Senior co-captain Thomas Shurtleff and junior infielder Nick Spaventa of the Penn Quakers Men’s Baseball team were named the Ivy League’s Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, according to an April 20 announcement from the conference office.
The recognition highlights individual achievements during a season in which Penn Quakers Men’s Baseball continues to compete at the NCAA Division I level as part of its membership in the Ivy League, according to the official website. These awards reflect both players’ contributions to their team’s performance in intercollegiate athletics.
Shurtleff earned pitcher of the week honors for a second consecutive week after delivering a seven-inning shutout against Princeton on Saturday. He recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts without issuing any walks over 26 batters faced. Previously, his best was seven strikeouts against Cornell two weeks ago. This season, Shurtleff ranks third in the conference with a 3.12 earned run average and is also tied for third with five wins.
Spaventa had what was described as “a monster week at the plate across four games,” accumulating eight hits, seven runs batted in (RBI), one run scored, and two doubles. He currently leads Penn with a .288 batting average along with team highs in hits (38), RBI (29), home runs (6), and doubles (10). His .515 slugging percentage ranks third among Ivy League players while his RBI total stands fifth. During Saturday’s series finale, Spaventa went four-for-five at bat and drove in two runs with doubles in both the first and third innings. This marks his second time receiving player of the week honors this season.
Penn Quakers Men’s Baseball hosts its home games at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium according to information from their official website. The team now prepares for an upcoming Liberty Bell Classic title game against Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park before continuing Ivy League play on the road versus Harvard over the weekend.
The broader significance of these recognitions underscores ongoing efforts by student-athletes within NCAA Division I athletics as part of University of Pennsylvania’s intercollegiate program.
