PHILADELPHIA – Looking to gain separation from the pack in the Ivy League standings, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team continues its eight-game homestand this weekend by hosting rival Columbia Friday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (DH starting at 11:30 a.m.) at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium.
 
The Quakers enter their second-to-last Ivy series of the regular season tied with the Lions atop the Ancient Eight, while vying for both a berth into the third-annual Ivy League Tournament and a potential share of the Ivy's regular-season title.
 
Sunday also marks Senior Day for the Penn senior class—Connor Chavez, Alex Gabauer, Will Tobin, Noah Millikan, Marshall Mott, Nate Polo, Asa Wilson, Cole McGonigal, and Tommy Delany—with a special pre-game ceremony.
 
GAME 33-35: Penn (18-14, 11-4 Ivy) vs. Columbia (19-16, 11-4 Ivy)
April 25, 27 | Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats – Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 | Program (PDF)
 
Crunch Time
With just six games remaining in the Ivy regular season, every game is crucial in determining the field for the Ivy League Tournament and the regular season title, one that has been won by either Penn or Columbia over the last three seasons.
 
The Quakers and Lions are tied at 11-4 while Yale is a game back at 10-5.
 
Penn clinches a berth in the ILT with one win this weekend, while Columbia clinches with two wins or one win and a Cornell loss.
 
On the other hand, Penn will clinch the Ivy League title with a three-game sweep and two Yale losses.
 
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.
 
Midweek Madness
Penn outlasted Rider in a midweek marathon matchup on Wednesday, 20-16.
 
The 20 runs are the most the Quakers have scored in a game this season while the 36 aggregate runs are the most since Penn and Dartmouth also plated a total of 36 runs in 2019.
 
Jarrett Pokrovsky led the Penn offense with three doubles and seven RBIs, while Cole McGonigal launched a pinch-hit, game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning to tie game up at 16-16. Pokrovsky then came through with a bases-clearing double to give the Quakers a 20-16 lead, which proved to be the final score.
 
The Quakers improved to 3-2 this season in midweek games after playing their first since April 1.
 
The Columbia Series
Penn hold a 153-128-2 all-time advantage over Columbia in a series that dates all the way back to 1886.
 
The Quakers are 87-58-1 at home against the Lions while splitting the last 10 matchups, 5-5.
 
Penn dropped all three games to Columbia during the regular season in 2024 on the road. The team defeated the Lions, 8-4, in their opening game of the Ivy League Tournament on May 17, 2024 before advancing through the loser's bracket en route to their second consecutive Ivy League Tournament title.
 
The last time these two teams met in Philadelphia back in 2023, the Quakers won all four matchups, sweeping the regular-season set at Tommy Lasorda Field before taking a 10-6 victory in the opening game of the inaugural ILT.
 
At The Plate
After a strong last few weeks at the dish, Davis Baker (.304) joined his fellow teammates—Pokrovsky (.346), Collins (.339), Nick Spaventa (.312), and Ernie Echevarria (.304)—as .300+ hitters.
 
Baker is slugging .585 to lead the team with seven home runs and 30 RBIs. His 15 doubles rank second behind only Pokrovsky (18).
 
Collins is slashing .339/.445/.480 in 32 games overall this year and leads the team in walks with 22. In conference play, his .415 average is ranked second among Ivy hitters, while his 16 walks lead the way.
 
As a team, Penn ranks sixth in the nation in doubles per game (2.58), 78th in doubles (80) and defensively, 86th in double plays per game (0.74).
 
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.
 
He's joined in the weekend rotation by Josh Katz (4-3, 7.79) and Will Tobin (2-2, 5.09). In five Ivy starts, Tobin is 2-1 with a 2.78 ERA.
Millikan has a team-high 42 strikeouts, followed closely by Tobin (41), Katz (37), and reliever Marty Coyne (3-1, 5.17) with 31.
 
Coyne, Connor Darling (0-1, 5.19), Jake Moss (0-0, 3.75), and Thomas Shurtleff (2-2, 1.27) represent a solid bullpen staff for the Quakers.
 
Penn pitching ranks 28th nationally in K/9 at 9.9 and 53rd in K:BB ratio at 2.35.
 
Scouting The Lions
Columbia has been on a bit of a hot streak as of late, winners of six consecutive games after an 18-7 victory over MAAC leader Fairfield and a three-game sweep of Dartmouth at home before defeating Stony Brook, 6-3, on Wednesday.
 
Sam Miller is batting .359 to lead the team, along with his team-high 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. He's slugging .634 on the year with an OPS of 1.051.
 
Cole Fellows is also hitting .301 with seven doubles and 25 RBIs, while Anton Lazits' nine homers rank second on the team along with his 36 RBIs. Lazits was named Ivy Player of the Week on Monday after slashing .529/.556/1.235 with nine hits, eight runs, and seven RBIs.
 
On the mound, Columbia is paced by Baylor Hicks (1-1, 4.44 ERA), Brendan Murphy (2-1, 4.76), Justin Bowman (1-0, 4.97), and starters Thomas Santana (4-2, 5.85), Jagger Edwards (2-3, 6.02) and Joe Sheets (3-3, 6.60). Santana leads the team with 40 strikeouts over 40.0 innings.
 
Follow The Action
All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+ this weekend with Cory Nidoh on the play-by-play call. Live stats will also be provided through the entirety of the series.
 
 For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.