Philly Leader

The University of Pennsylvania baseball team is preparing for a crucial series against Harvard in Cambridge this weekend. The series, which includes a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11:30 a.m. and a single game on Sunday at noon, marks the final road games of the Ivy League calendar.

Currently, Penn, Harvard, and Yale are tied for the fourth spot in the Ivy League standings with identical 7-8 records. This tie positions them in contention for the last berth in the Ivy League Tournament. Meanwhile, Columbia, Cornell, and Princeton also have opportunities to secure their places in the tournament during this penultimate weekend of regular season play.

For Penn, victories this weekend are essential after failing to clinch a series win against Princeton last week. The Quakers hold a tiebreaker over Yale but need wins to advance their standing.

Penn's offense has been bolstered by senior third baseman Wyatt Henseler. He leads his team with a .346 batting average and has achieved a new program record with his 205th career hit. Other key hitters include Nick Spaventa (.323), Ryan Taylor (.310), and Carson Ozmer (.306).

On the mound, Penn's pitching staff has allowed an average of 6.68 runs per game this season. However, recent performances by starters Cole Zaffiro and Ryan Dromboski were promising during last week's doubleheader against Princeton.

Harvard enters the weekend with an overall record of 11-22 and shares Penn's 7-8 Ivy record. They recently secured consecutive conference series victories against Dartmouth and Princeton. Ben Rounds leads Harvard's offensive efforts with a .413 batting average.

Pitchers Sean Matson and Callan Fang have been standout performers for Harvard this season. Matson holds a 3-2 record with a 3.20 ERA while Fang boasts impressive strikeout numbers alongside his contributions as a batter.

Historically, Harvard leads Penn 115-79-1 in their all-time series matchups. Last year, Penn lost the three-game set but won against Harvard in the Ivy League Tournament.

All three games will be available for streaming on ESPN+, with live stats provided online.