactly who will make up the weekend's rotation, but he did confirm that a freshman - like Chris McNulty or Vince Voiro - will start one game. The coach also expressed a bit of concern over the team's injuries, but he wouldn't go into specifics.

"Let's just put it this way - we're not full speed," he said.

The margin for error, then, is that much thinner for the Quakers to pick themselves up from the rough stretch behind them. Somehow, some way, at least a notch or two in the win column will have to come.

"We're much better than our record. We're just not doing the things you're supposed to do to win ball games," Cole said. "We gotta get right."

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