Penn baseball embarks on 150th year as a program with ‘culture and repetition of success’

Penn baseball began its 150th season in Tallahassee on Friday night against with a 24-2 loss to No. 9 Florida State.

Penn first fielded a team in 1864, before the school got its home in West Philadelphia and was located at its Ninth Street campus. It became an official organized team in 1875 to compete as an intercollegiate sport.

“I’ve been pinned down for 18 or 19 years, when I say it out loud when people ask me how long I’ve been at Penn, it sounds like a long time. But when you compare it to 150 years, it’s really not that long,” said coach John Yurkow, who is third all-time in wins with the program. “I’m just glad that I can be a part of the history and Penn baseball community.”

Under Yurkow, the Quakers have won the Ivy League tournament in back-to-back seasons. Two years ago, they defeated No. 13 Auburn in an 11-inning nail-biter for the program’s first NCAA regional tournament win since 1990.

In this year’s Ivy League baseball preseason poll, Penn was voted to finish second in the conference by members of the media. Columbia was voted unanimously to finish first after going 17-4 in conference play last season.

Penn baseball has an extensive alumni network, including Yankees reliever Jake Cousins and 16-year MLB journeyman Mark DeRosa. Last week, the program held a dinner for current players and alumni to commemorate 150 years of Penn baseball.

“It’s really great [to have alumni support] just because of the success that we’ve had, and then sharing that same success with some of the older classes,” said senior second baseman Connor Chavez. “Like the class of ‘95, talking to them about everything that they did. Then seeing some of the older guys, some of my mentors are [from] the class of ‘74, and they were successful back then. It’s just awesome to have that culture and repetition of success.”

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Although the dinner was meant to celebrate the past, much of the conversation revolved around the present success of the program.

“I played for some very good teams, but we didn’t quite make championship caliber, so to see this [recent success] and the way the players train, their work ethic, their attitude is really terrific. It’s really a credit to the coaching staff,” said Bill Potter, class of 1979 and co-chair of the Penn baseball alumni board.

To continue playing at a championship-caliber level, the Quakers will have to overcome some major departures.

They will be without Wyatt Henseler, the 2024 Ivy player of the year, who is playing his fifth year of eligibility at Texas A&M. Last season, Henseler led the conference in homers (19) and runs (54).

Yurkow’s is missing three of last year’s pitchers. Carson Ozmer is playing out his final year at Alabama. Cole Zaffiro and Ryan Dromboski signed MLB deals with the Yankees and the Phillies, respectively.

Sophomore pitcher Josh Katz started and took the loss on Friday. Last season, he started seven games and had an ERA of 7.41 He stepped up big in last year’s Ivy League tournament, striking out five batters in 2.1 innings in a win over Princeton.

In terms of offense, junior utility Jarrett Pokrovsky, the 2023 Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player, will be returning from a torn ACL injury. Last season, Pokrovsky recorded four home runs and 38 hits in 37 appearances.

“For [Pokrovsky] to come back as quickly as he did is very impressive,” Yurkow said. “It shows you how resilient he is, how focused. He just did a great job. He crushed his rehab. … He embodies what we’re looking for in a leader.”

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Notably, junior Davis Baker was named to the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award watch list. Last season, the All-Ivy shortstop ranked second on the team in hits (68) and had 44 RBIs and seven homers.

Penn also returns junior outfielder Ryan Taylor, another All-Ivy selection, who had 56 hits and seven home runs. Additionally, Chavez has proved to be efficient at the plate, with 52 hits.

“It’s nice to get a break from baseball, but it’s been long enough and we’re ready to get the season started,” Chavez said.