Looking to carve out some breathing room in the Ivy League race, Penn baseball continues its season-shaping eight-game homestand this weekend with a high-stakes showdown against rival Columbia. The Quakers host the Lions at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium on Friday (2 p.m.) and again Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 a.m.
With just six games remaining in the Ivy regular season, every inning matters — especially when the top of the standings looks like this: Penn and Columbia tied at 11-4, Yale looming just one game back at 10-5. And the title? It's been claimed by either the Quakers or Lions in each of the last three seasons.
A win this weekend punches Penn’s ticket to the Ivy League Tournament. Columbia needs two wins — or one win plus a Cornell loss — to secure its spot. And if you're doing the math at home: Penn can clinch the Ivy League regular-season title with a sweep and two Yale losses.
So yeah, this one’s kind of important.
Elsewhere, Villanova shortstop Michael Whooley is officially on the radar. The junior was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list, a nod reserved for the top 100 shortstops in the nation — and a potential prelude to even bigger things. Whooley has been a steady force in the Wildcats’ lineup all spring, slashing .336/.433/.573 with six home runs, 21 RBIs, and a team-leading seven doubles. His 1.006 OPS is one of just two on the roster north of the 1.000 mark. He’s also one of five BIG EAST shortstops to crack the 2025 list, joining Jake Lambdin (Xavier), Ben North (Creighton), Rob Rispoli (UConn), and Blake Schaaf (Georgetown).
The Wildcats are sitting two games behind St. John's for the final postseason playoff berth in the BIG EAST. The club opens a set at division-leading Creighton on Friday.
As for Saint Joseph's, the Hawks open a three-game set with Dayton on Friday. The Hawks currently sit in third place int he Atlantic 10 and have a two-game cushion over the Flyers who are tied with Fordham for the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament. This weekend could go a long way for the Hawks in punching a postseason spot.
