PHILADELPHIA – Fresh off a three-game sweep of Brown to begin Ivy League play last weekend, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team resumes the conference slate Saturday afternoon at Columbia's Robertson Field at Satow Stadium.
 
The Quakers saw their five-game win streak snapped by Delaware on Tuesday at Tommy Lasorda Field, just days after taking three consecutive games from the Bears.
 
Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by a second game approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. Penn ends the series with an Easter Sunday contest against the Lions at noon.
 
GAME 22-24: Penn (11-10, 3-0 Ivy) at Columbia (7-12, 2-1 Ivy)
March 30-31 | Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats
 
On The Road Again
Penn is back on the road for the first time since March 10 following a successful, nine-game homestand. The Quakers went 7-2 at home in those nine games after starting the season 4-8 with ballgames in Texas and South Carolina.
 
Inside Ivy
The Quakers' 3-0 start to Ancient Eight play is the program's best since winning four straight to begin the year in 2016. It's the first time Penn has started 3-0 since moving to a traditional three-game weekend against one opponent.
 
Penn is the only unblemished Ivy team remaining heading into the second weekend.
 
Pitcher of the Week
On Monday, Cole Zaffiro was named the Ivy League's Pitcher of the Week for the second straight time.
 
In his outing against Brown last Friday, the senior right-hander struck out a career-high 11 batters over seven shutout innings with just two hits and one walk allowed.
 
Over his last two starts, Zaffiro has 20 strikeouts and has pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings.
 
Rookie of the Week
Collins is the second different Quaker (joining Nick Spaventa) to be named Ivy League Rookie of the Week this season after a great performance during the team's 4-0 week.
 
The freshman outfielder hit .364 (4-for-11) with a double, two RBIs, and four runs scored. He walked four times, had a sacrifice fly and stole a base. In the field, Collins had five putouts to go along with zero errors.
 
His highlight performances came in a doubleheader sweep of Brown on Friday, tallying two hits with three walks and two runs.

At The Plate
Penn is led offensively by freshman Nick Spaventa (.356), Davis Baker (.344) and Connor Chavez (.308). Carson Ozmer (.333) and Asa Wilson (.308) are also hitting north of .300 to begin the year.
 
Wyatt Henseler is batting .298 with a team-best 1.110 OPS after going 1-for-4 at the plate against the Blue Hens on Tuesday. He leads the Ivy League with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs.
 
Ozmer has a team-best seven-game hitting streak currently, while Connor Chavez has a season-best 17-game reached-base streak.
 
On The Mound
Quaker pitching holds an ERA of 6.35 as a staff, while Ozmer leads the team, going 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in six appearances. He also has a team-high two saves.
 
Zaffiro (2-2, 4.15 ERA) has been rock solid in his last two starts, striking out 20 batters without surrendering a run. He has a team-high 32 Ks with 13 walks over 26.0 innings.
 
Scouting Columbia
*The Lions are 7-12 to begin the season with an Ivy record of 2-1 after taking two of three from Harvard at home last weekend. Columbia has won back-to-back games after a 10-7 victory over Manhattan on Tuesday and a 6-4 win against the Crimson Sunday.
 
*Columbia has had a couple impressive bats in its lineup as of late including Cole Hage (.338), Miles Blackwell (.333) and Jack Cooper (.320). Hage leads the team with seven homers, six doubles and a 1.193 OPS while Cooper also has seven home runs with 26 RBIs. He also leads the way with 24 hits.
 
*Lion pitching has given up an average of 10.01 runs per game, but Griffin Palfrey (1-2, 1.50 ERA), Andy Leon (1-1, 1.80), and Payton Soske (0-0, 2.45) have been the team's most consistent arms. Will Parkinson has a team-high 20 strikeouts in 13.0 innings.
 
Series History
Penn and Columbia have had a storied rivalry over the years, competing for championships against each other year in and year out.
 
The Quakers hold a series edge of 152-125-2 over 137 years in a series that dates back to 1886.
 
Penn swept the season series in 2023, winning all three games at Tommy Lasorda Field during the regular season to win a second-consecutive Ivy League regular-season title before beating the Lions to open the Ivy League Tournament en route an ILT title and NCAA regional berth.
 
In 2022, the Quakers shared the Ivy title with Columbia after a historic regular season slate before the Lions clinched the AQ with a victory in the final Ivy League Championship Series.
 
Follow The Action
All three games this weekend will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats provided.
 
 For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.