PHILADELPHIA – The Quakers travel to Delaware State on Tuesday to kick off Liberty Bell Classic play with a 3 p.m. first pitch at Bob Reed Field. Penn is looking to get back in the win column after it posted an 0-4 record last week with a midweek loss to La Salle and dropped its three-game series at Yale.
 
GAME 22: Penn (7-14, 3-3 Ivy) at Delaware State (2-22, 2-10 NEC)
March 31 | Bob Reed Field | Dover, Del.
Watch (NEC Front Row) | Live Stats

Senior Speedster
Senior Ryan Taylor continued to etch his name into the program's record book with a big performance in Game 1 at Yale. The Elmer, N.J. native registered five stolen bases on Saturday (3/28), which moved him into second all-time in career stolen bases (53), passing Bill Graupner (1930-32).

The Series
The Red and Blue have faced the Hornets four times in their history and have yet to drop a game, holding a perfect 4-0 record. The last time both teams met was during the 2024 campaign when Penn won by a 12-run margin (13-1). The Quakers have outscored the hosts 38-14 over their matchups.

The series began on March 11, 2014, as Penn took two games from the Hornets with back-to-back wins in Dover.
 
At the Plate
Junior outfielder Gavin Degnan enters Penn's first Liberty Bell Classic game of the season with a team-leading .253 batting average and has started in all 21 games this season. The Lakehurst, N.J. native leads the Quakers in several offensive categories, including hits (20), doubles (6), RBIs (20) and total bases (37). Degnan's 20 RBIs rank fourth among his conference foes.
 
Jay Secretarski continues to impress in his first season in University City, posting a .240 batting average, while starting all 21 games in the infield. The Asheville, N.C. native has registered 18 hits, four doubles, five RBIs and 13 runs scored, and leads the squad with a .380 on-base percentage. He has drawn 15 walks this campaign, which ranks second in the Ivy League.
 
Taylor was a force to be reckoned with in Game 1 in New Haven, ringing up three hits (3-for-4) with four RBIs, two runs scored and two walks. He also stole five bases against the Bulldogs and currently boasts a .235 average at the dish. Taylor is up to 11 stolen bags this season, which places him third among his Ivy competition.

Nick Spaventa (.232) and Jarrett Pokrovsky (.225) are the only other Quakers to enter the matchup batting above .200. Spaventa is tied with Degnan for a team-leading three home runs and is right behind his classmate in total bases (32).   
 
In the field, the Red and Blue hold the third-best fielding percentage (.968) in the conference with 26 errors. Penn has caught 12 runners stealing this season, ranking second in the league and nine of those are credited to sophomore catcher Ernie Echevarria.
 
On the Mound
Penn's pitching staff remains one of the best in the Ivy League through 21 games, holding a 4.88 ERA, which ranks second in the conference. Pitching Coach Josh Schwartz's unit has allowed a second-best 114 runs this season and has thrown the second-most strikeouts (153) among Ivy League teams.

Junior left-hander Marty Coyne (2-3) paces the Red and Blue with a 3.00 ERA and ranks third in the Ivy League in innings pitched (36.0). His 31 strikeouts come in at seventh in the conference and no Ivy pitcher has struck out more batters looking (12). Coyne has allowed just four walks this campaign, which ranks second in the league and 27^th in the nation.
 
Fellow starter Thomas Shurtleff (2-2) boasts a 3.90 ERA (8^th in IL) and has thrown the sixth-most innings in the conference (32.1). The Medfield, Mass. native threw a career-high 8.1 innings on Sunday against Yale and registered four strikeouts.

Sophomore reliever Connor Darling has notched three saves this season, which ranks second in the conference. Classmate Aidan von Zuben is right behind him with two saves to grant Penn the top spot in the Ivy League with six saves this year.
 
Scouting the Hornets
Delaware State is 0-4 in its short stint of Liberty Bell Classic action and Tuesday's matchup will be the first time they will meet Penn in the tournament.

The Hornets currently hold a 2-22 record this season and enter the midweek meeting coming off a doubleheader loss to FDU on Sunday (3/29). Delaware State earned a 4-2 victory over the Knights on Saturday (3/28) and its only other win of the season was earned in a 12-8 final at Le Moyne (3/8) a few weeks ago.
 
Delaware State has four hitters batting .225 or better in 2026, including Carter Boyd (.344), Santino Harwood (.306), Jabril Bullock (.246) and Alec Rodriguez (.232). Boyd leads the hosts with 21 hits and 29 total bases, while Bullock paces the Hornets in RBIs (15) and doubles (6). Delaware State's batting average of .230 ranks 11^th in the NEC.
 
On the hill, Michael Lane (2-4, 7.20) is responsible for the Hornets' two wins this season. The junior leads the hosts in innings pitched (30.0) and his 35 strikeouts rank second in the NEC. Jeremy Vest (0-0, 7.36) has also been a key contributor from the bump with 22.0 innings pitched and 11 strikeouts.

Delaware State's pitching staff has given up an average of 12.95 runs per game, which ranks last in the NEC. The Hornets have struck out 127 batters through 24 games and allowed 248 hits.
 
Follow the Action
Tuesday's contest will be streamed live on NEC Front Row and live stats will also be available for fans.
 
For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.