PHILADELPHIA – Following a four-game homestand last week, the University of Pennsylvania baseball team returns to Ivy League play at Princeton this weekend for a three-game series. The Quakers are coming off a narrow 5-3 defeat at Monmouth on Wednesday that snapped a six-game winning streak.

Penn remains in third place in the conference standings (8-4), trailing only Yale and Brown through 12 games.

The Tigers sit sixth in the conference standings, boasting a 4-8 record. Princeton has collected a pair of Ancient Eight victories against Cornell and Columbia, but was swept by Yale and Brown.

GAME 31-33: Penn (14-16, 8-4 Ivy) at Princeton (10-21, 4-8 Ivy)
April 17-18 | Clarke Field | Princeton, N.J.
Watch (ESPN+) Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 | Live Stats Game 1, Game 2, Game 3

Schedule Adjustments
The three-game set with Princeton was initially slated to begin on Saturday, but rain concerns for Sunday's series finale resulted in adjusting the schedule. Penn now begins the series at 3 p.m. on Friday for a single game and the doubleheader on Saturday remains as previously scheduled.

In addition to the adjustments for this upcoming weekend, the Quakers' matchup with Villanova scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, was canceled following their advancement to the Liberty Bell Classic title game. The Red and Blue take on Saint Joseph's at 4 p.m. on April 21 at Citizens Bank Park, where a champion will be crowned.

Furthermore, the contest against Wagner slated for Tuesday, April 28, was removed due to recent scheduling considerations.
 
The Series
The hosts garner the all-time series lead with a record of 163-119-2. Despite their historical advantage, the Quakers have dominated the matchup across the last 10 meetings with a 7-3 record, including victories in the latest four contests. Princeton took home a series victory the last time that both teams met in New Jersey, but the Red and Blue avoided a series sweep with a 12-7 triumph in Game 2 during the 2024 season.

Princeton holds the series lead in both Philadelphia (77-66-1) and Princeton (86-52-1) and it won the first matchup between both schools, which took place on April 26, 1879, in Princeton.

At the Plate
Senior co-captain Jarrett Pokrovsky enters the weekend as Penn's top hitter with a .280 batting average. The Pittsgrove, N.J. native has racked up 30 hits, 17 runs scored, and 12 RBI through 28 starts this season. Pokrovsky has logged two or more hits in three of his last seven outings.

Reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week Jay Secretarski has really begun to heat up at the dish over the last few weeks, as he's on a nine-game hitting streak. Over that stretch, he's tallied 13 hits, 13 RBI, two home runs, and his .277 average at the plate ranks second amongst his teammates.

Gavin Degnan is the Quakers' team leader in hits (31), doubles (9), RBI (24), and runs scored (24). The outfielder is hitting .261 through 30 starts and his doubles and runs scored totals rank sixth and ninth in the Ivy League.

The Red and Blue's other batters hitting north of .200 include, Nick Spaventa (.254), Ernie Echevarria (.254), Ryan Taylor (.252), Michael Powell (.246), and Gavin Collins (.231). Spaventa's six homers are currently tied for the top spot in the conference.

Penn is fortunate enough to have two of the top three baserunners in the conference in its lineup. Taylor leads the pack with 24 stolen bags and is two shy of eclipsing the program's single-season record, previously held by Doug Glanville (1989). Secretarski has also shown off his speed this season, ranking third among his Ivy foes with 17 stolen bases.

On the Mound
The Quakers used six pitchers in their defeat at Monmouth on Wednesday, which featured appearances for Ben Moulin, Thomas Egbert, Luke Pokrovsky, Josh Katz, Aidan von Zuben, and John Cerwinski.

Senior co-captain Thomas Shurtleff (4-2, 3.60) was named the Ivy League's Pitcher of the Week, following his six-inning shutout in the series finale versus Cornell last Sunday. The righthander tossed a career-high seven strikeouts and allowed only one walk in 23 batters faced, to set his team up for a walk-off finish in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Junior southpaw Marty Coyne (4-3) has been one of the Ivy League's best arms on the mound through eight appearances and six starts. The Hockessin, Del. native's 2.37 ERA sits second in the conference, and his .81 WHIP ranks sixth in the country. Coyne remains within the top 10 of numerous statistical categories in the Ivy League including opposing batter average (second), innings pitched (fourth), strikeouts (sixth), and batters struck out looking (third).

Jake Moss (3-1, 4.87) rounds out the Quakers' high-volume pitchers, having thrown 40.2 innings in eight appearances. The senior has tossed 40 strikeouts in 2026 and is responsible for victories over UMBC (3/7), Dartmouth (3/21), and Cornell (4/11). A few weeks back against the Big Green, Moss went 7.1 innings as a starter and logged a career-high nine strikeouts en route to an 8-3 victory.

Due to recent rotation changes for Penn, it's unclear who will receive the starting nods over the three-game set. Primary relievers Moulin, Connor Darling, Nick Newburn, von Zuben, and Katz are all likely to appear on the hill over the weekend.

As a unit, the Red and Blue hold a 5.06 ERA, which ranks in the top half (fourth) of the Ivy League. Their 215 strikeouts are tied for the third-most in the conference.

Scouting the Tigers
Princeton enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak, having taken down Columbia on Sunday to clinch a series victory, and it defeated Rider 10-9 at Clarke Field on Wednesday.

The Tigers boast a .235 team-batting average, and five hitters are batting north of .250, including Tomas Cernius (.315), Grant Werdesheim (.291), Brady Kaufman (.261), Jake Koonin (.259), and Bennett Crerar (.255). Cernius paces the offensive unit with 34 hits, seven doubles and 52 total bases, while Koonin holds the team lead in RBI (18) and home runs (four).

On the hill, Justin Kim (2-4, 3.95) has been the hosts' go-to arm along with Liam Kinneen (1-2, 5.91) as the duo have combined for 16 starts this campaign. Kim ranks highly in the Ivy League in ERA (eighth), opposing batting average (sixth), innings pitched (eighth), and strikeouts (fifth), while allowing just 20 runs in nine appearances.

Primary relievers Elliott Eaton (1-4, 7.22), Ryan Penney (0-4, 6.29), Charlie Wolf (1-1, 7.16), and Will Sword (0-2, 8.59) have all appeared in nine or more games this season and are likely to face a hot Penn lineup over the 27 scheduled innings.

The Tigers' 7.11 ERA is the second-worst average among their Ancient Eight foes, but they're tied with Penn for the third-most strikeouts thrown (215) in 2026. However, no other Ivy League member has eclipsed 200-plus earned runs allowed (210).

Follow the Action
Fans looking to keep up with the action all weekend long can do so with an ESPN+ subscription. Live stats will also be available for spectators 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.