Yale, Princeton Appear Strong As EIL Loop Gets Under Way

Yale

Down in Eliland Coach Joe Wood has slowly been putting together the pieces of his Yale Varsity baseball team after a disastrous Southern trip, which saw the boys in Blue drop four straight games in the so-called julep circuit.

The result is a rejuvenated band of Elis, who have blanked the New Haven Pros 6 to 0 and held the highly touted Boston Red Sox to a 6 to 5 decision. Their pitching is good, but when it comes to hitting their prowess is questionable. Fielding on the spring trip wasn't anything to write home about either--in the Navy game alone the Yale infield was guilty of five miscues, but chalk most of it up to inexperience.

Veteran southpaw, Mee Jubitz heads a capable mound corps which includes Joe Wood, Bing Crosby, and Dick Ames. All of these boys are headed for stardom, and Freshman Ted Harrison is only biding his time until he can join them. Bill Poole and Tony Mott are the ranking catchers.

Joe Wood keeps himself busy in the outfield or at first when he isn't twirling. Sophomore McGilan are the other outer-gardeners. Eddle has been shifted between second base and the outfield, and Rog Hazen is the regular custodian of first base. Tricky Alter is another second sacker. To turn to part of the infield (the left side) which seems to be the same from day to day, we find that Besse and Krech have third and short sewed up.

Princeton

Princeton's Varsity baseballers split even in a six-game vacation campaign, and for this reason more than anything else they deserve to be regarded as a threat in the Eastern Intercollegiate pennant quest. They took their last three spring trip tilts but since then have bowed to Fordham and Navy.

Coach Fred Clarke's Tigers do have the element of certainty in their lineup (unlike Yale), because Jack Gafaell at first, slugging Fritz Foote, Dick Purnell, and Bill Parsons are firmly entrenched in the four infield positions. Harry Powers is the first-string backstop, and the Tigers have two first-rate mound artists in Lefty Farber and Fred Rowe.

The outfield misses the punch provided by ailing Captain Brud Harper, and at the present time the Tigers are getting along with Sparky Hill, Eddie Powers, Norm Cosby, and Ben Tate in the outfield patrol. Coach Clarke hasn't been satisfied too well with this arrangement, and he has been contemplating changes which would send Mark Robbins behind the bat as well as giving the out-field a good juggling.

The Orange and Black are not blessed with material in such wholesale quantities as is Eli Yale, but they are a bit ahead of most of the League teams in experience--this may pay dividends in the early stages of the campaign.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Quakers, cellar occupants in the League last year, are much improved and are certain to climb out of the doldrums this year with colorful, cocky, and competent pitcher Frank Reagan leading the way.

The Quakers served notice on the rest of the loop teams that they were through being used as doormats by registering a 6 to 3 victory over the Big Red of Cornell in their first League clash. While the Ithacans aren't exactly world-beaters yet, they aren't rated as pushovers either. Coach Doc Cariss and his boys received a 8 to 2 set-back at the hands of the Dartmouth Indians last Thursday, but this was to be expected because the defending champion Indians have class-aplenty on their mound staff.

Billy Koepsell at short, Chuck Diven at second, Dick Trexler at third, and Herb Ogden hold forth in the inner defense for the Red and Blue. Chuck Morris operates behind the plate. In the outfield, McDonald, Dignan, MacHarg, and Raffetto seem to be the cream of a rather skimpy crop.

Coach Cariss needs additional pitching strength in the worst way, because Reagan can't possibly assume all mound duties. For the most part, the other Penn moundsmen are an untried lot and need much work under fire to bring them up to League standards. Lin Fawley and Tony Caputo are the hurlers in question, and each has been received rather roughly in starting assignments this year. All in all, it's safe to predict a rise for the Quakers this season because Reagan is good for a few victories but they aren't going too far.

Brown

Next we come to "upstart Brown", not a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate baseball circuit, but actually the next thing to it. Optimism is again running high in Brown athletic circles, because high hopes are held for Coach Jack Kelleher's 1939 Varsity nine.

The Bruins have a couple of good twirlers in Junior Ray McCulloch and Sophomore Walt Juszczyk, and the early season games for the Providence lads have been featured by a 6 to 0 whitewash handed out to Rutgers. The two standout Bear pitchers divided mound duties in that game and allowed but one safe blow--and that was of the scratchy variety--in the nine innings they tolled.

The Bruins have plenty of punch with John Marsolini, the third sacker, out-fielder Dave Redford first baseman Harry Platt, and second baseman Cad Arrendell packing most of the dynamite.