THE SERIES: Penn (5-13, 1-2 Ivy) vs. Saint Joseph's (8-11, 0-3 Atlantic-10) | Mar. 28 | Smithson Field

Projected Starter (Penn vs. Saint Joseph's)
RHP Cole Sichley (0-2, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Brian Edgington (2-1, 10.64 ERA)


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PHILADELPHIA - After opening Ivy League play this past weekend at Brown, the Quakers return to the Delaware Valley to battle fellow Big Five member Saint Joseph's, taking on the Hawks at Smithson Field following a last-minute venue change. The midweek matchup will also serve as Penn's jumping off point for the Liberty Bell Classic, an annual tournament between Philadelphia-based collegiate Division I baseball programs for bragging rights within the Delaware Valley. Despite the Brown series not falling the Quakers' way, the squad still enters Tuesday's contest riding some momentum, as Penn rallied from down seven runs Sunday afternoon to top the Bears by a 9-8 mark.

Offensively, junior Matt O'Neill has begun to peak at the right time, as he has racked up seven hits over the past four games, including three home runs (one a grand slam), seven RBIs and five runs. Consistency from juniors Sean Phelan and Matt McGeagh, along with sophomore Chris Adams, has kept Penn afloat thus far into the year, as the trio combined for 13 hits with six RBIs and a pair of doubles against Brown. Extra production has been routed through freshmen Eduardo Malinowski and Brendan Bean as well, with the two young bats picking up some crucial hits over the course of the past three weeks.

Nailing down a solid starting rotation has proven difficult for the Quakers since the season began in late February, as fluctuations among the veteran staff combined with a few young guns stepping up have shaken up the entire group. Right now, senior captain Gabe Kleiman still holds down the top spot, but recent production out of sophomores Mitchell Holcomb and Christian Scafidi, along with freshmen Robby Cerulle and Cole Sichley, leaves the staff flush with strong relievers and short on reliable starters. The next few matchups will provide a crucial testing ground for a number of pitchers as the permanent rotation looks to be established.


SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
The Hawks enter the midweek battle with Penn sitting at 8-11 after suffering a sweep at the hands of fellow Atlantic-10 foe Saint Louis this past weekend. On the year, though, Saint Joseph's has put together a few impressive wins, including a pair over Notre Dame and a midweek victory versus Missouri State. The offense has been revving behind the efforts of a trio of big bats: Charlie Concannon (.352), James McConnon (.292) and Matt Maul (.250), who combine on the season for 61 hits, 17 RBIs and 10 doubles.

As for the pitching rotation, Saint Joseph's has leaned on Tim Brennan (3.82 ERA) and Justin Aungst (4.55 ERA), who have racked up four of the team's eight victories on ten total starts. The projected opposition for Tuesday's game against the Quakers is currently Brian Edgington (10.64 ERA), who has compiled just one start with five appearances thus far into the season, garnering two wins along the way.