BASEBALL MEN PREPARE FOR OPENING CONTEST

With the opening baseball game less than a week away, Coach Fred Mitchell has decided on a tentative batting order which will probably remain intact for the Virginia game.

Lead off man is the portside hitter, Bob Gannett, who will also take his station in centerfield. Next will come shortstop Art Johns and then Captain Lupien. In the cleanup place is the hard hitting newcomer to the team and the leftfielder, Jo-Jo Soltz. Sixth on the order is the veteran and second sacker, Dave Shean, with third baseman Dick Grondahl, backstop Paul Doyle, and sophomore right fielder Rud Hoye filling out the list. Ed Ingalls or Slim Curtiss will be the starting hurler.

Additional men who will make the trip and who will have a chance to show their mettle are utility infielders Dick Ulin, who plays third base and Russ Ayres, shortstop, Elliot Bacon and Bob Fulton, catchers, and Tom Healy, Lefty Edinberg, John Mahoney, and Don Prouty, pitchers.

To come home from the trip with a majority of wins, the nine will have to be in top shape. The opener with Virginia on Tuesday will be no setup for the southerners have a fine team with plenty of hitting strength. Navy should prove to be the easiest encounter on the tour, while Georgetown will be by far the toughest. The Friars usually produce one of the best outfits in Eastern seaboard college circles. Lafayette is more or less of an unknown quantity, but Columbia will definitely be hard to beat. The Crimson trimmed them twice last year and the Lions will be out for blood this spring, hoping to knock the Mitchellmen right out of the League.