The Grimson baseball team will open its season against a strong M.I.T. squad at Soldiers Field this afternoon. The game will be quite significant as a battle between potential powers since both teams have shown strength in Southern vacation games.

The Engineers, coached by Bob Whitelaw, will take the field against the Crimson at 3 p.m., weather permitting. Rain is forecast for the afternoon, and there is considerable doubt about the chances of playing at all.

If the precipitation holds off, Whitelaw will start pitcher Dick Oehler, a junk-ball left hander. Oehler has been very successful in games earlier this spring and may well give the Crimson batters a trying afternoon. Last year he was responsible for shutting out Harvard with two hits, 2 to 0.

Though M.I.T.'s pre-season record of one win and two losses was unimpressive, its pitching was good, and Whitelaw is quite optimistic about the prospects. The Engineers lost to Johns Hopkins and Catholic University but edged Rutgers, 2 to 1.

The Crimson suffered a serious blow earlier this week with the loss of Sophomore Jay Sullivan. He had performed at third base admirably during the spring trip. To compensate for the loss, coach Norm Shepard will play either Chet Boulris or Moe Balboni at third. The other will start at right field.

Al Martin, another of the team's promising sophomores, will begin the game at first base. A player with tremendous potential, Martin hit 400 on the Southern trip. Mouse Kasarjian at shortstop and George Harrington at second will round out the infield.

The Crimson has one of the best catchers in the league in Captain John Davis. Over vacation he stopped four attempted steals with his throws to second and hit 355, batting in seven runs. He will be batting in the clean-up position this afternoon.

Left field and center field will be filled by sophomore Charlie Ravenel and Charlie Leamy respectively. Though short of stature, Ravenel has great power, and has already accounted for a long triple and a home run.

Byron Johnson is Shepard's choice to start on the mound, and if he runs into trouble, fast-baller Wally Cook will probably relieve. The outcome of the game would seem to depend a great deal on the effectiveness of these two men.