Now-senior infielder/right-handed pitcher Carson Ozmer pitches against UMass Amherst on March 17, 2023.
Credit: Benjamin McAvoy-BickfordAs the 2024 season rolls right around the corner, expectations are high for this talented Penn baseball roster.
In the conference’s preseason poll, the Quakers were unanimously picked as the favorites to take the Ivy League crown. The poll, which consisted of media members and sports information directors within the league, tabbed Penn with 16 first-place votes. In total, Penn earned 128 points, followed second by Columbia with 101 points, and followed third by Harvard with 97 points. The rest of the point totals included Princeton with 87, Yale with 66, Cornell with 37, Brown with 35, and Dartmouth with 25.
Last season, the Red and Blue went on a stellar run reaching the regional final against Southern Mississippi. The team, led by 2023 Ivy League coach of the year John Yurkow, won the inaugural Ivy League tournament, punching their ticket to the NCAA Regional for the first time since 1995. While at the regional, the Quakers defeated Auburn in extra innings before also downing Samford. Although the team ultimately fell to Southern Mississippi, the Quakers look to learn from the experience they built playing in some of college baseball’s biggest stages.
A team loaded with firepower at all positions, the Quakers will bring back 2023 Ivy League pitcher of the year Ryan Dromboski on the bump. Additionally, five returning players also received All-Ivy honors, including third baseman Wyatt Henseler, pitcher Cole Zaffiro, infielder Davis Baker, pitcher and infielder Carson Ozmer, and outfielder Jarrett Pokrovsky.
Starting with a road game against Abilene Christian on Friday, the Red and Blue look to carry their momentum from last year into the start of this season. The team will then travel to South Carolina for matches against USC Upstate and Charleston Southern in early March.
With the Quakers expected to finish at the top of the standings on paper, the team looks forward to showing out on the field and solidifying those expectations. After narrowly missing out on history last season, Penn baseball will seek to reach a place that no Ivy League school has ever been before — an NCAA Super Regional.
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