PHILADELPHIA – After going 5-6 during their season-opening 11-game road trip, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team welcomes Philly foe Villanova to the newly renovated Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium for its 2023 home opener Wednesday afternoon.
 
After a season-opening sweep at the hands of #23 South Carolina, Penn picked up series wins over Lamar and Tulane and split a two-game set with Nicholls State.

Penn (5-6) vs. Villanova (1-13)
Wednesday, March 15 | 3 p.m. (WATCH | Live Stats)

The Series: Villanova
Wednesday's game is Penn's 106th time facing Villanova. The Philadelphia Big 5 rivals first met in 1905, with the Wildcats winning 3-2. Villanova holds the series advantage with a 62-43 record, including four straight wins dating back to 2019.

Previewing Penn
Penn went 3-2 last week against Nicholls State and Tulane, splitting a two-game series with the Colonels, before taking two of three from the Green Wave. Davis Baker was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week after hitting .545 with five runs and four RBI. Ben Miller hit .364 with three home runs, seven runs and six RBI, scoring in all five of Penn's games, while Wyatt Henseler hit three home runs and drove in six. Ryan Dromboski turned in a career outing on the mound in the series-clinching win at Tulane on Sunday, allowing just two runs in a career-best six innings while striking out six.
 
Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats have struggled at the plate this season, hitting.204 as a team, with just three every day players hitting .212 or better. One of those three is former Quaker Craig Larsen W'22, whose 16 hits, six doubles, and nine RBI are all team-bests, while his .271 average is good for second on the team.
 
Villanova's pitchers have allowed at least seven runs in 11 games this season, including six of the last seven. Sal Fusco has been Nova's best starter this season, allowing six runs in 16 innings over his last four starts after allowing six runs in 3.1 innings of work in his first start of the season. Reliever Stephen Turzai had allowed just three runs in nine innings of work over his first seven appearances before allowing three in three innings of work in his last outing on Sunday. Graham Moore has been the Wildcats' opener in their last two midweek games, totaling three innings while allowing one run and striking out two.