Philly Leader

The University of Pennsylvania baseball team is set to participate in the NCAA Championship this weekend at the Charlottesville Regional. The Quakers, fresh from their second consecutive Ivy League Tournament title, will face off against Virginia on Friday at noon. The tournament is hosted by Virginia, which holds the 12th overall seed, at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park.

Following Penn's game against Virginia, Mississippi State and St. John's will compete later that evening. The winners of these initial matchups will play each other on Saturday for a spot in the Regional Final, while the losers will face off in an elimination game.

Penn has made history by becoming the first team in Ivy League history to win back-to-back tournament championships. This achievement marks their seventh appearance in an NCAA regional since their first participation in 1975.

Wyatt Henseler was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Ivy League Tournament after his impressive performance. He was joined by teammates Connor Chavez, Ryan Taylor, and Cole Zaffiro on the All-Tournament team.

Henseler has been a standout player for Penn this season, holding multiple records within both Penn and Ivy League history. He leads with career records for hits, runs, doubles, total bases, home runs, and RBIs.

Owen Coady, a former Penn player now with Virginia as he uses his final year of eligibility there, will also be participating in this weekend's games.

The Quakers' offense ranks high within their conference and nationally in several categories such as batting average and slugging percentage. Their pitching rotation features Cole Zaffiro and Ryan Dromboski at its core.

Virginia enters the regional with a strong record and nine players hitting above .300 for the season. Mississippi State comes into the tournament having recently competed strongly in SEC play but faces its first-ever matchup against Penn if they meet this weekend. St. John's brings experience with 38 NCAA Championship appearances under its belt.

Friday's games can be viewed live on ESPN+ with commentary from Richard Cross and Todd Walker.