PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team readies for its home opener as the Quakers welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to Meiklejohn Stadium for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 16 with game one starting at noon. Penn will then travel to Teaneck, N.J. for another doubleheader on Sunday, this time at the Knights' home diamond. First pitch for the second doubleheader will also come at noon.
 
GAME 10-13: PENN (5-4, 0-0) vs. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (2-6-1, 0-0)
March 16-17, 2019 | Games 1-2: Meiklejohn Stadium | Games 3-4: Teaneck, N.J. | Live Stats: Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4 | ESPN+:  Game 1, Game 2
 
PROJECTED PENN STARTERS
GAME 1: Christian Scafidi (1-0, 3.55 ERA, 12.2 IP, 8 K)
GAME 2: John Alan Kendrick (0-1, 3.48 ERA, 10.1 IP, 14 K)
GAME 3: Mitchell Holcomb (1-0, 4.91 ERA, 11.0 IP, 7 K)
GAME 4: TBD
 
THE MATCHUP
Game one will be the fifth meeting between Penn and Fairleigh Dickinson. The two teams first met in 2018 for a pair of doubleheaders. Penn lost the first game but bounced back to win game two on both days.
 
The Knights currently sit at 2-6-1 after winning an opening day extra inning bout with Seton Hall on Feb. 22 and defeating Army the following week. However, Fairleigh Dickinson has lost its past six games.
 
THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
Penn's home game against FDU will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN. 
 
NEWS AND NOTES: PENN
*Craig Larsen was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week and Big 5 Player of the Week after big performances against Duke and Winthrop. He followed up the honors with a grand slam in the first inning against Lafayette on Tuesday.
 
*The Quakers have tallied the most hits (103), runs (71), RBI (57), extra-base hits (33), doubles (24), triples (4), home runs (5), total bases (150), and walks (50) among all Ivy League programs.
 
*Penn boasts the best batting average (.289), slugging percentage (.420) and on-base percentage (.389) among all Ivy League teams.
 
*Grant Guillory and Robby Cerulle are two of six NCAA pitchers to make three or more appearances and not allow a run.
 
*Sean Phelan paces the Quakers with 15 hits. He leads Penn with a .550 slugging percentage and leads all batters with 20 or more at-bats with a .375 batting average.
 
*Eduardo Malinowski was one of Penn's most dynamic hitters on the team last season. He has continued rolling in his sophomore year and has three multi-hit games. Against Lafayette, he went 5-6 and tallied his second triple of the season. He ranks third on the team with seven RBIs.
 
*Scafidi emerged as Penn's ace after his sophomore year, totaling ten starts and pitching 61.2 innings with 52 strikeouts and 31 earned runs. In his second start this season, he threw 7.0 innings with six strikeouts and three earned runs allowed.
 
*Freshman Josh Hood is 9-11 at the plate in his previous two games with three doubles and a triple. He went 5-6 against Winthrop and drove in three RBIs. Hood went 4-5 against Lafayette with one RBI and four runs scored.
 
*Freshman pitcher Kevin Eaise hit the ground running at Penn. The Richland, N.J. native earned his first collegiate win against Duke on March 6. He has pitched 7.2 innings with five K's over three appearances and has a season ERA of 2.35.
 
PENN BY THE NUMBERS
0.00 • ERA for relievers Guillory and Cerulle through three appearances and 7.1 innings each.
 
2 • Home runs for Larsen this season, tied for most among Ivy League players.
 
2 • Triples by Malinowski this season—most on the team and in the Ivy League.
 
3 • Freshman pitchers with a win this season: Seth DeVries, Eaise, and Miller.
 
4 • Doubles for Tommy Courtney, Hood, and Phelan this season. They lead the team in the category and rank second among all Ivy League athletes.
 
4 • Players with a batting average of .300 or better after 15 or more plate appearances: Phelan (.375), Hood (.361), Chris Adams (.353), and Peter Matt (.318).
 
7 • Players with three or more hits in a game this season: Adams, Hood, Larsen, Malinowski, Matt McGeagh, Matt O'Neill, and Phelan.
 
10 • Active hitting streak for Matt.
 
10 • RBIs for Larsen this season, which is tied for most among all Ivy League players right now.
 
12 • Runs scored by Hood this season, most by any Ivy athlete.
 
14 • Strikeouts for Kendrick and Miller this season—the leading number for Penn in the category.
 
15 • Hits for Phelan this season, the team's leading number in the category.
 
33 • Extra-base hits for Penn through eight games, the most by any school in the Ivy League.
 
57 • RBI for the Quakers in 2019, the most combined mark among all Ivy League teams.
 
136 • Games played by Phelan, 25 shy of the most in program history.