PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania baseball team continues its Ivy League slate this weekend as it makes the trip up to Cambridge, Mass. for a three-game series against the Crimson at O'Donnell Field. Penn looks to bounce back in its final regular-season road series after falling in its last two matchups against Saint Joseph's and Princeton.

The Quakers maintain third place in the conference standings (9-6), trailing only Yale and Brown through 15 games.

The hosts sit fifth in the conference standings with a 6-8 record, but they're tied with Columbia. Dartmouth and Princeton boast 6-9 records, putting them firmly in the playoff conversation, as this weekend will be a pivotal stretch of games that begin to shape the playoff picture.

GAME 35-37: Penn (15-19, 9-6 Ivy) at Harvard (8-22, 6-9 Ivy)
March 21-22 | O'Donnell Field | Cambridge, Mass.
Watch (ESPN+) Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 | Live Stats Game 1, Game 2, Game 3

Senior Speedster
Infielder Ryan Taylor continued to etch his name into the program's record book on Tuesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, as he became the single-season record holder for stolen bases. The Elmer, N.J. native swiped his 26^th bag of the season against Saint Joseph's, eclipsing Doug Glanville's 25 stolen bases set in 1989. Taylor's 68 career stolen bases are also the most a Quaker has tallied in program history.

The Series
In 201 meetings between the conference foes, Harvard edges the all-time series history with a record of 116-84-1. The Red and Blue swept last season's three-game series, outscoring the Crimson 25-10, and Penn has dominated the hosts across its last 10 meetings, boasting a 7-3 record. During the 2024 campaign, the Quakers claimed a series victory on the road with back-to-back wins, including an extra-inning triumph in Game 1.

The series began on June 10, 1886, and the hosts came away with a 9-0 shutout victory in Cambridge. 

At the Plate
*Junior infielder Nick Spaventa leads Penn at the plate through his 34 starts at first base with a .279 batting average. He didn't register a hit in the team's midweek matchup against Saint Joseph's (4/21) but went 8-for-14 at the plate last weekend against Princeton to earn his second Ivy League Player of the Week honor.

*Freshman Jay Secretarsli shares the batting-average lead with Spaventa, hitting .279 in his first season at Penn. The Asheville, N.C. native has rung up 36 hits, nine doubles, and 20 RBI, while his 18 stolen bases and 27 runs scored rank third and eighth in the Ivy League.

*Co-captain Jarrett Pokrovsky notched six hits, three RBI, and five runs scored last week, but his four-game hitting streak ended on Tuesday against Saint Joseph's. He's up to 35 hits, 22 runs scored, and 14 RBI in his senior campaign, while hitting .278.

*Gavin Degnan's 415-foot blast over the left-field wall on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park was his fifth homer of the season and moved him to sixth in the Ancient Eight rankings. The junior has rung up 37 hits, 27 runs scored, 28 RBI, and 10 doubles in 34 starts this season, and is hitting at a .272 clip.

*Ernie Echevarria (.275), Taylor (.242), Jack Warner (.236), and Gavin Collins (.223) round out Penn's hitters batting over .200.

On the Mound
*The Quakers used nine arms during their midweek game against Saint Joseph's in the Liberty Bell Classic championship game, and were led by two innings apiece from Thomas Egbert and Aidan von Zuben.

*Senior right-hander Thomas Shurtleff (5-2) holds a team-leading 3.12 ERA in his nine appearances this season, ranking third among his Ivy League foes. The Medfield, Mass. native has thrown 40 strikeouts in 52.0 innings pitched and allowed only 20 runs during that stretch. Shurtleff's seven-inning shutout and career-high 10 strikeouts last weekend at Princeton guided Penn to its ninth conference win and his second week in a row claiming Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors.

*Upperclassmen Jake Moss (3-2, 6.05) and Marty Coyne (4-4, 3.50) are expected to continue as the Quakers' other high-volume arms over the weekend in Cambridge. The duo has combined for 87 strikeouts and 95.2 innings pitched so far this season. Coyne's 3.50 ERA and .224 opposing-batting average rank sixth and eighth among his Ancient Eight foes.

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

Scouting the Crimson
Harvard enters the weekend with an 8-22 record and has lost three of its last four games. The hosts lost their three-game set 2-1 against Dartmouth last weekend and fell to Brown on Tuesday, 6-3, to finish their series with the Bears, after the finale was postponed earlier this month. Six of the Crimson's eight wins in 2026 have come in Ivy League play, as they only secured non-conference victories over California Baptist and UMass.

Through 30 contests, six hitters are batting .200 or better for the hosts, including Gio Colasante (.298), Jack Rickheim (.293), Max Lane (.241), Matthew Witkow (.224), Tyler Shulman (.214), and Jordan Kang (.204).

Colasante's seven home runs lead the Ancient Eight this season and his .544 slugging percentage comes in at second. Rickheim paces the offensive unit with 36 hits, 25 runs scored, and seven doubles. Lane (8) and Colasante (10) are the Crimson's most dangerous baserunners, having combined for 18 stolen bags.  

One of the few two-way players in the conference, Colasante (3-4) leads Harvard with three wins on the bump and a 4.17 ERA that ranks ninth among his Ivy competition.

Luca Alagheband (0-4, 6.69) has started nine games this season and paces the hosts with 32 strikeouts in 36.1 frames of work. Andrew Abler (1-4, 4.82), Davis Kahn (0-0, 5.61), and Brett Gable (1-0, 2.84) have solidified themselves as high-volume arms for Harvard and are likely to see time on the mound over the series.

The hosts boast a 5.79 team ERA that sits fifth among the other Ivies, but they've allowed the second-fewest number of hits (266) in 30 games. Harvard has been especially good at limiting free passes, as its 127 walks are the second-lowest mark in the conference. However, the Crimson have struggled to finish off batters, garnering a league-low 180 strikeouts.

Follow the Action
This weekend's three-game set can be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available throughout the series. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 11:30 a.m. and Game 2 will begin shortly after the conclusion of Game 1. The series finale is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Sunday.

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