ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell baseball team (3-2) returns to action this weekend when it travels to the Palmetto State to participate in the First Pitch Invitational, hosted by Michigan State at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C.

Cornell will open the three-game tournament against the host Spartans (9-2) on Friday morning at 10 a.m. before returning to action on Saturday for a noon first pitch against UAB (10-2). The tournament will conclude on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. first pitch in Rock Hill, S.C., against Winthrop (8-4) at the Eagles' on-campus home, Founders Field. All three games of the tournament will air live on ESPN+.

Cornell (3-2, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. Michigan State (9-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
When	Friday, March 8 // 10 a.m.
Where	Greenville, S.C. // Fluor Field
Watch	Friday
Radio	None
Live Stats	Friday
Notes	Cornell | Michigan State

 

Cornell (3-2, 0-0 Ivy League) vs. UAB (10-2, 0-0 American)
When	Saturday, March 9 // Noon
Where	Greenville, S.C. // Fluor Field
Watch	Saturday
Radio	None
Live Stats	Saturday
Notes	Cornell | UAB

 

Cornell (3-2, 0-0 Ivy League) at Winthrop (8-5, 0-0 Big South)
When	Saturday, March 10 // 1 p.m.
Where	Rock Hill, S.C. // Founders Field
Watch	Sunday
Radio	None
Live Stats	Sunday
Notes	Cornell | Winthrop

 

Probable Starting Pitchers
Day	Cornell		Opponent
Fri. 10 a.m. ET	RHP Carson Mayfield (1-0, 2.70 ERA)		RHP Nolan Higgins (1-0, 2.63 ERA)
Sat. Noon ET	LHP Huxley Holcombe (0-0, 16.20 ERA)		RHP Colin Daniel (3-0, 2.25 ERA)
Sun. 1 p.m. ET	RHP Chris Ellison (0-1, 8.31 ERA)		RHP Brayden Gilley (1-1, 9.00 ERA)

LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday in Baltimore, the Big Red posted a doubleheader sweep over UMBC, taking the opening game in 10 innings, 8-7, on a go-ahead RBI single by sophomore infielder Luke Johnson.

The nightcap featured the Big Red avenging a seven-run first-inning deficit by plating 11 unanswered runs between the second and fourth innings en route to its 16-13 slugfest victory in seven innings to sweep the twin bill.

Senior infielder Max Jensen paced Cornell's offense, going 4-of-9 (.444) at the plate with two home runs and driving in four runs. He also posted a 1.657 OPS on the weekend (.545 on-base percentage and 1.111 slugging percentage), leading him to be named the Ivy League's Player of the Week.

Both of Jensen's home runs came in the slugfest victory, marking his first collegiate multi-home run game and first multi-home run game for the Big Red since Nathan Waugh '24 last year against Columbia (April 27, 2024). After Jensen reached safely in both games, he extended his on-base streak to 23 games, standing as the longest on-base streak since Waugh concluded his Big Red career with a 42-game streak.

NEAR-FLAWLESS BASEBALL
Coming off recording a program-record .975 fielding percentage (35 errors in 1,407 fielding chances) last season, Cornell has carried its fielding success into 2025 as it has only two errors in 178 fielding opportunities across its first two weekends of action.

Since last season, Cornell has posted a cumulative .977 fielding percentage (37 errors in 1,585 fielding chances), ranking as the 34th-best percentage in Division I baseball. Among the eight Ivy League programs, the Big Red has an 11-point lead over Columbia, which ranks 213rd with a .966 fielding clip.

The Big Red's .989 fielding percentage this season ranks as the third-best fielding percentage in Division I baseball after the conclusion of Wednesday's contests. Cornell only trails Ball State (.991) and Texas State (.991)for the best fielding percentage.

The two errors committed by Cornell are the fewest by a Division I program this season, ahead of Central Connecticut State (three), Ball State, Binghamton, Northwestern, and Texas State (four apiece), and is tied for the fewest miscues committed by the Big Red within its first five games in program history (since 1885), joined by the 2004 squad, who also only had two errors through its first five contests. The pair of errors marks the seventh time in program history that it has averaged under an error per game over its first five contests, joining the squads from 1927 (4), 1934 (4), 2004 (2), 2005 (4), 2009 (4), and 2013 (4).

Cornell did not commit an error in its season-opening series against then-No. 17-ranked Duke, signifying the first time in program history (since 1885) that the Big Red did not have an error across its first three games. There were six previous instances where the Big Red had one error across its first three games, having been accomplished during the 1943, 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2013 campaigns.

Over the previous 139 seasons where data was available, the Big Red had previously only had nine instances where it played errorless baseball in its first two games of a season (1908, 1943, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2007, 2009, and 2013). Cornell also did not commit any errors in two of its first three games to begin a season on 14 occasions, also joining the 1909, 1927, 1963, 2004, and 2008 squads. 

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
This weekend marks the conclusion of Cornell's stretch of playing opponents for the first time in program history. After playing UMBC for the first two times last weekend, the Big Red will be squaring off against UAB (Saturday in Greenville, S.C.) and Winthrop (Sunday in Rock Hill, S.C.) for the first time in program history this weekend.

Cornell will also be playing at Fluor Field, the home of the Greenville Drive, the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, for the first two times in program history. The Big Red's trip to Greenville, S.C., will be its first time playing in "Green Vegas" since defeating Furman, 7-3, on April 4, 1902.

SHOWING "GRIT AND GUTS"
The season-long theme for the Cornell baseball team in 2025 is to show "grit and guts."

Cornell exemplified that in the nightcap of last Saturday's twin bill with UMBC in Baltimore, avenging a 7-0 first-inning deficit to defeat the Retrievers, 16-13, in a seven-inning contest. The comeback was the Big Red's second time avenging a seven-run deficit in as many years as it trailed Yale, 8-0, going into the bottom of the eighth of the first game of an April 20 twin bill and prevailed in 10 innings, 10-9.

Through the completion of Wednesday's games, Cornell is one of 16 Division I programs that has overcome a deficit of at least seven runs this season, and is the lone team to have won after trailing by at least seven runs after the first inning.

Seven of the 16 comebacks from seven-plus-run deficits have featured teams trailing by at least seven runs in the second inning or earlier. Joining Cornell in the achieving the feat incldes: Alabama (trailed 10-0 to Ohio State after top of second), Alabama A&M (trailed 9-1 after top of second to Grambling), Rhode Island (trailed 14-6 after second inning to William & Mary), Louisiana (trailed 8-1 to Texas Southern after top of second),  Ball State (trailed 7-0 to Sacramento State after second inning), and Saint Mary's (trailed 7-0 after top of second against San Diego State).

IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Ivy League preseason poll was announced Feb. 18 with Columbia pitted as the unanimous favorite following a vote of two representatives from each of the eight Ivy League programs (16 total voters).

Penn was picked to finish second, serving as the lone other Ancient Eight program to recveive over 100 points. Cornell was tabbed third while Princeton was selected to finish fourth, rounding out the projected second annual Ivy League Tournament, which will be held at the No. 1 seed.

Rounding out the poll was Yale (69 points), Harvard (59 points), Dartmouth (30 points), and Brown (21 points).

Cornell's third-place projection is the program's highest preseason ranking in the annual Ivy League's preseason poll since its inception in 2018.

QUATRANI HONORED BY D1BASEBALL
Sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani was honored by D1Baseball.com with preseason honors, being selected as one of the top 50 catchers in Division I baseball on Jan. 28.

Quatrani, fresh off being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year last year, came in ranked at No. 39 on the list after posting a .362 batting average in his first year with the Big Red. Paired with his batting average, Quatrani registered a 1.206 OPS (.492 on-base percentage and .714 slugging percentage) after blasting 11 home runs and driving in 43 runs, both figures serving as team-highs.

Among the 50 players named to the preseason list, Quatrani was the lone representative from the Ivy League and one of 12 sophomores honored, three of which were redshirt sophomores. Quatrani was one of 18 non-Power Four catchers named to the list

Of the 49 players that played college baseball last season, Quatrani had the highest OPS (1.206) of any player named to the list, with his figure being 31 points higher than Virginia's Jacob Ference (1.175). Quatrani also had the third-highest batting average of those named, trailing Bowling Green sophomore Garrett Wright (.380) and Oklahoma junior Easton Carmichael (.366).

STARTING OFF STRONG
Sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani had one of the highest batting averages by a freshman in Cornell program history last season.

Since freshmen were first eligible to play for the Big Red beginning with the 1976 season, Quatrani's .366 batting average last year ranked as the third-highest by a first-year player in program history, with a minimum of 80 at-bats, only trailing Brian Billigen (.404 in 2009) and Terry Birrer (.379 in 1982).

Quatrani became one of five players to have hit at least .360 in their first collegiate season with the Big Red, joining Billigen, Birrer, former Big Red infielder and head coach Bill Walkenbach (.363 in 1995), and infielder Andrew Luria (.363 in 1999).

WHEN IT RUNS, IT POURS
Cornell scored 270 runs across its 38 games last season, computing to a 7.11 runs per game average, ranking 117th nationally.

The Big Red's 7.11 runs per game average was its highest clip in a single season since 1901, when Cornell scored 180 runs in 24 games (7.50 runs per game). Last year's average also ranked as the fourth-highest scoring year in Cornell history with at least 20 games played.

Last season's 270 runs scored was the 31st time in Cornell's 153-year history of the baseball program that it scored at least 200 runs in a season. The 270 runs were the third-most by the Big Red in a single season and was its highest run total since scoring a program-record 279 times in 2012, Cornell's last time it appeared in the NCAA Tournament.

Last year, Cornell displayed a knack for scoring runs in bundles, as 225 of its 270 runs came in multi-run innings (83.3 percent of its run production). The Big Red had 66 multi-run innings in 2024 and had registered at least one inning with two-plus runs in 33 of its 38 games played (86.8 percent).

Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Cornell has had at least one multi-run inning in 92 of its 114 games (80.7 percent). The Big Red has had a multi-run inning in 12 of its last 13 contests, dating back to last season, and the lone contest in which it did not register a multi-run inning came on Feb. 23, when Cornell dropped an 18-1 decision to No. 17-ranked Duke.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State enters the weekend with a 9-2 overall record, after having its three-game win streak snapped on Wednesday evening with a 10-7 loss to Western Carolina, also at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C. The Spartans run-ruled Harvard in seven innings in each game of their three-game set this past weekend at Fluor Field, outscoring the Crimson by a 38-5 clip, 14-1, 11-1, 13-3.

The Spartans boast a quartet of batters that are hitting over .300, highlighted by Sam Busch's .370 average. Ryan McKay has drawn 18 walks this season — the third-highest total in Division I baseball — compared to just six strikeouts, mustering a team-leading .569 on-base percentage.

As a team, Michigan State has been successful on 33 of its 44 steal attempts (75.0 percent) through 11 games. The Spartans' 33 steals ranks as the 12th-highest figure in Division I baseball and its 3.00 steals per game is tied with Penn State for the eighth-best average.

Relying on their pitching to begin the season, Michigan State boasts the 30th-best WHIP (1.20) and 37th-best ERA (3.34) in the country. Joseph Dzierwa (3-0, 0.47 ERA) has excelled on the mound for the Spartans, allowing just one earned run in 19 IP while striking out 33 batters and issuing just two walks. Batters are hitting just .097 off the junior southpaw.

88 YEARS, 472 MILES, 6 MEETINGS
Cornell and Michigan State will be meeting for the seventh time on Friday morning. The Spartans own a slight 4-2 lead in the series, which dates back to the inaugural meeting at Hoy Field in Ithaca, N.Y., on May 14, 1936.

The Big Red defeated the Spartans, 2-1, in the last meeting between the programs in Richmond, Va., at Pitt Field on March 19, 2017, concluding the three-day Spider Invitational. Josh Arndt hit a two-run double in the second inning and stellar pitching from Cornell's Paul Balestrieri, Matt Horton and Peter Lannoo made the early lead stand up.

Michigan State pushed across its lone run in the sixth after a leadoff triple and walk allowed the lead runner to cross home plate on a double play. The Spartans threatened in the eighth after Balestrieri departed with two on and one out, but Horton worked around a walk to load the bases by getting a pair of swinging strikeouts. Lannoo earned the save, pitching a flawless ninth inning.

SCOUTING UAB
Coming off a midweek upset of No. 22-ranked Auburn in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday night, UAB enters the weekend's slate with a 10-2 overall record and winners of its last four games. The Blazers swept North Alabama last weekend, outscoring the Lions 15-3 in their three-game series.

Todd Clay paces UAB's offense, leading the team in batting average (.429), doubles (5), and RBI (15), while also drawing 12 walks and striking out just six times. Logan Braunschweig has the team lead in home runs (2), on-base percentage (.564), slugging percentage (.615), and OPS (1.179).

All three UAB's starting pitchers have ERAs under 3.80, highlighted by Colin Daniel's 2.25 mark (5 ER in 20 IP) and Chase Ingram's 2.76 clip (5 ER in 16.1 IP). Brendan Conner has three saves on the year.

Like Michigan State, UAB has wrecked havoc on the basepaths early on in the season, stealing 29 bases in 32 attempts (90.6 success rate). The 29 steals rank 24th among Division I baseball programs.

Defensively, UAB has turned 14 double plays this season, ranking third in Division I baseball, and its 1.17 double plays per game average ranks eighth nationally. Committing just five errors in 427 fielding chances, the Blazers own the nation's fifth-best fielding percentage (.988).

1 YEAR, 1002 MILES, 0 MEETINGS
Cornell will be clashing with and UAB for the first time in program history on Saturday afternoon.

The Big Red is playing an opponent from the American Athletic Conference for the fourth time on Saturday afternoon. It is the first time Cornell is playing an AAC foe since being swept by UCF in a three-game series in Orlando, Fla., in 2016.

SCOUTING WINTHROP
Winthrop comes into the weekend with an 8-5 overall record, fresh off a split of its two-game series with No. 16-ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. The Eagles prevented a Cowboys series sweep with a 9-3 triumph on Wednesday night.

The Eagles have two batters hitting over .425 this season, highlighted by Alan Benhardt's .429 average. He also leads the team in on-base percentage (.543) and OPS (1.222). Jaylen Hernandez ranks second in batting average (.426), but has a team-high 23 hits and .685 slugging percentage. Hernandez is tied with Ethan Wilson for the most RBI (20).

Pitching has excelled in limiting free passes this season, issuing 3.19 walks per nine innings, which is the 19th-best average in Division I baseball. 

1 YEAR, 705 MILES, 0 MEETINGS
Cornell and Winthrop are meeting for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon.

The Big Red is 1-7 all-time against Big South opponents, with Cornell's lone victory coming in its last game against a Big South program, defeating Campbell, 3-2, on March 18, 2017, in Richmond, Va.