PHILADELPHIA – For the first time since 1995, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team will play in the NCAA Championship this weekend, heading to Auburn for a regional that features the host Tigers—#13 in the country—along with Southern Mississippi and Samford.
 
The teams will play a double-elimination format, with the last team standing advancing to a Super Regional June 9-12 against one of the following four teams: Clemson (#4 in the country), Tennessee, Charlotte or Lipscomb.
 
Penn punched its ticket to the field of 64 with its victory in the inaugural Ivy League Baseball Tournament on May 22, capping a 3-0 weekend with a 16-3 win over Princeton, a game they led 12-0 after four innings.
 
The Red and Blue will face Auburn in the 1 vs. 4 game Friday at 7 p.m., with the two-seed Southern Miss facing three-seed Samford at 2.
 
The full schedule for the weekend is as follows:
 
Friday, June 2
  GAME 1: #2 Southern Miss vs. #3 Samford, 2 p.m. (1 p.m. Central)
  GAME 2: #1 Auburn vs. #4 Penn, 7 p.m. (6 p.m. Central)
Saturday, June 3
  GAME 3: #2 Southern Miss vs. #1 Auburn, 3 p.m. (2 p.m Central)
  GAME 4: #3 Samford vs. #4 Penn, 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central)
Sunday, June 4
  GAME 5: #2 Southern Miss vs. #3 Samford, 3 p.m. (2 p.m. Central)
  GAME 6: #4 Penn vs. #2 Southern Miss, 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central)
Monday, June 5
  GAME 7: #4 Penn vs. #2 Southern Miss, 3 p.m. (2 p.m. Central)
 
Penn vs. Auburn – The Series
The teams have only met once before, coincidentally enough during Penn's last NCAA trip in 1995, with Auburn coming out on top, 2-1.
 
Penn vs. Southern Mississippi – The Series
The Quakers and Golden Eagles have never faced each other.
 
Penn vs. Samford – The Series
The Quakers and Bulldogs have never faced each other.
 

News, Notes and Numbers: PENN

.189 • Opponent batting average allowed by Ryan Dromboski this season, tops among all qualifying Ivy League pitchers.
 
4.00 • Penn's team ERA this season, good for ninth-best in Division I.
 
6 • 20-win seasons in W. Joseph Blood Head Coach John Yurkow's eight (full) seasons years in charge of the Quakers.
 
11 • Wyatt Henseler's hitting streak entering Regionals, his second 10+ game hitting streak of the season.
 
14 • Times Ben Miller was hit by a pitch this season, tops in the Ivy League.
 
15 • Games in which Penn scored at least 10 runs; they went 15-0 in those games.
 
17 • Home runs for Wyatt Henseler, a new Penn single-season record.
 
19 • Consecutive Ivy League games Cole Palis hit safely in to end the regular season.
 
22 • Triples for the Quakers this season, tied for second-most in program history.
 
23 • Carson Ozmer appearances on the mound, tied for the most in a single-season in Penn history.
 
24 • Games in which Penn recorded at least 10 hits; they went 23-1 in those games.
 
31 • Games with at least 10 strikeouts for Penn's pitchers, most in a single season in program history.
 
35 • Consecutive games Cole Palis has reached base safely entering Regionals.
 
60 • RBI for Wyatt Henseler, a new Penn single-season record.
 
103 • Doubles for the Quakers this season, fourth-most in program history.
 
485 • Strikeouts for the Quakers pitching staff this season, a program record breaking the old mark of 484 set last season.
 
Previewing The Field
 
No. 1 AUBURN
The Tigers have four everyday players hitting over .330, with three over .350. Ike Irish leads the team at a .364 clip, with Bryson Ware (.356) and Bobby Peirce (.353) close behind. Ware's 24 home runs, 63 RBI and 64 runs scored are all team-bests.
 
On the bump, Tommy Vail has a team-best 3.46 ERA, 65 innings pitched, 77 strikeouts, and has held hitters to a .181 batting average this season. Christian Heberholz and Will Cannon each made at least 17 appearances and pitched to sub-4.50 ERAs. Heberhold has allowed just two earned runs in his last 16 innings spanning four appearances; Cannon threw three scoreless innings in the SEC Tournament against Alabama.
 
No. 2 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
The Golden Eagles have been red-hot the last month with 19 wins in their last 21 games. Three everyday players and three more with at least 20 starts this season are all hitting over .300. Dustin Dickerson and Matthew Etzal are tied for the team lead with a .325 average, combining for 34 steals as well. Slade Wilks has 20 home runs, 56 RBI and a 1.029 OPS this season; all are team-bests
 
On the mound, Tanner Hall was the Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He's gone at least seven innings in his last five starts with 55 strikeouts, including a nine-strikeout, complete game three-hitter in the Sun Belt tourney; for the year, he's struck out 109 and allowed a .194 batting average to opposing hitters. In his last 15 relief appearances, Justin Storm has struck out 36 batters in 21.2 innings, allowing just one earned run (0.42 ERA).
 
NO. 3 SAMFORD
The Bulldogs bring a lot of pop to the field of 64, as the team enters Regionals weekend 20th in the nation with 101 home runs, with John Anderson leading the group with 22. Four everyday players are hitting over .300, with Jayden Davis at a team-best .363; he hit safely in 37 straight games this season.
 
Jacob Cravey ranks fourth in the nation with 121 strikeouts and Ben Petschke is second in the nation with 14 saves. Heath Clevenger was named the Southern Conference Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after tossing a career-high six innings of two-hit ball, allowing just one run and striking out four in the championship game against Wofford on May 27.