PHILADELPHIA – The Quakers travel to West Long Branch, N.J. on Wednesday to continue non-conference action at 3 p.m. against Monmouth. Penn posted a perfect 4-0 record last week with a win against Lafayette in the semifinal round of the Liberty Bell Classic and a trio of victories over the weekend versus Cornell.

Following the weekend sweep, the Red and Blue hold an 8-4 Ancient Eight record and are on a six-game winning streak. Through 12 conference games, only Yale and Brown sit higher in the standings, with the Quakers in third.
 
GAME 30: Penn (14-15, 8-4 Ivy) at Monmouth (19-13, 14-4 CAA)
April 15 | MU Baseball Field | West Long Branch, N.J.
Watch (FloSports) | Live Stats

The Series
Penn and Monmouth have only faced each other 12 times in their respective histories, and the hosts hold a tight 7-5 series lead. The Hawks also carry a 3-2 advantage in the last five meetings that span back to the 2014 season. Over the last two matchups in 2022 and 2023, the Quakers captured an 11-5 victory in Philadelphia and a 6-2 triumph on the road.

The series commenced on April 3, 1968, as the Red and Blue took down Monmouth 17-13 in University City.

Players of the Week!
Infielder Jay Secretarski and co-captain Thomas Shurtleff were selected as the Ivy League's Rookie and Pitcher of the Week on Monday.

The freshman claimed the first conference laurel of his career following a five-hit and seven-RBI week that included the second home run of his Quaker career. Shurtleff earned his first honor of the season through six innings of relief work to clinch a series sweep over Cornell. The senior tossed six shutout innings, allowing only four hits and one walk over that stretch and finished with a career-high seven strikeouts.  

At the Plate
Secretarski jumped up to a team-leading .280 batting average after his solid week at the plate and leads Penn with a .410 on-base percentage. The Asheville, N.C. native's 30 hits and 18 RBI rank second and third on the team, while his 17 stolen bases rank third among Ivy League players.
 
Junior Gavin Degnan paces the Quakers with 31 hits, nine doubles, 24 RBI, and 24 runs scored and holds the second-best slugging percentage (.470) entering Wednesday's contest. The outfielder's runs scored and RBI totals rank seventh and ninth in the conference.
 
Nick Spaventa stayed hot at the dish last week, registering five hits, four RBI, and two runs scored with two doubles and a triple. The junior infielder maintains a .261 batting average and is one of three Quakers to have started all 29 games this season. Spaventa's six home runs are tied for the Ivy League lead, while his .504 slugging percentage ranks seventh.

Jarrett Pokrovsky (.279), Ernie Echevarria (.254), Michael Powell (.246), Ryan Taylor (.243), and Gavin Collins (.220) are all hitting above a .200 clip heading into the matchup with the Hawks.
 
On the Mound
The Quakers' pitching staff boasts a 5.04 ERA through 29 games played and has recorded 208 strikeouts, which is the third-highest mark among their Ancient Eight competition. The unit holds opposing batters to a .277 average and has allowed a conference-second-best 15 home runs in 2026.

Senior co-captain Thomas Shurtleff is coming off a career performance in the final matchup of the series with Cornell, posting a career-high seven strikeouts. The right-hander entered the contest in the third inning and tossed six shutout frames to secure the series sweep. Shurtleff's 3.60 ERA ranks fifth in the conference and his dominant display on Sunday earned him Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors.
 
Upperclassmen Marty Coyne (4-3) and Jake Moss (3-1) were both credited with wins against the Big Red during Saturday's doubleheader. Coyne finished his day with seven strikeouts in seven innings of relief work, while Moss tacked on seven strikeouts of his own across six frames.

Ben Moulin, Luke Pokrovsky, Josh Katz, Connor Darling, Thomas Egbert, and John Cerwinski have all been consistent arms during midweek matchups this season.
 
Scouting the Hawks
Monmouth is slated for a 3 p.m. matchup with NJIT at home today prior to Penn making the trip to West Long Branch. The hosts are on a four-game winning streak as they swept Towson over the weekend and defeated Ivy League foe Princeton last Wednesday.

The Hawks hold a 19-13 record this season and sit atop the CAA North division with a 14-4 conference mark. Monmouth's only conference loses came against Hofstra (1), Stony Brook (1), and Northeastern (2).
 
Head Coach Dean Ehehalt has six hitters batting north of .300, including Chris Walsh (.357), Nick Lovarco (.351), Brendan Buecker (.329), Wyatt Hunt (.328), Simmi Whitehill (.322), and Sam Saucke (.302). Hunt paces the hosts with 42 hits and 10 doubles, while Walsh's 30 RBI, six home runs, and .616 slugging percentage lead the offense. Buecker and Walsh rank second and fourth in the CAA with .522 and .497 on-base percentages, respectively.
 
From the bump, Ryan Mealy (3-2, 4.62), Alec Couture (3-1, 4.98), and Kevin Opanel (4-1, 4.67) have combined for 10 wins and all four of Opanel's wins came from the bullpen. Mealy paces the unit with 42 strikeouts, which ranks eighth in the CAA and David Horvath's (0-0, 12.00) four saves come in at second.

Monmouth's 6.53 team ERA ranks ninth in the conference and the staff has allowed the third-most hits (337). The Hawks have been disciplined in handing out free passes to baserunners, allowing only 134 walks (third in CAA). However, opposing batters have had their way so far in 2026 as the hosts' .311 opposing batting average is the worst mark among their conference foes.
 
Follow the Action
Wednesday's matchup can be streamed live on FloSports, and live stats will also be available for fans throughout the afternoon.
 
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