PHILADELPHIA – Seven alumni from the University of Pennsylvania baseball team continued to compete in the professional ranks across several levels this summer.

Of the seven, four played college baseball at Penn within the last four seasons. Matt O'Neill W'19 reached as high as Triple-A during the course of the 2026 season, while Jake Cousins C'17 secured a move to the Los Angeles Dodgers following stints with the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees.

C Jackson Appel W'23 – Chicago White Sox (High-A)
Following a solid second season in 2025 with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash, Appel has spent most of the 2026 campaign on the 60-day injured list. In just six games and 15 at-bats, the switch-hitting catcher batted .267, racking up three singles and a home run.

Once he returns from injury, he will look to build upon his sophomore professional season which featured 64 hits, 25 RBIs, 13 doubles, a home run, and 11 stolen bases with a .248 batting average. His 78 starts behind the dish and .985 fielding percentage eventually earned him a move to Double-A competing with the Birmingham Barons. Appel will hope to hit the ground running as he nears a return to the diamond.


Photo Credit: Winston Salem-Dash

RHP Jake Cousins C'17 – Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
During the 2024 season, Cousins became the first Penn Quaker to appear in a World Series game in over 100 years. He was later ruled out for the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery and sent to the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades for his rehab assignment in June 2025. In early November 2025, the Yankees activated him from the 60-day injured list before he elected free agency weeks later. Cousins signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March and has been rehabbing on the 60-day injured list since April 1.

Cousins made a career-high 37 appearances out of the bullpen for the Yankees in 2024 and posted a 2.37 ERA over 38 innings. He also saw action in six postseason games, logging five innings. In 88 career relief appearances over four Major League seasons, Cousins boasts a 5-2 record and 2.78 ERA.


Photo Credit: New York Yankees

RHP Ryan Dromboski C'25 – Philadelphia Phillies (High-A)
Dromboski signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, his favorite childhood team, as an undrafted free agent in 2024, splitting his 2025 season between Single-A Clearwater Threshers and High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws. He made 13 starts in 22 appearances during his first professional campaign and recorded a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 80.1 innings. Through four starts in High-A ball with the BlueClaws, Dromboski posted a 2-1 mark and a 2.81 ERA.

The Columbus, N.J. native began the 2026 season with the BlueClaws before earning a call-up to Double-A affiliate Reading Fightin Phils on May 7. Dromboski later returned to High-A ball and remained a key member of the rotation before being sidelined by minor injuries in mid-June. In 2026, he holds a 6.83 ERA in 12 starts (13 appearances) and has tallied 54 strikeouts with a WHIP of 1.54.


Photo Credit: Jersey Shore BlueClaws

LHP Joe Miller W'22 – Detroit Tigers (AA)
Miller, an 11th-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2022 MLB Draft, has primarily competed with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves in 2026 following stints with the West Michigan Whitecaps and Toledo Mud Hens in 2025. The former first-team All-Ivy selection has started in 12 of his 14 appearances on the bump this season, posting 55 strikeouts in 47.2 innings with a 3-1 record, 3.78 ERA, and an opposing batting average of .257. On June 11, he was placed on the seven-day injured list and more recently sent back to the Whitecaps for a rehab assignment.

His career minor-league numbers now stand at 88 appearances, 73 starts, 344.0 innings, with an 18-12 record, 3.56 ERA, 325 strikeouts, and a 1.34 WHIP. Despite suffering an injury that kept him off the diamond for a string of games, Miller has shown reliability as a starter in 2026 and he will look to pick up where he left off when he returns.


Photo Credit: Erie SeaWolves

RHP Noah Millikan C'25 – Washington Nationals (ROK)
After graduating from Penn in spring 2025, Millikan posted a strong first season in the Pioneer League for the Oakland Ballers. He recorded a 7-1 record over 14 starts and 85.0 innings while allowing just 65 hits and 23 runs. He also paced the league among starters with a 2.12 ERA and 96 strikeouts.

Following his impressive 2025 campaign, the Washington Nationals signed the Berkeley, Calif. native to a minor-league deal on May 23. Millikan was quickly assigned to the Nationals' Florida Complex League (FCL) squad, where he has made nine appearances and five starts in 2026. Over that stretch, he boasts a 4-2 record through 32.1 innings with 41 strikeouts and a .183 opposing batting average. Millikan's 2.23 ERA and 1.11 WHIP have also turned heads, cementing his status as a top prospect.


Photo Credit: Penn Athletics

C Matt O'Neill W'19 – Arizona Diamondbacks (AAA)
O'Neill began his minor-league journey in the New York Mets' organization, splitting time between the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Triple-A Syracuse Mets. In November 2025, the Morristown, N.J. native elected to become a free agent and was swiftly signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was initially assigned to the Amarillo Sod Poodles but has played the majority of his appearances this season in Triple-A with the Reno Aces.

Over his 2026 campaign, the backstop has played in 41 games between the Aces (29) and Sod Poodles (12), tallying 30 hits, 21 RBIs, and six home runs.

Since entering the minor leagues in 2019, O'Neill has played in 355 games, notching 1,041 at-bats, 209 hits, 116 RBIs, 24 home runs, and a .334 on-base percentage. He's been equally effective behind the dish, registering a .988 fielding percentage and 121 runners caught stealing. O'Neill's experience and consistency in the minor leagues continue to showcase his value as he approaches the end of his seventh professional season.


Photo Credit: Reno Aces

RHP Thomas Shurtleff C'26 – Los Angeles Angels (ROK)
Shurtleff became the 17th player under head coach John Yurkow's tutelage to reach the professional ranks after signing an undrafted free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels in July 2026. He will now report to the Angels' training facility before being assigned to a minor league team.

The Medfield, Mass. native made 56 appearances on the mound over his career as a Quaker, which ranks third all-time in the program's record book. Through his first two seasons in University City, Shurtleff logged 44.0 innings with 49 strikeouts, a 3-0 record, and a save. As a junior, he made a career-high 17 appearances and emerged as a late-game weapon for Yurkow.

His final campaign in Red and Blue proved to be his finest as he became a high-volume arm in the rotation. Shurtleff registered career-best marks of four starts, 61.0 innings pitched, 52 strikeouts, six wins, and a 2.95 ERA while issuing just 15 walks to 253 batters faced. A two-time Ivy League Pitcher of the Week, he capped his senior year as a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection.


Photo Credit: Penn Athletics

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