PHILADELPHIA – Coming off a difficult season which saw the Quakers finish 2-12 in EIBL play and 10-22 overall, Penn buckled down in 1988 to win its fifth EIBL Championship and first since 1975. Just past the midway point in the season, the Quakers were 15-9 and 5-4 in EIBL play.
 
Penn then went on a tear, winning its final 12 games—including nine-straight EIBL victories—to clinch the championship. In that nine-game league winning streak, the Quakers swept four consecutive doubleheaders and capped the season off with a pair of convincing wins against Harvard to earn a berth to an NCAA Regional in Austin, Texas.
 
Penn opened the postseason with a 13-3 loss to Cal but kept its hopes alive with a big 10-6 victory over Southern Louisiana. The Red and Blue lined up against Michigan in an elimination game and took the Wolverines down to the wire. Down 6-1 going into the seventh inning, Penn went on a tear; scoring five in the top of the seventh to tie the game.
 
The Quakers' 27 total wins on the season set a program record at the time, besting the 25-win total set in 1975. Additionally, the appearance in a College World Series regional was Penn's first since the '75 season.