PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team returns to Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium this weekend for a three-game set against Cornell to continue Ivy League play. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11:30 a.m., and the series concludes with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.

Penn currently sits third in the conference standings, trailing only Yale and Brown through nine games played. W. Joseph Blood Head Coach John Yurkow's group is coming off a series victory over Columbia and a seven-inning triumph against Lafayette that clinched a Liberty Bell Classic title game berth for the first time since 2017.

The Big Red rank fifth in the Ivy League with a 4-5 record, picking up wins against Dartmouth (2), Harvard (1), and Princeton (1).

GAME 27-29: Penn (11-15, 5-4 Ivy) vs. Cornell (6-17, 4-5 Ivy)
April 11-12 | Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium | Philadelphia, Pa.
Watch (ESPN+) Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 | Live Stats Game 1, Game 2, Game 3

Morgan's Message
Game 1 of the weekend series serves as the Red and Blue's Morgan's Message game. Morgan's Message is a nonprofit organization that was founded following the tragic loss of former Duke women's lacrosse player, Morgan Rodgers, who was battling with mental health challenges. The organization was created in her honor to work to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.

Morgan's Message will be represented on Saturday with an information table outside of Meiklejohn Stadium.

Basepath King
Program history was made on Tuesday against Lafayette as senior infielder Ryan Taylor broke the program record for stolen bases. Previously held by Doug Glanville (1989-91), Taylor eclipsed the milestone with his third stolen bag of the outing and the 59^th of his career. The Elmer, N.J. native stole four times against the Leopards and now has 60 stolen bags for his career.
 
The Series
Penn holds the all-time series lead with a record of 170-124-2. Across the last 10 meetings between both programs, the Quakers are 7-3 and have won the last five meetings. The hosts swept the Big Red in Ithaca last season, outscoring them 29-8.

The Red and Blue command the series lead in both Philadelphia (88-54-2) and Ithaca (80-69) and their largest winning streak of 25 straight games came between 1921 and 1935.

Cornell was victorious (10-8) in the first matchup between both schools, which took place on May 21, 1888, in Philadelphia.

At the Plate
Freshman infielder Jay Secretarski enters the weekend slate with a team-leading .277 batting average and is up to 26 hits, 13 RBIs, and 20 runs scored in his first season in Philly. The Asheville, N.C. native paces the Ivy League in walks drawn (20) and his .415 on-base percentage ranks eighth in the conference. Secretarski has also been a threat on the basepath, notching 12 stolen bags, which comes in at fourth among his Ivy foes.

Co-captain Jarrett Pokrovsky's bat has begun to heat up as of late, after going 8-for-16 at the dish over the series with Columbia last weekend. The senior boasts a .275 average at the plate through 24 starts and has registered 25 hits, nine RBIs, and 13 runs scored so far in 2026.

Over the last five games, Nick Spaventa has been on fire at the plate, registering eight hits, including a home run in all three games at Columbia. The first baseman's six homers this campaign takes the top spot in the Ivy League and is batting .265 through 26 starts. Spaventa leads the Red and Blue in total bases (54) and his .529 slugging percentage ranks fourth in the conference.

Junior outfielder Gavin Degnan leads the Quakers with 27 hits, eight doubles, 23 RBIs, and 21 runs scored while hitting .267 this season. His RBI and runs scored totals come in at fourth and seventh among the Ancient Eight.

Ryan Taylor (.247), Michael Powell (.220), Ernie Echevarria (.220), and Gavin Collins (.216) round out Penn's hitters that are batting north of .200.

Penn's .969 fielding percentage ranks third in the Ivy League and opposing runners should be aware as it holds a league-best .675 stolen base attempt percentage.

On the Mound
The Quakers used six pitchers in their Liberty Bell Classic triumph over Lafayette, which featured a first win of the season for sophomore Connor Darling in his first-career start.

Reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Week Marty Coyne (3-3) has been the hosts' standout performer on the mound in 2026. The Hockessin, Del. native boasts a 2.55 ERA, which is the second highest in the conference. Coyne's .203 opposing batting average, 42.1 innings pitched and 35 strikeouts rank fourth, fourth, and seventh among his Ivy competitors.

Jake Moss (2-1, 5.45) made his seventh start of the season in Game 1 at Columbia, finishing with four strikeouts in 5.0 frames of work. The senior is up to 33 Ks on the year (ninth in IL) and he'll look to get Penn off to a great start as its primary Game 1 arm.

Co-captain Thomas Shurtleff (3-2, 4.15) took on a different role in his last appearance by coming out of the bullpen, despite starting in his previous three outings. He entered the game in the third inning and closed out the rubber match with four Ks in 6.2 frames pitched. Shurtleff retired the Lions in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to claim his third win of the season.

Through 26 games, Ben Moulin, Nick Newburn, Josh Katz, Aidan von Zuben, Luke Pokrovsky and Darling have been Penn's go-to arms for relief.

The Quakers' pitching staff has a 5.25 ERA, which ranks in the top half among the Ancient Eight (fourth).

Scouting the Big Red
Cornell prepares for its trip to University City following its first series win of the season last weekend at home versus Dartmouth. The hosts captured 8-1 and 4-2 victories in the first two games of the three-game set, but the Big Green bounced back in Game 3 with a dominant 15-0 victory. The visitors have posted a 3-10 record on the road this campaign.

The Big Red boasts a .255 team-batting average, and five hitters are batting over .250, including Owen Carlson (.371), Kevin Hager (.337), Jake Hower (.286), Luke Johnson (.279), and Mason Barela (.277). Carlson and Hager have been a lethal duo at the plate for Cornell, ranking second and sixth in batting average among their conference foes.

Hager paces the visitors with 29 hits, three home runs and a .488 slugging percentage in his 23 starts. Carlson (26), Hower (22), Barela (26) and Caden Wildman (20) have all notched 20 or more hits in 2026.

From the bump, Huxley Holcombe (1-4) has been Cornell's ace this season and his 4.13 ERA comes in at seventh in the conference. He also ranks second in batters struck out looking (13), and paces the team in total strikeouts (31). Ethan Hamill (0-2, 6.18) is another consistent arm on the mound for the visitors, having started in all seven of his appearances this season.

John Hegarty (1.47) paces the Big Red's pitching staff in wins (3), coming out of the bullpen in all seven of his appearances. Ross Yoshida (0-1, 3.68), Carson Mayfield (1-4, 8.38), and Ethan Van Sice (1-1, 8.47) are also favored to see time on the hill while in Philadelphia.

Cornell's pitching staff ranks last in the conference with a 7.48 ERA, and its 29 home runs allowed is the second-worst mark among the Ancient Eight.

Follow the Action
Fans looking to keep up with the action can watch the series with an ESPN+ subscription. Live stats will also be available throughout the weekend.

For the latest on Penn baseball, follow @PennBaseball on X (formerly Twitter), @Penn_Baseball on Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.