THE SERIES WITH NORTHWESTERN STATE | Feb. 23-25, H. Alvin Brown-C. C. Stroud Field

Projected Starters (Penn vs. Northwestern State)

Game One: Friday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m.
LHP Gabe Kleiman (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Jones (1-0, 1.80 ERA)

Game Two: Saturday, Feb. 24 at 3:30 p.m.
RHP Christian Scafidi (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Ridge Heisler (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Three: Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m.
LHP Jack Hartman (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Robert Burke (0-1, 11.57 ERA)


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PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania baseball program kicks off its 2018 campaign Friday evening in Natchitoches, La., battling Northwestern State in the first of a three-game series. The Demons enter the game 2-2 having completed a series against Binghamton last weekend and a mid-week matchup with Louisiana-Monroe this past Tuesday.
 
Under the guidance of W. Joseph Blood head coach John Yurkow – who enters his fifth year with the program – the Quakers return an experienced group across nearly every position on the diamond. With 22 letter winners back from last year's Gehrig Division title squad, Penn sits poised to make a second run at the Ivy League Championship behind a potent offense and surgical pitching rotation, all loaded with notable talent.
 
The batting line-up returns eight of nine regulars, losing only first-team All-Ivy choice Tim Graul to graduation. While Graul led the team offensively last season, the next four – senior OF Andrew Murnane, juniors C Matt O'Neill and 1B Sean Phelan, and sophomore INF Chris Adams – all posted above a .280 batting average, combining for 88 RBIs and 11 home runs on the year.
 
"I'm looking forward to seeing what our offense has to show this year," Murnane, one of this season's three captain selections, said. "We're pretty experienced with eight guys coming back from last year's line-up. I'm excited to see how guys come back and build on their seasons from last year. A lot of guys have more potential, and there have been guys that have put in the work."
 
Meanwhile, senior LHP Gabe Kleiman will anchor a young pitching staff, as the left-hander serves as the only true returning starter. Last year, the senior compiled a perfect 3-0 mark along with a 4.23 ERA, but the losses of All-Ivy first-teamer Jake Cousins, Mike Reitcheck and Adam Bleday leaves openings for younger arms to step up.
 
As such, the Quakers will be looking to senior Jack Hartman and a pair of sophomores, Mitchell Holcomb and Christian Scafidi, to pick up the slack within the rotation. All three served on the mound this past season in some role or another, but registered just a combined 52.0 innings pitched between them.
 
"We're expecting a swing from how things were last year," Kleiman, another captain choice, noted. "We had a really talented staff last season, and we had a couple guys drafted. This year, we're relying on a new cast of characters. We definitely have a different personality, there is a different life among the staff. I think the energy is really good and we mesh well together. Instead of relying on a couple guys, we're going to try and mix and match our pieces as more of a unit."
 
And while fast pitching and a ton of "heat" was the calling card of last year's staff, Kleiman indicated the 2018 rotation had a new mantra: command.
 
"Last year we had a lot of velocity, but this year we're going to have to rely on location and tactical pitching."
 
As for O'Neill, who will be catching for each pitcher to take the mound this season, he's only seen improvement from the young athletes working their way into the rotation over the offseason.
 
"We have a lot of young guys who are talented and eager to get a few innings and help us win games, so I think the change has been positive," O'Neill, the third and final captain, said. "We've had a great staff the past two years, but it's nice to see some younger guys come in, learn the ropes and help us get wins this season."


SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN STATE

The Demons (2-2, 0-0 Southland) enter their matchup with Penn off back-to-back losses, dropping the final game of a three-game series with Binghamton before running into a tough Louisiana-Monroe squad on the road, falling 11-6.
 
The decisive pitching of Nathan Jones and Ridge Heisler propelled Northwestern State to a pair season-opening victories over Binghamton, with the latter registering a shutout before turning to the bullpen after five innings. Oppositely, Robert Burke struggled in his opener, giving up three runs in two and one-third innings as the Demons fell, 10-3.
 
Offensively, Northwestern State has already posted two games with more six or more runs, relying on notable hitting from Austin Stegall (.556) and J.P. Lagreco (.444 with three RBIs) for the primary spark in the opening four games.