Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Neka Thomas Staff ace Todd Roth throws a pitch during his near-no hitter. He finished the year 6-2 with a league-best 1.98 ERA, striking out 62 batters in 68.1 innings. [Click to enlarge]

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.

Continued...

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