The regionally ranked DeSales baseball team pounded out 22 hits, 10 of them for extra bases, and had a player hit for the cycle in handing Muhlenberg an 18-6 loss in the Mules’ final game of the season.

Muhlenberg, which finished with a record of 12-18-1, had 13 hits of its own, all singles. Freshman Ryan Sassaman went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two stolen bases. He ended the year a perfect 14-for-14 on stolen base attempts – the most swipes by a Mule without getting caught since 1989.

Seniors Joel Rush and Adam Sadler both drove in a run in their last game for Muhlenberg.

Junior Matthew Long went 1-for-3 to finish with a team-leading .402 batting average. He is only the 14th Mule to hit .400 in a season with 60 or more at-bats.

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The meet gets underway 1:00 Friday at Swarthmore (Click here for directions.) with first day of the decathlon and heptathlon and the 10,000 meters.

Holak has finished second twice and third once at the conference meet. His longest javelin throw this season is more than 14 feet better than that of his nearest CC competitor.

The bulk of events will take place Saturday and Sunday, with action starting at 11:00 both days.

The men’s team, coming off a second-place performance last year and third in this year’s CC indoor meet, will look to stay in the league’s top three. The ’Berg women placed fifth in 2003 for their best CC outdoor finish ever. They will try to set a new standard this time around and have the athletes to get it done.

One of the keys the men’s success could be their depth in the field events. Senior Randy Holak will try to finish his career with the CC javelin title that has eluded him thus far. Juniors John Brodowski and Harry Kegelman could also score points.

Muhlenberg is just as deep in the shot put, where senior Frank Santini and freshmen Andy Wilkins and Matthew Sallese have all been among the CC’s top five throwers this season.

Brodowski, last year’s top field performer, will not compete in the long jump, decathlon or running events, but should be as dangerous as ever at the high jump. He and senior Joshua Boyer are two of four Centennial jumpers to clear six feet this spring. Boyer will be the lone Mule representative in the other two jumps, but can score in both.

Kegelman and senior Alex Johansen will compete in the decathlon. Johansen won the silver medal last year, two spots ahead of Kegelman.

Senior Matt Frye placed fourth in the pole vault last year, and his vault at last week’s Lions’ Invitational was his best and the CC’s second-best of the season.

Muhlenberg should get its share points in the track events too. Freshman Lex Mercado has been the league’s second-fastest 800 runner this season and will try to help the Mules win some relay medals. They enter the weekend with the season’s best 4x400 time and the No. 2 time in the 4x800.

“We always want to do better than before,” junior Ashlie Hankee said of the women’s team’s chances. “Even though we ran really well indoors, I think we have a chance to do a lot better.”

The Mule women can score points in almost every event and could medal in many. Danielle Seiler might pick up a couple of those medals. The defending intermediate hurdle champion has the best time this year in that event and is one of just two CC runners to finish the 400 meters in less than a minute.

Hankee set a school record and finished second in last year’s high hurdles. She will try to replicate that feat this weekend. She and Seiler will run for Mule relay teams, all three of which could be in the medal hunt.

“I’m excited,” said Hankee. “It’s just a matter of getting those one or two points that will add up at the end. If you’re seeded 10th you go for eighth; if you’re eighth you go for sixth or seventh.”

Freshman Jacquelyn Inverso was named Most Outstanding Performer for the field events at the indoor championships and will try to match her indoor triple and high jump gold medals with outdoor golds. She will also compete in the long jump and high hurdles. Rachel Drosdick, another freshman jumper and hurdler, already set the school record in the heptathlon and will begin her quest for a CC medal Friday.

Junior Meghan Douglas-Snyder is seeded fourth, but no CC athlete has vaulted higher this season than her winning 10-foot vault at last year’s meet.

The Mules will also be competitive in the throws. Freshman Sarah Mitchell has thrown more than 10 feet farther than any other CC athlete in the women’s javelin. Junior Kristin Boydston placed in all three throws last year and is seeded second in the shot put.