PHILADELPHIA – After a tough Ivy series defeat to Yale last weekend, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team plays its second-to-last non-conference tune up against Rider Wednesday afternoon at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
 
The Quakers saw their season-best nine-game win streak come to a halt at the hands of the Bulldogs on Saturday and will be looking for momentum heading into a crucial three-game home set against Columbia.
 
This is Penn's first mid-week game since early April and will play back-to-back Wednesday afternoons to end the regular season slate.
 
GAME 32: Penn (17-14, 11-4 Ivy) vs. Rider (24-10, 15-5 MAAC)
April 23 | Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Program (PDF)
 
Two More Midweeks
Wednesday marks the penultimate midweek matchup for Penn when Rider comes to Tommy Lasorda Field.
 
The Quakers are 2-2 in midweeks this season, having not played one since Tuesday, April 1 against Lafayette.
 
This will be the ninth midweek game Rider has played in during 2025, going 5-2 in such games this year with one against Seton Hall on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Rider Series
The Broncs lead the all-time series, 9-5, dating back to the first meeting in 1961.
 
Rider has won the last two in both 2022 (6-5) and 2023 (4-1) with a 4-2 lead in Philadelphia.
 
The Quakers are looking for their first win over the Broncs since 2007 and first at home since 1980, a 4-3 win for Penn.
 
Pitcher of the Week
Senior right-hander Noah Millikan became the second Quaker to be named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week on Monday after a tremendous performance on the mound to lead Penn to victory over Yale in Game 1 Saturday.
 
Millikan gave up just one first-inning run over 7 ^1/3 innings, scattering three hits with six strikeouts and one walk. He didn't factor in the decision despite Penn coming out on top in walk-off fashion.
 
He retired 10 Bulldogs in a row after surrendering the lone run in the first before allowing a one-out single in the top of the fifth inning.
 
At The Plate
Penn has four hitters batting above the .300 mark as we get into the tail-end of the regular season.
 
The Quakers are led offensively by Gavin Collins (.344), Jarrett Pokrovsky (.331), Nick Spaventa (.314) and Ernie Echevarria (.303).
 
Collins leads the team in runs (30), hits (42), and walks (17), while Davis Baker has a team-leading seven home runs and 27 RBIs.
 
Over the last 10 games, it's been Spaventa leading the Penn offense with a .409 (18-for-44) average, two homers, five doubles, and 13 RBIs.
 
On The Mound
Millikan (0-2, 5.65 ERA) took home Penn's second Ivy Pitcher of the Week honor of the year after his strong start, his seventh of 2025.
 
Freshman LHP Aidan von Zuben (1-0, 10.13) has been the typical midweek starter for the Quakers this season, recording 20 strikeouts over 13.1 innings. He's likely to get the start on Wednesday.
 
Bullpen arms Marty Coyne (3-1, 5.17), Jake Moss (0-0, 3.97), Connor Darling (0-1, 5.51), Tommy Delany (1-1, 9.72) and Thomas Shurtleff (2-2, 1.33) have been solid options in relief for most of the year.
 
Scouting The Broncs
Talk about a successful season for Rider, entering this matchup with 20+ wins and a two-game edge over Quinnipiac for second place in the MAAC standings.
 
The Broncs head into their meeting with the Quakers having won three consecutive games and 10 of their last 12 dating back to March 30.
 
Four hitters are making their presence felt in the Rider lineup, led by Joe Tiroly (.376), Kyle Neri (.352), Erich Hartmann (.341), and Nick Shuhet (.319).
 
Tiroly has a team-high 15 home runs and 49 RBIs with an OPS of 1.335 in 34 games. Neri has a team-high 12 doubles, while the Broncs are hitting .300 as a team. Tiroly currently ranks 15th nationally in homers and fifth in homers per game (0.44). He also ranks within the top 20 in RBIs per game (16th, 1.44), runs per game (18th, 1.41), and slugging percentage (6th, .832).
 
On the mound, Gavin Hawkes (2-0, 1.88 ERA) has been terrific out of the bullpen with 29 strikeouts and 12 walks over 38.1 innings. Kyle Batt (3-2, 4.66), Chris Montone (1-1, 5.04), and PJ Craig (2-2, 7.50) have each made five starts for the Broncs.
 
Follow The Action
Penn and Rider's midweek affair will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Cory Nidoh on the play-by-play call. Live stats will also be provided.
 
For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.