Ivy League champs Penn headed to Charlottesville for NCAA Regional play

Penn will face No. 12 Virginia in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. | PHOTO: Penn Athletics

Penn will visit Charlottesville, Va. this weekend to kick off NCAA Regional play, starting with a noon matchup against host and 12th-seeded Virginia on Friday. Later, second-seeded Mississippi State will clash with third-seeded St. John's at 7 p.m. 

 

The regional follows a four-team, double-elimination format, similar to the Ivy League Tournament. 

 

This marks Penn's second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, the first time they've achieved this since 1988-90. 

 

Penn entered the Ivy League Tournament as the fourth seed and quickly dispatched regular-season champion and host Columbia on the first day. Despite falling to Cornell, they battled back in the loser's bracket, winning three straight games, including back-to-back contests against the Big Red, to claim the title. 

 

In last year's NCAA Championship, Penn made a strong impression by knocking off host Auburn in the opener and defeating Samford, 5-4, to advance to the Regional Final. The Quakers eventually fell in consecutive games to Southern Miss, ending their run. Their victories over Auburn and Samford made them the first Ivy League team to win its first two regional games since the NCAA adopted the 16 four-team regional format in 1999. 

 

The Quakers (24-23) earned a close 11-9 victory over Cornell in the Ivy League championship opener before securing a 12-6 win in the nightcap last Monday. 

 

Senior Wyatt Henseler, the Ivy League Player of the Year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after batting .375 (9-for-24) with three home runs and 10 RBIs over the five-game weekend. 

 

Despite their proximity, Penn and Virginia have not met since April 1, 1953.