BALL PLAYERS QUIT CAGE FOR DIAMOND

With the first perfect spring day and almost ideal conditions on Soldiers Field, Coach Mahan's baseball candidates turned out for their first outside practice yesterday afternoon. The early start promises well for exceptional preliminary progress as it is the earliest date in several years that diamond practice has begun. Instead of the one day outside that the 1924 team had before its first game, Coach Mahan expects two full weeks of practice before his nine meets Boston University on April 11.

With the advent of A. W. Samborski '25 at the end of last week, the battery staff is now complete with six pitchers and four catchers. Both the basemen and outfielders were put through a batting and fielding drill yesterday followed by running practice for the whole squad. Although all the work was held on the Freshman diamond, another balmy day should put the first team field in shape for use.

Six Pitchers on Squad A

Following the afternoon's practice, Coach Mahan announced a cut and complete realignment of all the squads, 26 men being retained under his tutelege while the remainder were sent to join Coach Lake's second string men. Of the players kept, six are pitchers, four catchers, eight outfielders, two first basemen, two second basemen, two third basemen, and three shortstops. On the pitching staff are Phillip Spalding '25, star hurler of the 1924 team, J. E. Toulmin '25, letter man in 1923 and understudy to Spalding last spring, together with R. E. Cordingley '25, R. W. Puffer '26, E. L. Gehrke '25, of football fame, and J. H. Gebelein '26. The four catchers are J. J. Maher '26, captain of his Freshman nine and second string man last year, A. W. Samborski '25, veteran battery ace, A. D. Hoffman '25, another of last season's substitutes, and J. E. Tobin '27, star on the 1927 team.

Coady and Ellison at First

C. D. Coady '27, versatile Sophomore athlete who was ineligible last season, and W. P. Ellison '27, who won his numerals, make up the list of candidates for first base, while the retained second basemen are Captain J. W. Hammond '25 and J. E. Knowlton '26 of the Second team last year. On the hot corner are Isadore Zarakov '27, captain of the 1927