Nat Graham is coming back to Penn basketball.
After playing two seasons under coach Fran Dunphy, Graham's career has come full circle, as he will now join Jerome Allen's staff as an assistant coach, confirmed by his twitter account.
Graham was a two-time letterwinner at Penn, alongside Allen and fellow assistant coach Ira Bowman, before finishing his playing career at the University of Western Ontario. Graham did graduate from Penn in 1997 before moving on to coaching.
The Penn alum was a coach under Steve Donahue during Cornell's run of Ivy League titles in the late 2000s before going with Donahue as an assistant at Boston College. Graham was the associate head coach of the Golden Eagles until the school cleaned house earlier in the spring.
Graham has already had a hand in recruiting, helping Penn land 2015 small forward Jule Brown. The Quakers still have to fill one assistant coach spot as Scott Pera left to join Mike Rhoades' staff at Rice while Jason Polykoff became the head coach at Division III Earlham College
The recruiting train goes on: Jule Brown is coming to Penn.
Brown, a junior at Lower Merion High School (Pa.), decided to stay in the area for college and committed to Penn and became the second member of the Quakers' class of 2019.
Brown is the first forward in the class, joining Hebrew Academy (Fla.) point guard Morris Esformes in Jerome Allen's next recruiting class. According to City of Basketball Love, Brown, a 6-foot-6 small forward, told his coach he was going to wait until the summer to commit but a conversation with Allen changed his mind.
Brown also had offers from Ivy and Patriot League competition among others, including Columbia, Hartford and Lafayette. Brown was originally being recruited by Jason Polykoff, who left to coach Earlham College but new assistant coach Nat Graham helped close the deal.
Penn is coming off an 8-20 season and has just nine letterwinners returning from last year's squad. However, the Quakers will bring back freshman Dave Winfield Jr., who missed the season due to injury, as well as five freshmen in the class of 2018.
Wanna catch highlights of Penn women's lacrosse's victory over Princeton to win the Ivy title? Here you go. Make sure to catch the NCAA Selection Show at 9:00 P.M on NCAA.com
Penn junior Connor Cuff has been making waves on the mound all season long and everyone is taking notice.
The junior starting pitcher was profiled by the Columbia Spectator, speaking about the team's culture this year, his adjustment to college baseball and the upcoming one-game playoff against Columbia.
“The culture has really changed here,” Cuff said about the team's success this year. “We’ve had a good run. It’s the best since I’ve been here.”
Check out the DP's preview of the weekend game and make sure to follow theDP's coverage of tomorrow's playoff at Meiklejohn Stadium.
While Penn is in a one-game playoff for its first Gehrig Division title in seven years, the Quakers will need to get through last year’s Ivy champions, the Columbia Lions. The Lions are led by coach Brett Boretti, who spoke with the Daily Pennsylvanian about the upcoming playoff this weekend.
Daily Pennsylvanian: With this one-game playoff, your team is turning to senior pitcher David Speer. How important is it to have an experienced pitcher on the mound who had success against Penn last weekend?
Brett Boretti: Dave’s been [the number one] guy for us the last couple years and he’s a veteran. It’s a new game. He had a good outing last week but it’s a new game so we’ll have to do the best job we can. Penn has a good lineup; they proved that over the weekend. We’ve got our work cut out.
DP: Last year in the postseason, you had some "all-hands on deck" situations including against New Mexico with Joey Donino pitching almost seven innings in relief? Is this going to be the same type of game where you will turn to anyone if necessary?
BB: It’s definitely all hands on deck. We don’t play another game for another week. We’ve got plenty of time for the guys together.
DP: Despite being a freshman, Will Savage has had a big role in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. What can you say his impact has been?
BB: Will has worked hard. He’s somebody that has continued to progress throughout the season. He’s a very good athlete. He’s got tremendous upside with the future ahead of him but the biggest thing is that he’s been able to keep his head on all year and stay within himself. He’s done a great job competing every time he’s been in the lineup.
DP: With the presumed starters Speer and Penn junior Connor Cuff , both guys have been pitching in seven inning parts of doubleheaders this year. How different will the nine-inning playoff be for those two?
BB: I think for both of them, that’s why we play a good nonconference schedule: to prepare for that situation and I don’t think it really makes a difference for either of them. They’re gonna give their best effort and give each of their teams as much as they can
DP: Your team entered division play down three games to Penn but went on a 15-game win streak. How were you able to harness that momentum and roll through Cornell and Princeton among others?
BB: It’s a credit to our guys and their mental toughness as far taking it one game at time and finding ways to put good games together. We didn’t talk a whole lot about the win streak as it was going on. It was something we reflected on after it was done. In baseball, you try to have a short memory with the games that you play. You take out from the games what you can correct and do better and move on to the next task. It says a lot about our guys to be able to do that one game at a time.
DP: What were your takeaways from this last weekend against Penn with it being a roller coaster of a series?
BB: It’s two evenly matched teams . As I said, I think Penn has had a very good year and Johnny Yurkow has done an awesome job there. Their veterans have taken a lot of motivation from what coach and his staff are doing. They’ve got a really good offense and they’re playing really good baseball, so it’s gonna be a good game. It’s going to be a good setting, this Ivy League playoff atmosphere. It should be a fun day.
By Staff Writer Laine Higgins
Penn softball has one regular season game remaining before taking on Dartmouth in the Ivy League Championship Series for the second straight year. That matchup is against Villanova on Tuesday. Here's who's up and who's down for the next week of Red and Blue softball.
THREE UP:
Leah Allen: This freshman right fielder has been the star of Penn’s offense all year, maintaining a batting average of .410 and racking up 41 RBI. Allen leads both the team and the league in these categories. When Allen steps into the batter’s box, the Quakers can always expect something big. Perhaps the best example of this is the 13 home runs she has hit this season, also a league high. If Allen continues her hitting hot streak she will prove to be a valuable asset in this game and the Ivy Championship Series.
Mindset: At the beginning of the season, coach Leslie King set a clear goal for her team: to end up in the Ivy League Championship game for the third year in a row. In order to do this, she encouraged her girls to treat every minute on the field — be it for a routine practice or a game-deciding inning — like a championship game. Thus, the Red and Blue should be able to keep their nerves in check and walk out onto the diamond as proud, defending champions come May 3 when they face the Big Green.
Experience: Even though Penn’s team is young (11 of the girls on its 21-person roster are freshman), almost half of the team has been to the Ivy League Championship game before. The Quakers faced Dartmouth in its last championship appearance, so the high stakes are nothing new for the Red and Blue.
THREE DOWN
Stamina: In Penn’s last meeting with Dartmouth on April 5, the Red and Blue dropped both games, losing 3-2 and 12-1. The Quakers clearly lost steam in their second game, going through their entire pitching staff in a vain attempt to stop Dartmouth’s offensive attack. With one more game to play before facing the Big Green, the Quakers will be well rested before taking on their biggest test.
Conference play: The Quakers would likely rather focus on Dartmouth, but the Wildcats will take a little time away from that as Penn heads to Villanova. Expect Penn to take its collective foot off the gas pedal as King prepares her team for a much more important matchup.
Young mistakes: Lately, Penn has been allowing its opponents to score runs on fielding errors. In fact, Penn’s fielding percentage is the second worst in the Ancient Eight. If Penn wants to pull off its second-consecutive title, it cannot afford to make split-second errors in judgment.
Another Penn basketball assistant has found a new home.
Jason Polykoff, who had spent two seasons as an assistant under coach Jerome Allen, has left to become the head coach at Earlham College, a Division III school in Richmond, Ind.
"Jason's experience at a number of levels gives us confidence that he is a well-rounded coach and understands what it is going to take to become successful," Earlham Athletic Director Mike Bergum said in a press release.
"It is exciting to have Jason at the helm. He will be an integral part of the campus community and be valuable in building relationships with students."
Polykoff is the second assistant in the last month to leave for a new job after Scott Pera joined Mike Rhoades' staff at Rice. At 30 years old, Polykoff will now have his first head coaching job in college basketball after previously being the head coach at Friends Central High School in Pa.
Allen will now need to fill two spots on his bench alongside assistant Ira Bowman. Former Cornell and Boston College assistant Nat Graham is rumored to be the replacement for Pera. Graham played two seasons at Penn from 1993-95 under coach Fran Dunphy.
Long-distance runners have never gotten the public attention that they deserve.
Full disclosure: I’m biased. Big time.
I was a cross country and (middle- to) long-distance track runner throughout high school. I put everything I had into running, and more often than not, I did so with little to no public fanfare.
I’ll admit, it sounds a bit like sour grapes, but I have plenty of evidence to back up my viewpoint.
Take Thursday at the Penn Relays.
Attendance at Franklin Field was conveniently announced in the middle of the high school 4x400-meter relays: over 21,000 total spectators.
That’s nothing incredible for the Penn Relays, but it’s certainly a solid showing for the first day of the meet.
To say the least, it didn’t last.
As time went on, it seemed like the distances run and attendance at Franklin Field were just about inversely proportional. As distances increased, attendance invariably decreased.
When the women’s distance medley relay college championship rolled around – just after the 4x400m relays concluded, a significant number of fans had already departed.
They missed quite a couple of races.
In the championship, local-favorite Villanova defended its Penn Relays DMR title for the second straight year in dramatic fashion, with anchor-leg Emily Lipari out-kicking Stanford with a brilliant performance in the mile.
Immediately following that was a strong race from even more of a local-favorite: the meet-hosting Quakers.
Penn finished fourth in its heat of the DMR – with freshman Ashley Montgomery bringing it home with a strong time in the mile leg – much to the delight of its on-looking athletes.
As the night went on, the crowd continued to dwindle, but the level of competition did just the opposite. In fact, many of the long-distance races run on “distance night” of the Relays featured some of the best in the nation.
Mixing it up with these elite athletes were three Penn underclassmen – sophomores Elysse Gensib and Brendan Smith and freshman Cleo Whiting – amongst other Quakers.
Gensib and Whiting both ran personal bests in the 3k and cracked the championship’s top 13, and Whiting’s time was third fastest in school history.
“It was unexpected for me to run that well … It’s been really, really fun, and I’m excited that I still have three more years of it,” Whiting said, hardly able to contain herself.
Smith finished in the top 15 of his race – the 5k – but conceded that the grueling nature of the race took its toll on him.
“I may have gone out a little too hard in the beginning,” he noted. “I was just winded by the end of the last mile.”
Track coach Steve Dolan was pleased with how his young squad responded to the challenge of the first day of the Relays.
“You could sense it all week if practice and you can see it now in action,” he said. “Everyone just ups there game when you get to something like this.”
Adding a veteran presence to the proceedings was Kersie Jhabvala, who improved on her second-best 10k time in school history by running a 35:12.
Jhabvala acknowledge the lack of overall attendance, but put a positive spin on it and recognized distance night has her favorite part of the Penn Relays nonetheless.
“You look around and there’s not many people here,” she said. “But that huge cluster of [teammates], that’s your family. That’s all you need.”
Of course, some of the reduced attendance can be attributed to the time getting progressively later and the weather getting cooler, but perception of sprints versus long-distance definitely also played a major factor.
Sprints are high octane and filled with adrenaline, like the most exciting scene of an action thriller.
Contrary to popular belief, though, long-distance races can be quite exciting as well, but instead of getting one scene, you get a full-fledged drama.
Take Connecticut College’s Michael LeDuc’s winning performance in the Olympic development 3,000m steeplechase.
Over 8:48, he battled his competitors, himself, and even a water pit.
When he crossed the line victorious, he fell to the ground and was overtaken with a look of pure joy. Much like Jhabvala, he couldn’t have cared less whether five or 50,000 fans were cheering him on.
I just wish more people were there to see it.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is finally here. Penn Athletics’ signature event, the Penn Relays, are here and underway. For the 120th time, athletes from across the country — and the globe — have converged on Penn’s campus for the myriad track and field events through Saturday afternoon. Unquestionably, there are dozens of events that excite everyone taking place at Franklin Field. But which events are our editors most excited about? Find out!
Sports Editor Riley Steele: I’ll never forget my first Penn Relays experience last year, taking in the beautiful weather while thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and unbridled joy of victorious high school runners.
This time around, the events that excite me most are unquestionably anything involving USA vs. The World. Specifically, I can’t wait to see former Olympians Walter Dix and Justin Gatlin do battle against some of the world’s best in the men’s 4x100-meter race on Saturday afternoon. Gatlin performed at the Penn Relays in 2013, leading his 4x100-meter squad to victory. The mere thought of a repeat performance is enough to get me out of bed and down to Franklin Field before noon this weekend.
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: You can watch the pros all you want. I’m going to have my eyes firmly glued to the college men’s 4xmile championship on Saturday afternoon. There may not be a single field more stacked than this one. Stanford’s team, which boasts the Rosa brothers, Joe and Jim, should be worth the price of admission alone. Both juniors are All-Americans, with Joe boasting the slightly better personal best in the mile (4:01.72). If the Cardinal have those two running the third and fourth legs of the race, they’ll be tough to beat.
But Stanford’s Pac-12 rival Oregon, the top seed for Saturday, is no slouch. The Ducks have five runners at their disposal that have run sub-four-minute miles, including senior Jeramy Elkaim, who is looking for redemption after his late-race fade in 2013 handed the Relays’ distance medley title to Penn State. That list doesn’t even include freshman phenom Edward Cheserek, who’s already won two national championships in two different seasons (cross country and the indoor 3,000m).
Maybe I’m just being nostalgic. After all, I watched all these guys torment my team back when I ran in high school (go Millburn!).
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: Why pick out a single event? The Penn Relays are so much more about the experience and an eclectic group of runners and throwers from throughout the nation (and beyond) taking part in the highest level of competition. This is a time to celebrate — regardless of the event — and enjoy a crowd that far surpasses what we saw during Homecoming or Spring Fling.
And when you look at the talent that is coming just from Penn, it makes me want to be there for the entire weekend. Noel Jancewicz already did her thing, and now it’s time for some upperclassmen to make their marks. If there is one race that I have to pick, I’m going to take the Olympic Development mile at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, where Penn’s star, Thomas Awad, will look to keep up his impressive sophomore year.
Penn men's lacrosse may not be getting a huge amount of recognition on campus, but the Quakers are getting national attention.
After playing a very tough schedule this year in a strong Ivy League, the Red and Blue have the No. 3 RPI in the nation and are in contention for an NCAA Tournament home game.
Here's insidelacrosse.com's summary of Penn's chances (hint: pretty good) for that home game and some details about the team's defensive prowess: http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/defense-oriented-penn-vying-for-ncaa-home-game/28312
While Penn women's basketball is on the upswing, a Quakers former coach is on the up and out.
Kelly Greenberg, the coach that led Penn to its first two Ivy League titles, has resigned at Boston University following an investigation into bullying charges against her.
Greenberg had been accused of emotionally abusing four former players. She had been at Boston for a decade following her tenure with the Red and Blue.
Penn just got its first Ivy title since Greenberg's departure this past season under coach Mike McLaughlin, posting a 22-7 record in 2013-14.
Wanted to pass along a small blog post by Andy Katz of ESPN on a steadily improving Ivy League.
The piece focuses primarily on Harvard as well as Yale and Columbia to some extent, with the Quakers a periphery part of the story. However, Katz' point about the Ivy League on the upswing is very true, with five postseason teams this past year and most of them only getting stronger.
Check it out here: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/98608/look-back-look-ahead-ivy-league
The Ivy League season is winding to a close, and Penn women’s lacrosse needs to win out in order to clinch a share of its eighth straight Ivy League championship. As a result, the No. 7 Quakers’ (8-4, 4-1 Ivy) matchup with Columbia at Penn Park has a newfound importance. Here’s what’s up — and what’s down — as the Red and Blue take on the Lions (3-9, 0-6).
Three Up
History : In terms of past records, it doesn’t get too much better for Penn than its all-time 17-0 mark against Columbia. Boding just as well for the Quakers, the Red and Blue have never lost to the Lions in Philadelphia, winning all eight matches between the two schools that have been played at in the city.
Meg Markham : The awards keep on rolling in for the junior, who picked up her second Ivy Defensive Player of the Week honor after forcing seven turnovers and picking up seven ground balls during Penn’s split week against Princeton and Brown.
Paige Cuscovitch : Not much has gone right for Columbia in another lost season, but the senior midfield has been in a bright spot. Cuscovitch scored her 100th career goal in a loss to UMBC on April 9, and leads the Lions in goals, points and total shots.
Three Down
Penn’s hopes of winning the Ivy title outright : After losing to Princeton last Wednesday, 9-5, the Quakers rendered their hopes of a solo Ivy title impossible. Though Penn has matches with both Columbia and Cornell remaining, the Tigers’ 6-1 Ivy record and head-to-head victory reigns supreme.
Penn’s defense (but not how you think) : If the Red and Blue are to make a run in the Ivy League (and NCAA) tournament this year, it will be due to the strength of their back line. The Quakers are surrendering an average of eight goals per game — the 11th-best mark in the nation — and have not allowed more than 10 goals in a contest since March 23.
Columbia’s defense (in exactly the way you think) : The same cannot be said of the Lions’ defensive effort. Columbia’s 10.5 goals against average is the worst in the Ancient Eight, and the squad has surrendered double-digit goal totals in seven different contests, including an 18-4 thrashing at the hands of Albany last Wednesday.
Exactly one month ago, Penn men’s lacrosse had its worst defensive outing of the season, allowing 17 goals in an eight-goal defeat at the hands of then-No. 4 Cornell. At the time, it was hard to believe that the Quakers would be able to salvage their season. No. 8 Penn hasn’t lost a game since then, and the Red and Blue are heading to the Ivy League Tournament. Before that, however, the Quakers (7-3) will finish their regular season with two nonconference games. We take a look at who’s up and who’s down entering Penn’s contest against Towson (8-5) on Tuesday.
Three Up:
Penn’s defense: If one wants to identify a particular reason why the Red and Blue have excelled since March 22, their defensive prowess is likely the best answer. Since the Big Red’s onslaught of goals last month, Penn has limited its four opponents to a combined 23 goals, an average of 5.75 per game. Not only is defender Matt McMahon 17th in the nation in caused turnovers, but the Quakers also rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense. The Tigers’ offense is in deep trouble if Penn continues this trend.
Justin Mabus: Junior midfield Justin Mabus was a definite bright spot for the Tigers over the weekend. The Yorktown Heights, N.Y. native notched his first career hat trick on Saturday against Drexel, and is now Towson’s sixth-highest scorer. Mabus’ three goals nearly doubled his season total, as the veteran entered the contest with only four goals on the year.
Quakers in the fourth quarter: Based on the Red and Blue’s 10 games this season, it’s almost as if the Quakers — like wine — get better over time.Penn has outscored its opponents by 12 goals in the fourth quarter of games in 2014, scoring 30 times while only allowing 18 scores by other squads.
Three Down:
Towson’s troubles: While Penn has dominated its opponents in the fourth quarter of games, the Tigers have struggled both at the beginnings and ends of contests this season. Though Towson has outscored its opponents by four goals in the middle periods of games, the Tigers are minus-16 in goal differential in the first and fourth quarters combined.
Offensive struggles: Granted, while the Tigers goal differential numbers look bleak, the blame doesn’t rest solely on Towson’s defense. In fact, the Tigers have one of the 25 best scoring defenses in the country. However, Towson has struggled on the offensive end, scoring only 20 goals over its past four contests, and other than Mabus’ hat trick against Drexel, the Tigers were only able to score four goals against their CAA rival.
The Tigers and Pennsylvania: If the Quakers can’t be motivated by their recent four-game winning streak, at least they can take solace in the fact that they play for a Keystone State school. After starting the season with a respectable 8-3 mark, Towson has dropped its last two contests to Pennsylvania squads. The Tigers fell to both then-No. 19 Penn State and Drexel at home over the course of the past two weekends. Will the third time be the charm for Towson on Tuesday? Penn coach Mike Murphy and company hope not.
The Ivy seasons are beginning to wind down for most spring sports, and there are many Penn teams hanging around at or near the top of their respective standings. But which squad is best positioned to make a run at the Ivy title — or perhaps even NCAA tournament glory? Our sports editors discuss:
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I would have my money on Penn men’s lacrosse to make a deep run in the four-team Ivy tournament — and possibly even beyond. The No. 8 Quakers have won four Ivy contests in a row since that humiliating 17-9 loss to then-No. 4 Cornell on March 22nd. This is a team that has the third-best RPI in the nation and should be solidly in the NCAA tournament field regardless of what happens the rest of the way.
And in the tournament, I think the Red and Blue have a tremendous shot at making a deep run, considering all of the adversity they’ve handled so far. Look at the fourth-quarter comebacks against Denver, Villanova and Harvard from earlier in the season. Look at the attack that boasts five different double-digit goal scorers. The Quakers are legit.
Sports Editor Riley Steele: It’s hard to disagree with the success of Mike Murphy’s team of late. The Quakers are an excellent team on a nice four-game run, but the team will go up against some stiff competition in the Ivy League tournament.
Instead, I look at a team that has been dominant on the diamond of late, Penn baseball. Yes, the Red and Blue split two games with Princeton over the weekend to fall back into a tie with Columbia atop the Lou Gehrig Division. But as Penn prepares for a virtual division championship series against the Lions this weekend, the Quakers can take solace in the fact that they have all the intangibles to beat Columbia and move on to postseason play.
Penn’s pitching staff is one of the best in the Ivy League as juniors Connor Cuff and Ronnie Glenn have locked down opponents all season long. While the Quakers struggled at the plate against the Tigers, bats like senior Rick Brebner and juniors Jeff McGarry and Austin Bossart can’t be kept quiet for long. With all those tools on display, I think the Quakers have a chance to make waves against Columbia later this week, and then against Yale in the Ivy League championship series.
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: Are we going to ignore Penn softball? The Quakers have firm control over the Ivy South division, holding a three-game lead in the loss column over Columbia and Cornell. You can say whatever you want about experience and the Quakers’ plethora of freshmen, but those freshman players have been some of the biggest contributors to Penn’s success. Freshman outfielder Leah Allen has been a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the lineup, while Alexis Sargent has contributed both in the pitcher’s circle and at the plate.
And that isn’t even mentioning the key contributions of juniors Sydney Turchin in the outfield and Alexis Borden on the mound. The Red and Blue do have a tough challenge awaiting them if they make the Ivy League championship series once again, as Harvard and Dartmouth are a combined 28-1 in Ivy play. But anything can happen in a three-game series and the Quakers have a very solid chance to make it back to the NCAA tournament.
Penn baseball is halfway through a series with Princeton, as the Quakers look to stay atop the Ivy League standings. Here is our interview with Princeton coach Scott Bradley before the series began.
Daily Pennsylvanian: Your team is pretty young, and although it got off to a 4-0 start in ivy play, it was swept in its next two series. Can you talk about what factored in most to that rough stretch and what you have tried to take away from it?
Scott Bradley: Going into the year, we knew we were going to be very young. In fact, there are a lot of games where we’ll have six or seven freshmen on the field at one time.
With the Ivy weekends, they’re always so different. A lot of it is just circumstances. We caught Dartmouth coming right after their trip where they were a little banged up. And we’re the same way now. We’re so young. We’re so inexperienced. We’ve had a good number of injuries. For the freshmen, in their first time, people don’t understand what it’s like to play a doubleheader every Saturday and a doubleheader every Sunday.
You’re on the field at 9:00 every morning [and] you get off the field at 6:00 after games. It’s tough for the young kids to really get a real feel for that before they do it for the first time and I think it has kind of caught up to us a little bit in the last couple weekends.
DP: What is that transition like from the high school baseball schedule to getting adjusting to college at an Ivy League school and then also playing those doubleheaders every weekend?
SB: It is difficult. Like I said, you almost have to go through it to see what it’s like. You start off and everyone is so excited about getting off and going on the spring trip and getting going, but then all of a sudden, the semester starts getting to you and there is a lot going on in their lives. All of a sudden, every weekend is just packed with baseball from morning until night. It takes some experience to figure it out.
Normally when you go into the Ivy League weekends, you feel like you can keep yourself in a race, at least until the end, as long as you can avoid a really bad weekend, an 0-4 weekend, and we had one last weekend. We just got beat up a little bit. With the weather that we had, we were forced to play a doubleheader Wednesday against Harvard. So we’re looking at a doubleheader Saturday, a doubleheader Sunday, we had to have a doubleheader on Wednesday against Harvard and now we play [Penn] in a doubleheader Saturday, doubleheader Sunday.
It’s tough. It’s a grind and it makes it tough on your pitching but it is what it is so you just try to get your guys to focus on coming out to the ballpark every day and enjoy their time, try to convince them that the time they spend at the ballpark is their reward for everything that they have to go through academically.
We try to make it enjoyable for them, as much as we can. We always try to come out with the idea that you’re gonna get better today. You’re gonna enjoy yourself, you’re going to get better and you’re gonna go compete. And that’s what we hope to do this weekend.
DP: With those young guys, which freshmen have stood out to you? Which have you seen the most promise from?
SB: It’s been different. We had a stretch where early in the year, Nick Hernandez and Danny Baer and Paul Tupper all got off to really good starts. Sometimes that happens. There were no expectations at the start of the year. They all went out and they got off to really good starts.
And then you go back and you get started with the league and they put a little more expectations on themselves. Danny Baer ran into a fence at Duke so he’s been playing on a regular basis, but he’s been banged up. Nick Hernandez has just kind of all of a sudden, as hot as he was early has kind of cooled off. On the other side, Zack Belski got off to a slower start than the other guys and has probably been our best hitter of the freshman group over the course of the last three weeks.
Chad Powers and Keelan Smithers, who will both pitch for us [Saturday], have had really good days and then will have days when they look like freshmen. But that is kind of where we are. You’ll see, Baer and Tupper and Belski and Hernandez will be in the majority of games we play, and Powers will start game one [vs. Penn] and Smithers will pitch game two, so we’ll be running some young guys out there. That’s for sure.
DP: With Penn having a stellar year, Columbia playing at a championship level, and Cornell playing solid ball, can you talk about the depth of the Gehrig division this year?
SB: It’s interesting because we used to talk when I first came into the league – I’ve been here 17 years – it was the opposite where the other side was very very good and all the teams we’re battling right down to the end. About four-five years ago, it started to switch over. I think when you see it this year, there are some really good teams.
I think, in the league in general, there is such a fine line. So many of these games that everybody plays come down to getting a two-out hit, getting a big two-out stop and that’s just how the Ivy League games are. We play a seven-inning game in the first game of the doubleheader that go by really quick. We’ve all played in some bad weather this year so it will be fun this weekend to play on a nice dry field. But these games come down to who plays with two outs the best.
From following Penn the way that I have, they just have a belief in themselves and it looks like they’re really enjoying themselves and having a lot of fun playing. We just played Columbia last weekend and Columbia is very very good. We hope to throw a monkey wrench into everything that has gone on but I would think that series next week between Penn and Columbia is going to be some kind of battle right down to the end.
DP: What have you seen from Penn this season that has stood out?
SB: The big thing is, for the most part, they have a bunch of guys who have been through this before. [John Yurkow] seems to have done a great job with them. Sometimes, when you have a new coach, it’s kind of a different feel. They have a lot of guys who we felt that even going into last year we’re a talented group and just hadn’t put it together.
We always say that in the Ivy League, it’s not like you have to build something gradually. If you get just the right mix and you get that right belief and guys get off to a good starts, because the seasons lasts only five weeks, the Ivy League season is only five weekends, that if you get that belief and get off to a good start, that can carry you the entire way. Especially that belief that in the close game, we’re going to find a way to win. And there are so many close games in our league and that’s something that Penn seems to have done and it’s something that Columbia has done for the last few years.
Like I said, we’re looking forward to playing on a nice dry field on a holiday weekend. We try to tell our guys every time we come onto the field that we’re going to enjoy ourselves and we’re going to get better. We play against a good hot team this weekend so it’ll be a nice test for us.
DP: Can you talk about the performance of Michael Fagan and how you think he matches up with the Quakers lineup?
SB: Michael’s stuff is just very very good. We knew when we recruited him and it just shows [something] to a lot of the guys [since] he struggled his first three years. He tried to do too much, trying to balance everything.
Like a lot of Ivy League upperclassmen, he came in this year with the idea that he was going to really enjoy himself. He wasn’t going to worry about all the other pressures or what’s going on, he said he was going to really have fun. He got his thesis done early. He went through the interview process, he got a job early on. You kind of grow up right in front of us.
He’s very talented and you can see with his numbers and his strikeout numbers, he’s going to compete and every game he’s pitched this year has been a close game and I would expect the same thing [against Penn]. Michael has really good stuff, he has a lot of scouts watching him in that regard, but he’s pitching really well this year. He’s thrown more strikes than he has and he is really relaxed and enjoying himself, which is great to see.
DP: What’s your favorite place to eat in the Princeton area? I’m a Hoagie Haven guy myself.
SB: I think you hit it right on the head. I’m a little bit older and have a little bit more money in my pocket than most of the kids but I have three teenage kids so the amount of times that I have to bring something home from Hoagie Haven or bring something back over, I think it is a staple in most everybody’s diet around her. I do like to go to some restaurants where I can get something other than a sandwich though but Hoagie Haven is a very popular spot, that’s for sure.
Just over halfway through the Ivy League baseball season, the playoff picture has begun to come into focus. We break down how the season has unfolded thus far, and who the real contenders are.
Lou Gehrig Division – Penn (11-1), Columbia (9-3), Cornell (6-6), Princeton (4-6)
Unsurprisingly, it’s been the Gehrig Division that’s seen the most success this season. The four Gehrig clubs have won a combined 30 games compared to the 16 victories the Red Rolfe Division possesses. Also, three Gehrig squads (Penn, Columbia and Cornell) are playing at least .500 ball, while only one team in the Rolfe Division (Yale) fits that description.
In what has been the Ivy season’s biggest surprise, Penn (11-1) is leading the Ancient Eight and slugging up a storm.
After returning veteran arms such as Connor Cuff and Dan Gautieri, the Quakers were expected to be strong on the mound, which they have been.
However, few could have expected the Red and Blue to have the best offense in the conference.
Led by Rick Brebner, Jeff McGarry and Mike Vilardo, the Quakers top the Ancient Eight in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.281), slugging (.437) and home runs (29).
After starting the season slowly at the plate, the Quakers have gotten timely hits more consistently, and seen everybody in the lineup make key contribution.
The Red and Blue made easy work of the Red Rolfe division, sweeping each one of its four clubs to start the Ivy season 8-0 (good news if the Quakers make it to the championship series).
Penn then won three out of four games against Cornell this past weekend, as the club’s offense was able to get to the Big Red’s strong pitching staff.
After beginning conference play 2-3, Columbia has molded into championship form, winning its last seven Ivy contests.
Most recently, the Lions put up 33 runs in a four game sweep of Rolfe division foe Princeton.
The Lions’ offense – one of the most potent units in the Ivies – possesses both speed and power, and has seen balanced contributions thus far.
Outfielder Jordan Serena is the squad’s most electrifying player. The junior is hitting .309 with a team-high nine doubles and a league-leading 16 steals.
Led by George Thanopoulos (4-0) and David Speer (3-2), the Lions’ pitching staff has shined in Ivy play.
Columbia will play four games in Ithaca against Cornell this weekend before squaring off against Penn in what is shaping up to be a showdown with the Gehrig Division on the line.
Given that the Lions’ trail the Quakers by two games in the conference standings, they will likely need to take three games from Penn in the final regular season series to go on to the Ivy championship.
Cornell (6-6) has played some strong ball, but hasn’t been consistent enough to put itself in contention.
Things were looking up for the Big Red after they beat Penn 9-0 last Saturday afternoon for their fifth straight win. However, Cornell’s playoff chances took a huge hit over the next day as the squad dropped three straight in Philadelphia and Columbia surged ahead in the standings with a sweep of Princeton.
The Big Red will have the chance to regain some ground against the Lions head-to-head when they square off in Ithaca next weekend, but it will be difficult.
Cornell boasts one of the strongest pitching staffs in the Ivy League, which had been able to keep conference bats in check before last weekend’s series with Penn. The Quakers were the first Ivy club to score over five runs against the Big Red, posting nine or more runs twice in the four game series.
Junior transfer Ryan Karl, who hits third, has given Cornell a lift on offense. The outfielder leads the team with a .302 average and six home runs.
Cornell veterans Tom D’Allessandro and JD Whetsel have proven to be the Ancient Eight’s most daunting duo on the basepaths, as they are the only teammates in the conference each with double-digit steals.
Princeton (4-6) came out hot with four straight conference wins (vs. Dartmouth and Brown), but has since been swept by Yale and Columbia on consecutive weekends.
The Tigers’ pitching staff, led by senior lefty Michael Fagan, had been solid in Ivy play before getting pounded by Columbia’s offense for 33 runs this past weekend.
Senior second baseman Alec Keller, who leads his team with a .343 average and three triples, has made a strong case for a third straight All-Ivy selection. Meanwhile, freshman first baseman Zach Belski has made a splash, as he is hitting .325 with 13 RBI.
The Princeton offense is averaging just one extra base hit per game, and has had difficulty getting big hits recently.
Princeton has a chance to get back on track this Wednesday against Harvard, but finishes the season with tough series versus Penn and Cornell.
Stay tuned to the Buzz for the Mid-Season Report on the Red Rolfe Division.
There is a new fourth member of the class of 2018 for Penn basketball.
Pitman High School (N.J.) senior guard Darnell Foreman committed to Penn basketball, joining forward Mike Auger, small forward Sam Jones and guard Antonio Woods in the Quakers' class of 2018. Foreman
Foreman is a 6-foot-0 guard and was named South Jersey Times Player of the Year for 2013-14. According to City of Basketball Love, Foreman is a skilled combo guard, something that could fit in Penn's three-guard system. Foreman averaged 17.4 points and 4.5 assists per game last year in guiding Pitman to the Group 1 State Championship in New Jersey.
Massanutten Military (Va.) center Ryan Singer was originally also part of Penn's class of 2018, but decommitted on March 26, reopening his recruitment.
Penn now has nine underclassmen returning from last year's squad and four members of its upcoming freshman class joining the roster. Current freshman Dave Winfield Jr. is expected to also return to the roster after dealing with injuries in 2013-14.
Despite having to deal with yet another rain delay, Penn baseball looks forward to wrapping up its nonconference schedule against Division II University of the Sciences (5-25) on Wednesday afternoon. The Quakers (19-12) are coming off three wins in four games against Cornell over the weekend and hope to end their seven-game homestand on a high note. We see who’s up and who’s down entering Wednesday’s game.
Three Up
Rookies on a roll: Freshman righty Jake Cousins continues to prove himself as one of Penn’s top dealers. He’s displayed his versatility thus far this season, as he’s made four starts along with four relief appearances. In his most recent start on Saturday against Cornell, Cousins held the Big Red to two runs in five and two-thirds innings to improve his record to a team best 4-0.
On the offensive side, rookie Tim Graul broke out last week, going 6-for-11 with four RBI. Before his banner 4-for-4 day against St. Peter’s last Wednesday, Graul had gone hitless this season. But coach John Yurkowseems to like the East Greenwich, R.I., native a lot, so Graul should be able to continue to get his hacks. The freshman’s role moving forward, based on what he’s been asked to do so far, will be as a middle-of-the-lineup designated hitter against left-handed pitchers.
Home, Sweet Home: The Quakers are an impressive 11-2 at Meiklejohn Stadium this season compared to a pedestrian 8-8 mark in road and neutral site games. This comes a year after the Quakers went 7-9 at home. The Red and Blue will look to continue that success when they finish up their seven-game homestand against USciences on Wednesday.
The way they’ve played at Meiklejohn, the Quakers should be especially excited if they can make it to the Ivy League championship series and get home-field advantage.
Senior captain Brandon Engelhardt: The veteran centerfielder has more than made up for his slow start to the season with his stellar play in conference competition. The Pottstown, Pa., product’s .400 batting average is fourth-best in conference play among all Ivy players, and he also features the fifth-best slugging percentage at .600.
Engelhardt was crucial to the Quakers’ success against Cornell this past weekend in multiple ways. The captain got the Red and Blue going in the early game of the Sunday doubleheader when he laced a triple off the first pitch he saw and soon scored the first run of Penn’s 4-2 victory. And while he sparked the Quakers’ momentum with his bat, Engelhardt would add to the charge later in the game with his glove when the Big Red threatened. It looked as if Cornell was going to tie the game after JD Whetsel singled to center with a runner on second, but Engelhardt had other plans, gunning the runner down at the plate to keep Penn’s lead intact.
Three Down
No longer a perfect Bet: Senior submarine reliever Pat Bet, who has been one of the best stories on this year’s Penn squad, finally showed this weekend that he is indeed human. Entering the last game of the series with a perfect earned run average, Bet gave up his first two runs in the ninth inning before closing out the Quakers’ third straight win.
Lack of production in losses: As potent as Penn’s offense has been this year, its bats struggled rather heavily in two losses last week to St. Joe’s and Cornell. Against St. Joe’s, the Red and Blue notched only six hits in 13 innings and could not get any clutch contributions. In the first contest of the weekend against Cornell, the Penn bats failed to produce a run for the first time in conference play and scraped together a mere five hits.
USciences on the road: This season has been a struggle for the 5-25 Devils, especially on the road. USciences is 0-6 when it visits opponents and has been outscored 43-10 in those contests. Things won’t get any easier for the Devils when they face the Quakers at Meiklejohn on Wednesday looking for their first road win.
Check out thedp.com for a more breakdown of all the changes to Penn basketball, but here is Julian Harrell's instagram post from today. It is a letter from Penn Athletic Compliance saying that Harrell is allowed to leave the program.
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