Southern Road Trip Will Test Nine

Coach Norm Shepard has a difficult task ahead of him this spring--to match or better the record of last year's nine, the team that took the Greater Boston League title and went undefeated in Ivy League play until its last loop contest, when it lost to Yale, 8 to 2.

This would be hard enough to duplicate with the normal losses through graduation, but Shepard's problems are magnified by his losing not only his top pitcher, Andy Ward, but five other regular starters, Don Butters, Bill Chauncey, Bill Cleary, Dick Hoffman, and Captain George MacDonald.

But Shepard could hardly be described as pessimistic. With several fine prospects up from last year's freshman squad, he can pick and choose from tight contests for almost every position.

The toughest man to replace will be Ward, the fastballing righthander who won every game except the two he lost to Yale's Ivy champs. Captain Ken Rossano, the righthander who led the team in ERA with a 1.61 mark, will probably be the no. I man. Not as fast as Ward, he has fine stuff and good control. Behind Rossano will be another senior, Bob Kessler, a lefthander who seems to have greater staying power and a better fastball than last year, when he managed to compile an ERA of 2.65.

Juniors Dom Repetto, a sidearm righthander with a good fast ball, southpaw Joel Bernstein, and Bob McGinnis, along with sophomores Dave Brigham and Don Hoffman also figure high in Shepard's mound plans.

He will get a chance to test this hill corps, which also includes Ned Felton, Tom Fitzgibbons, Stan Schumann, and Herb Scheiner, on the squad's annual southern trip. The team opens a sixgame campaign Monday at Quantico, and by the time Saturday's encounter with the University of Delaware is over, Shepard should have a good idea of how his team will look for the rest of the season.

Behind the plate, a hot contest is in progress between Bing Crosby, Phil Haughey, and John Davis. The sophomore Davis has been hitting quite well, but the position is still uncertain.

John Simourian and Bob Hastings seem to have an edge at retaining their positions at first and second but Frank Saia and Bob Cleary are both pressing them.

Shortstop is another big question mark for the Crimson, with Tom Bergantino, Matt Botsford, and John Hamlen all battling for the position. Botsford, who led the team in hitting last year with a .370 mark while playing right field, seems the leading prospect, but the spot is still open.

At third, Stu Lavine, hard-hitting captain of last year's freshman team, and Tony Markella, up from the j.v.s are trying to replace Don Butters, the slugger who led the Crimson in home runs last season.

Walt Stahura is the outfielder definitely set: the sophomore will play center. The other positions depend in part on who makes the infield. for Botsford, Cleary, Hastings, and Sais all might play in the outfield. And then there are John Getch, a left-fielder who has seen little work because of a pulled muscle, and Dick Fisher, a reserve last season.

The team promises to be a harder hitting club than last year's for every starter will be able to hit, while last season's had a couple of very weak positions in the batting order.

In the field, the team looks to be about as good as last year's, but the big problem will be the pitching. How well the hill corps can replace Andy Ward may spell the difference between another championship season and a record no more than fair.

Yale has not lost heavily by graduation, and on paper must be favored to repeat in the Ivy League, while B.C. will be powerful in the Greater Boston loop.