-- SCHEDULE UPDATE: Single game on Sunday MOVED to Friday at 3:30 p.m. due to projected weather conditions --

THE SERIES: Penn (8-18-1, 3-5-1 Ivy) vs. Princeton (7-14, 4-2 Ivy) | Apr. 13-14 | Princeton, N.J.

Projected Starters (Penn vs. Princeton)
Game One: Friday, Apr. 13 at 3:30 p.m.
LHP Gabe Kleiman (0-5, 4.17 ERA) vs. TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Two: Saturday, Apr. 14 at 11:30 a.m.
RHP Mitchell Holcomb (0-3, 4.78 ERA) vs. TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game Three: Saturday, Apr. 14 at ~2:30 p.m.
RHP Christian Scafidi (1-3, 5.23 ERA) vs. TBD (0-0, 0.00 ERA)


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PHILADELPHIA - Last season, Penn put together a notably strong performance within Ivy League competition, cruising to a Lou Gehrig Division title and a trip to the championship series against Yale for the first time since 2007. Conference play has yet to be be so kind this year, though, as the Quakers have picked up just three wins in as many series, dropping two games to both Brown and Harvard while earning a tie in the home opener against Dartmouth. As such, the upcoming three-game weekend series with the university's closest geographical opponent -- Princeton -- serves as the critical midway point in Penn's Ivy schedule, either bolstering the Quakers back into the contention or essentially closing the door on another title run.

The offense has decisively shifted towards a "small ball" approach over the course of the past two weeks, as freshman outfielder Eduardo Malinowski (.333 BA) has surged into the batting order's top position. Malinowski has provided a key spark since the beginning of Ivy League play, leading the team in hits with baserunners on (.413) and with two outs (.423), not to mention ranking second in successfully advancing runners (.489). And while the freshman has yet to seriously impact scoring from an RBI perspective, his consistent on-base presence (.381) has allowed the big sticks to work their magic. The RBI wizard of the line-up this season: junior infielder Matt McGeagh, whose 26 thus far places him head and shoulders over the team's second place (junior Matt O'Neill - 16 RBIs). The third baseman leads the squad in successfully advancing baserunners (.491) and has a tendency to plate stranded teammates two outs into an inning (13 two-out RBIs). He ranks second in hits with runners in scoring position (.412) and even serves as the team's best leadoff hitter, reaching on just under half of his attempts (.429).

Meanwhile, the Quakers' bullpen has begun to peak at just the right time, surrendering just 11 runs on 16 hits over the past three midweek games (at Saint Joseph's, at Villanova & at Monmouth). In conference play, the eight-man relief group has been even sturdier, allowing just 11 earned runs across 35 and one-third frames. Freshman Robby Cerulle (2.70 ERA), along with sophomores Dylan Mulvihill (1.93 ERA) and Jacob Sadowitz (3.18 ERA), have acted as primary relievers thus far, and the trio is expected to continue strong production moving forward. After mixing up the rotation for the first few weeks, Penn settled on senior LHP Gabe Kleiman (4.17 ERA) and a pair of right-handed sophomores -- Mitchell Holcomb (4.78 ERA) and Christian Scafidi (5.23 ERA) -- to hold down the starting duties, and all three have impressed on the mound. The southpaw senior has been a strikeout machine, picking up 44 on the year, while Holcomb has compiled a significantly low opposing batting average, holding line-ups to just .225 at the plate.


SCOUTING PRINCETON
The Tigers have showcased a notable resiliency after starting the year off 0-7, falling in back-to-back road series at UNC-Wilmington and South Carolina. Princeton eventually recovered with a couple of wins at Georgetown, setting up a strong push into Ivy play as the team currently ranks second in the conference behind a 4-2 run over Cornell and Brown. Recent success has eluded the Tigers, though, as they have dropped three of their past five (vs. Monmouth, at Brown & vs. Seton Hall) by an aggregate 47-13 mark.

The Princeton offense works closer to a team effort as opposed the usual individual showcase, as the group's five top batters all contribute to production in different ways. Joseph Flynn (.282 BA) and Conor Nolan (.232 BA) serve as the RBI machines, knocking in a combined 31 for the year. Asher Lee-Tyson (.307 BA), along with Jesper Horsted (.284 BA) and Chris Davis (.280 BA), have acted as the "get-on-base" players in the line-up with each sporting a .372 or higher on-base percentage. The pitching rotation, though, has been much more star-centric, focused around Ryan Smith (1-2, 5.25 ERA) and Ben Gross (2-3, 5.92 ERA). The remainder of starts has been spread around a strong bullpen, with three relievers posting at least 17.0 innings pitched thus far into the season.