Penn’s baseball team came up empty-handed, but its season-ending loss showed toughness

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — There were several moments during Penn’s 12-inning loss to St. John’s on Saturday in the NCAA regional where things could have tilted the other way.

First, there was the ball Davis Baker launched to deep left field, on a path to clear the fence and put Penn up by three in the top of the ninth, before St. John’s Garrett Scavelli leaped to rob Baker of a home run. Then, a St. John’s solo shot that tied the game in the bottom of the inning was just a few feet out of reach for Penn to return the favor.

If one thing went differently, Penn might have extended its season one more day. But there were also several moments in Saturday’s game — and the entire season — where the Quakers could have given up entirely.

“It looked like at times throughout the year, like we were down and out,” said coach John Yurkow.

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And indeed, with its 24-25 record, Penn wasn’t really supposed to be at the Charlottesville regional. The Quakers needed help from Harvard to make the Ivy League tournament. And once it got there, Penn fell to the losers’ bracket, where it needed to survive three straight elimination games. But somehow, at the 11th hour, the Quakers pulled it together.

Saturday, in a way, had been a microcosm of the year. Penn found itself in a three-run deficit to St. John’s earlier in the game but refused to lay down, authoring a comeback with two outs in the seventh. While the Quakers ultimately could not hold onto their lead, they made it much further than anyone had expected.

“Bottom line, at the end of the year, I think there’s only one team that’s going to be happy,” Yurkow said. “It’s also tough, the finality of it, knowing this last time this group will be on the field together.”

Penn will lose some major pieces from its graduating seniors, including Wyatt Henseler, the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year. Over his four years, Henseler rewrote Penn’s and the Ivy League’s record books at the plate. He is committed to play his fifth year at Texas A&M, but turning professional could also be an option.

Senior Cole Zaffiro, Penn’s Friday starter, is joining Wake Forest, and pitcher-infielder Carson Ozmer is headed to Alabama.

“I’ve had really strong leaders, especially with Wyatt, and [Ryan Dromboski] is a junior right now, but Drombo is another captain,” Baker said. “I think it’s something that will stick with this program, even once they go. I think it just speaks to our toughness as a whole.”

Ivy League rules prevent graduate students from playing for Penn, so the seniors will look to recreate the success other Penn transfers have recently had at Power Five schools.

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Jackson Appel, Penn’s catcher in 2023, was first-team all-SEC with Texas A&M this season and leads the Aggies in batting average (.325). Ben Miller, Penn’s former first baseman, likewise leads Duke in average (.366) and OPS (1.101). And Owen Coady has become a go-to pitching option for Virginia, which is poised for a Super Regional berth after the Cavaliers advanced to Sunday’s final.

But Penn will also return some cornerstone pieces, including Baker, fellow sophomores Ryan Taylor and Jarrett Pokrovsky, juniors Connor Chavez and Dromboski, and freshmen Nick Spaventa and Gavin Collins.

The Quakers also have been afflicted by injuries all year, and will certainly benefit from a healthy offseason. Pokrovsky did not play in the 2024 postseason due to a torn ACL, while Penn cycled through four catchers this season. Justin Neskie, who started behind the plate against Virginia, is a converted infielder.

“We’ve had really good senior leadership the last two or three years and one of the things about all those guys that have come through here is just how tough they were,” said Yurkow. “They’re great competitors. … The standard that those guys set, one thing about our team is I know we’re not going to quit. No matter what the score is or how bleak things look.”