The Harvard baseball team goes into fullscale Eastern League war this weekend with a tough road trip that begins today at Columbia and doesn't stop until Saturday's doubleheader at Penn is over.

For the Crimson, it is the first and most crucial test of whether or not this talented squad has the horses to make post-season playoffs for the first time since 1974. Last year's squad came close, but a doubleheader rainout to Penn and tough losses to Yale and Cornell spelled a 7-5 record for the batsmen and a fourth place in one ten-team league (the Ivies plus Army and Navy).

Harvard is currently tied for first in the Eastern League with a 2-0 record (last season's co-champion Cornell is 3-0), by virtue of last Saturday's twinbill sweep of Dartmouth. Two, or preferably three wins this weekend could put the Crimson in strong bargaining position by the time the home stretch of the 14-game league season comes around.

Columbia (4-5 in the Eastern League, sixth place) has taken quite a fall from its past two years of league domination. The Lions won the title outright in 1976 and tied with Cornell for the title last season, but this spring have stumbled at times due to graduation and the rather porous infield that has resulted.

Basepaths aside, Columbia still boasts two of the Eastern League's finest performers. Crafty junior righthander Rolando Acosta was the league's premier hurler last year (5-1, 2.39) in a season that included a masterful 3-1 win over the men-undefeated Crimson. It's no secret that Rolando (3-4 this season) will be locking horns with Harvard ace Larry Brown (6-0) today in what promises to be strictly K-rations for both squads.

Columbia's other star, outfielder Mike Wilhite, is a legitimate pro prospect, a rare breed around the Eastern League. Wilhite led the circuit in hitting last season with a .448 average, and although he has tailed to only a .305 mark so far this spring, the senior from Oakland has jacked eight home runs in 24 games to break the school record held by some guy named Gehrig.

Penn (6-3 in Eastern League, third place) got off to a roaring start, but began to fade when its top starter, John Leonard, came down with mononucleosis in early April. Leonard is healthy now, and will probably start the second game of the doubleheader.

Of course there are pitching woes with the Penn ballclub, but the Quakers wield some mean war clubs at the plate. Penn led the league in team hitting last year with an obnoxious .322 mark, and the Quakers seem to be picking up where they left off. Through the first 18 games Penn batted a .318 as a team, but its earned run average was a sorry 6.61.

Hitting stars for the Blue and Red included Eastern League home run leader Tom Olszack (five hrs), as well as offensive studs Dennis Carbach, Dave Miller, and Al Greenfield.

The mound matchups look to be Penn's Bruce Ballard vs. Steve Baloff (3-0) in the first game, and Leonard vs. either Timmy Clifford (2-0) or lefty Paul McOsker (1-1) in the wrap-up. The bet is that Clifford will get the start because of his inspiring six-hit shutout of Northeastern on Tuesday and due to Penn's largely righty line-up.

Where's Harvard

Seems like everyone's been covered except Harvard.

The Crimson's situation right now is a weird one to evaluate. Hitting has been spotty, but some of the hitters, Charlie Santos-Buch (.314) and Rich Pearce (.279) are beginning to come around at the plate, while Mike Stenhouse (.378), Mark Bingham (.271, 3 homers), and Paul Halas (.400) have been steady all year long.

If Jim Peccerillo (.273) and Burke St. John (.231) heat up along with the weather, Coach Loyal Park shouldn't have to worry about one-run ballgames.

No Problems

And because Park does not have to worry about his pitching, you'd think his problems would be over.

If so, take a look at the x-rays of starting catcher Joe Wark's right hand. The freshman backstop caught a foul tip on his throwing hand and is now out for six weeks (virtually the season) with a bad fracture. Veteran Steve Joyce will be forced to handle all the catching chores from now on.

It is unfortunate, as Wark was doing a strong job defensively, but there is really no time to be morbid now. Challenges await the baseball team today and tomorrow, and with the playoffs so readily in reach it would be morbid indeed if those challenges were not met.