Page 12
The Behrend Beacon
Weather plays havoc with spring games
Softball drops 2
by Zoe Rose
staff writer
Spring weather is supposed to begin on
March 20, right? However, it was another
white wonderland as Erie got hit with sev
eral inches of snow, causing the softball team
to reschedule its game last week against Penn
State Altoona.
With the amount of snow that fell, it was
impossible for the field to drain in time for
the doubleheader. Last Sunday however, the
Lions visited Wilmington to play a double
header, but lost both games (9-3,9-1) to drop
to 4-11 overall this season.
Intermittent wet weather can be trouble
some for players who practice continuously,
but then have to wait when the games are
postponed. Cheryl Peterson said postpone
ments can affect the team’s immediate fo
cus, but they do not disrupt the long-term
focus.
“It affects the team’s short-term focus for
the week,” said catcher Cheryl Peterson. “It’s
frustrating not to be outside, but with know
ing the games are rescheduled ahead of us,
we look toward the next set of games and
how to prepare our best for those."
In the first game against Wilmington, the
Lions racked up 10 hits, but could only plate
three runs. Becky Corbin, Roberta Baker,
and Charity Marsh each collected two hits
to lead the offense. Jennifer Miller gave up
seven earned runs in seven innings of work.
The offense struggled in the second game,
as the Lions had only three hits. Erika Mack
drove in Corbin for the team’s only run.
Stephanie Covert pitched 6 2/3 innings, giv
ing up seven earned runs.
The Blue and White were scheduled to
play a doubleheader against Frostburg today
at home, but once again the Lions had to
postpone the game.
The postponed Altoona game has now
been rescheduled for April 14 and likewise,
the Frostburg game will be made up at a time
to be announced.
With a 4-11 overall mark, the Lions know
they need to improve against non-conference
teams so they are better prepared for the
AMCC teams.
“What needs to be focused on, to gain
Q £r A: Who's Behind the Scenes?
Staff assistant ‘Marcia Jensen shares her
thoughts from many years at (Behrena
by Kate Levdansky Petrikis
assistant sports editor
Marcia Jensen’s interest in a cleri
cal career began in high school and
continued at Erie Business Center,
where, in her senior year, she was
assigned an internship in a local
attorney’s office.
Upon graduation, she was hired by
the firm and worked for four years
until the birth of her son. She took
time off to stay home with her chil
dren. A few years later, she worked
part-time in her church office and
then started full-time in the
Mercyhurst College athletic depart
ment. In 1986, she came to Behrend,
and has been here ever since.
Beacon: What is your title? What
jobs do you do?
Jensen: My title is staff assistant
in athletics at Penn State Behrend.
My jobs include answering the
phone; greeting visitors and students;
arranging meetings; proofreading for
mailings; processing all budget items
for athletics; keeping current records
for all sport teams - updating rosters,
files, and requesting eligibility checks
for all student-athletes; assisting with
fundraising events for athletics and
our annual Hall of Fame Induction;
working with the development office
to keep the alumni addresses current;
and other daily activities that take
place in the department.
Beacon: How long have you been
working for Behrend? How did you
get the job?
Jensen: I have been working in
athletics at Behrend for 16 years. I
was informed about the staff assis
tant opening by a graduate of
Mercyhurst College who, at that time,
was the athletic trainer at Behrend. I
applied, was interviewed and hired
by athletic director Herb Lauffer.
to Wilmington
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
Sophomore Brandy Polinick was named
the AMCC’s softball athlete of the week,
hitting .455 with two RBIs and two stolen
bases as Behrend split a pair of double
headers.
more wins, is more team unity,” said Lind
say Patton. “Our team has a ton of it, but we
need to continue supporting each other and
boosting the confidence level of each
player.”
“I think we lost (to Wilmington) because
we were not ready to play,” said coach Kellie
Diehl. “It was a last-minute decision to go
down there. We need to be ready to play at
anytime because the weather dictates when
we play, that’s what we need to focus on.”
Focus is not the only key aspect the team
needs to improve.
“The elements that are crucial are not to
mess up the basics,” said Patton. “Good
throws, good fielding and good batting is
necessary to beat any team.”
The Lions are scheduled to play La Roche
on Monday and Fredonia on Thursday, as
well as Lake Erie on April 6. The team will
return to campus Sunday evening and at
tempt to take the tarp off the field. With the
forecast calling for clouds and temperatures
in the 40s Saturday and Sunday, the players
know they may finally get their season off
the ground.
Beacon: What is the favorite part of
your job? Why?
Jensen: The favorite part of my job
is interacting with students and athletes.
It’s nice to see them grow from a fresh
man to a senior and then go on to their
new careers
Beacon: What part of your job do
you find the hardest? Why?
Jensen: The hardest part of my job
seems to come at the beginning of the
fall semester, when everything is start
ing up after the summer. There’s never
enough time to finish what needs to be
done at that time, but somehow we al
ways get through it each year.
Beacon: What kind of people have
you met during your time at Behrend?
Jensen: The people I have met while
at Behrend have been mostly connected
with athletics. I’ve had the privilege of
meeting Franco Harris, Jack Ham, and
Rosie Greer through our fundraising
events for athletics. They are Penn State
grads and former Pittsburgh Steelers
who have come to Behrend to help us
out. The late Herb Lauffer and the late
John Jageman were two special people
to know. Roger Sweeting is another
great person to have worked with while
at Behrend, and I could go on and on
about all the coaches who have been
here during my time in the athletic de
partment.
Beacon: How have the programs
changed since you have been at
Behrend?
Jensen: There were seven sports
when I started here in 1986. We have
expanded to 21 sports now, with the
newest being our water sports in the
newly completed Junker Center. Ath
letics has come a long way in the last
few years at Behrend. We are strong
members of the NCAA, ECAC, and
AMCC, with many teams competing
in and winning the various champion
ships.
Friday, March 29, 2002
Frustrations continue to grow as the baseball
team has cancelled game after game because of
the late winter weather that's hit the area recently.
The Lions have already pushed back their first
conference game of the season against Altoona
three times, from Saturday to Sunday to Tuesday.
It can be a very impatient time for the players.
“I think you can tell how frustrated the weather
makes the team," said senior outfielder Jake»
Boyle. “I sometimes am driving along thinking
about not playing because of the weather and
become so upset that I want to jerk the car into a
bridge embankment. Well, not really, but it is very
irritating.”
The team was scheduled to play at Allegheny
on Wednesday, but that too had to be postponed.
The Lions were supposed to play John Carroll
today at 1 p.m., originally scheduled for March
16 in Cleveland, but that game had to be cancelled.
The team’s next home game is against Fredonia
on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
With the weather forecast calling for cloudy
skies with temperatures in the 40s Saturday and
Sunday, the Lions may finally get the chance to
clear their new field for a few games. The news
wasn’t all bad for the baseball team, though. The
teams plays Frostburg on Saturday, and Pitt-
Bradford on Wednesday. So even if the snow
persists into next week, the Lions will get the
chance to shake the rust at the two road games.
For many players, the interruption in the season
prevents them from finding that groove that helps
build momentum as the school year comes to an
end.
“The hard part about not playing for a week or
more is that you can’t get into that groove and
stay there," said catcher Luke Bundy. “Team-wise,
we just take a positive approach that we will play
eventually and it helps knowing that other teams
are doing the same as we are because of the
weather.”
Once the snow melts and the field drains, the
players will remove the tarp. They then will finally
get the chance to practice outside, and hopefully,
play their second home game of the season.
But for now. the players are forced to practice
indoors at the Junker Center, and after so many
indoor practices both before and after spring
break, they can be excused if they seem mad.
“I can’t stand waking up, looking outside, and
seeing snow on the ground and realizing that
another game is cancelled and 1 have to spend yet
another practice indoors,” said Boyle. “It is a
PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO / BEHREND BEACON
Marcia Jensen has seen a lot during her 16 years at Behrend, but
she believes the best days are still to come.
Beacon: What changes would you
make?
Jensen: Overall, things are going
well. One of the biggest changes that
has already been accomplished is the
move from Erie Hall to the Junker Cen
ter. I’ve seen more involvement from
the campus, whether it be students, fac
ulty or staff. The Junker Center gives
everyone a variety of things to do, from
using the track, the swimming pool,
weight room and the all-purpose gym
nasium courts. We’ve had the extremes
of professional wrestling to formal din
ners in the gymnasium.
Beacon: Where are the programs at
Behrend headed?
Jensen: With strong recruiting and
good coaching techniques, more of our
Baseball waits for snow to melt
by Mike Bello
sports editor
teams are reaching playoff levels. It’s
exciting to be a part of such a good
program. The teams are headed up
ward. With the new athletic build
ing, soccer fields, and new baseball
and softball fields, the coaches have
great recruiting tools to bring in more
talented athletes.
Beacon: What is your best
memory of working at Behrend?
Jensen: My best memories of
Behrend are of all the athletes who
have competed here, of the funny
things that have happened, of the
victories that they have earned, and
the friendships that continue after
they graduate.
disgusting feeling.”
The team, though, can work on fixing
weaknesses that build up over time.
“It’s almost like another preseason to prepare
for the next half of the year,” said pitcher Charlie
Sevin. “It’s a time when we can work on little
things that we were doing wrong at the start of
the season.”
What’s even worse, as far as the team is
concerned, is that it has yet to settle in the brand
new field the players have anticipated since
construction began. The Lions have had only a
limited number of practices and only one game
so far on the field.
Missing a few games is one thing, but the team’s
hopes that sunny weather will be in store come
April 6, when the Lions play their first of six home
games in 11 days.
“A lot of mental preparation goes into baseball,
along with looking forward to playing, [and] then
it is gone,” said Bundy. “So it is very hard to stay
mentally tough day after day in the gym.”
“I think the best thing we can do as a team is to
keep practicing and try to prepare for practice as
~ ; *nati id Si
Keith Lepionka, foreground, and Jake
Boyle, background are two reasons the
Lions are 7-3 so far this season.
up more than six deep by the
entrances, because games between
local rivals are always big draws.
The same goes for Prep/
McDowell.
But again, who’s going to want
to watch a Behrend/Frostburg
game? Who in this town knows
where Frostburg is? 1 never knew
until I looked at a map. I highly
doubt many other Erie residents
ever will take the time.
Along with location, it’s not
difficult to find one’s way to
Gannon (located downtown) or
Mercyhurst (located on a main
street), but Behrend is out of the
way for most of the community
(the lazy half, or should I say,
majority).
I’m not saying Behrend should
try to compete with Mercyhurst,
Gannon, or Edinboro (all Division
II schools), because a score like
85-52 would not look good on
paper. I’m just saying that bigger
schools always get more attention
(in the media as well as from the
public), and Behrend is just too
small to attract the Erie
community’s attention.
The Erie media should take most
of the blame here, because if they
don’t care about Behrend, then
getting the word out on the school
is that much harder. People hear
about the school through the
media, and when the media gives
little attention to Behrend, then the
general public will give little
attention.
Another reason, but one not so
important, is the Penn State
connection. One would think this
\egneny Moun,
FROM PAGE 10
:am Collegiate
beh rco!ls @ aol.com
Housing
and
Food Service
Athlete
of the Week
pennState
Jake
(Boyfe
Boyle, a senior out
fielder from
Maplewood High
School, went 3-for-4
with three runs and two
RBIs in a 12-0 win
against Hiram on tAarch
19. Boyle is hitting .452
this season with 15
runs, 19 hits, 15 RBIs,
and two homeruns.
Boyle is also second on
the team with six sto
len bases.
After several recent
cancellations, the Lions
return to the field to
play a road game Sat-
urday against
Frostburg at 1 p.m.
would work for Behrend, but it
really works against the school.
Behrend gets overlooked because
there are so many Penn State fans
in this area. Everyone is a Penn
State fan during football season,
but that doesn’t mean they become
Behrend fans, as well.
Why should they care about a
small Division 111 school, even if
it is a Penn State affiliate, when
University Park is so much bigger
and more important? People want
to cheer for the big teams, the
Yankees, Indians, Bulls, or
Steelers. No one wants to cheer for
the Expos or Clippers.
So what can Behrend do to help
itself build a fan base? Well, for
one thing, a football team would
help. Immensely. People always go
to football games, and it’s the
easiest way to get people to come
to the campus.
Behrend has made strides with
the new JUnker Center and the new
softball and baseball fields
(although bleachers would help).
But until the community can get a
feel for the new facilities, the same
problem will exist for quite some
time.
Of course, I’m not sociologist,
so I don’t have the answers. I just
state the problem and hope others
can figure out the solutions.
They’re the professionals, not me.
All I know is the only way Behrend
will ever be recognized in the
community i$ if the other three
schools relocated to the South.
Yeah, don’t hold your breath for
that one.