DARTMOUTH NINE IS SHORT OF CAPABLE INFIELD MEN

Dartmouth

This is the first of series of articles dealing with the baseball prospects of Harvard's rivals in the Eastern Intercollegiate League.

Prospects for a successful defense of their Eastern Intercollegiate baseball title gained last spring are rather doubtful for Coach Jeff Tesreau's Dartmouth Indians despite the fact that Hal (Big Chief) Wonson, an eight-game winner in the League last year, heads a well-balanced veteran pitching corps backed up by a generous sprinkling of promising Sophomores.

Graduation wreaked with the Big Green infield, the not result being that four new infielders had to be discovered. By now, they have been found, but they haven't found themselves very well yet, as was shown in Dartmouth's mediocre spring trip. Herein lies the big problem for the team.

Swede Linden, a converted outfielder, is holding forth at first at present, and inexperienced Sophomore Jack Orr, who didn't even play Freshmen ball, is at the keystone sack. Weak-hitting Ev Woodman has the call at short, and footballer Cottone is at third. Behind the bat the Indians have no worries when Captain Joe Urban is operating, but capable reserve backstops are scarce in Hanover.

Veteran George Hanna heads a good outfield from his left field pasture, and Will Pitz and Gus Broberg hold down the other posts. Broberg's advance notices in baseball are just about as good as they were in basketball, but his hitting is still an unknown quantity.

Cornell

One of the teams figured to be a real threat in the 1939 race, Coach Jim Tatum's Ithacans, were roundly whalloped in dangerous Dixieland this spring and got back just in time to drop their League opener to an improved Penn to the tune of 6 to 3. In justice to the Big Red team, however, it must be said that injuries, sickness, and lack of practice have retarded their progress.

Bill Mogk has the first base job, and Walt Scholl and George Polzer are working together at second and short. Bud Finneran and Chuck Bowen are still waging a keen fight for the hot corner post, and the Ithacans have capable reserves for the other infield positions.

Kenny Brown is a certainty at center, and Walt Matusczak will be in right field. Johnny Gannett and Hup Ryan will share the left garden duties. Coach Tatum has a pair of capable receivers in Bob White and Mike Ruddy.

The chief burden of mound chores is likely to fall on the shoulders of Walt Sickles and Mike Stehnach, with Jim Young and Ben Morse coming in for a bit of action too. Watch out for the Big Red. They may be tough by mid-season!

Columbia

Coach Andy Coakley has a pretty fair ball club in New York this year representing the Blue of Columbia University, but the pitching is woefully weak and will have to be spread over the schedule very sparingly. And even the most optimistic observer would not rate the Lions as a real swash-buckling crew of sluggers, needing only fair twirling to win games.

Hector Dowd is a fairly dependable Junior flinger, George Smith has good posibilities, and John Corny has pitched before. But that's about as far as it goes. Coach Coakley's starting nine, however, is not definitely decided, because wide-open fights are still being waged for several positions.

Bill Stickel will hit with the best of them from his first base spot, and lead-off man Murphy is at second. Sid Luckman has the inside track for short, but Hal Naidus is making him work for the job. Veteran Poto Lambert rounds out the infield at third, and the catcher is Desmond.

Pill, footballer Radvillas, and prize Sophomore George Johnson will probably be the three outer garden starters, but, all in all the Lions just haven't got the stuff to be a real contender.