Penn baseball secured its spot in the Ivy League tournament after a three-game sweep against Harvard last weekend.
Penn (18-19, 12-6 Ivy) has qualified for the tournament every year since it began its current four-team, double-elimination format in 2023. Currently, Penn, Brown, and Yale have clinched spots in the tournament.
Following the conclusion of the regular season on May 2, the final school and tournament location will be set. If Penn sweeps Brown this weekend in its final series, the Quakers will host the tournament for the first time since 2023.
“It’s been a goal, but it’s also been an expectation of this program,” freshman pitcher Ben Moulin said.
Moulin stepped up in the Harvard series after senior pitcher Jake Moss’ injury. The freshman earned a career-high six strikeouts and held the Crimson (8-26, 6-12 Ivy) to a scoreless five innings in game three of the series.
“Before I even stepped on the mound to pitch, I was pitching with the three run lead in the first,” Moulin said. “And that just makes doing my job so much easier … I think it kind of revolves around the team.”
Penn’s final regular-season series against Brown from May 1 to May 2 also includes the team’s Senior Day on day two of the series, and Moulin credited the seniors for creating an atmosphere and support system that has both increased his confidence and led to wins.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the seniors. Transitioning to college, especially collegiate athletics, is so difficult. … I think we owe it to their leadership for a lot of the success we’ve had this year. They make sure to hold us accountable, but they’re also our biggest supporters,” Moulin said.
As Moulin acclimated to college sports, coach John Yurkow said that Moulin has “been more consistent, especially over the last month.”
“He had a really good start up at Harvard, which allowed us to sweep that series,” Yurkow said. “His command has been better as the season’s gone on and the results show it.”
Now, with the Ivy League tournament still more than two weeks away, Yurkow and the team are focused on this weekend’s series against Brown.
“I think the guys are excited, but I think they’ll be more excited if we play well this weekend and win the regular season championship,” he said.
Moulin, speaking on the team’s preparation against Brown, echoed the sentiment.
“[We are] not falling into that rat poison of ‘Well if we only win the series, then we need another team to lose,’” Moulin said. Instead, the team’s mindset is “Don’t play down to another team’s level, keep playing the brand of baseball we have been. The hitters have been mashing baseballs. … And if they keep giving us those leads, then it’s our job as pitchers to kind of hold it for them.”
The Quakers are looking to keep their momentum as they close out the regular season at home, hoping to earn a sweep to bring the Ivy League tournament back to Penn.
“Already knowing that we’ll be able to keep playing I think it’ll free us up a little bit this weekend,” Moulin said. “And I just know like me and all the guys are really, really thankful that we’ll be able to experience this because I think these were some of the best memories the upperclassmen have made.”
