ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell baseball team (10-10, 5-4 Ivy League) returns to action on Tuesday afternoon when it travels to Lewisburg, Pa., for a midweek matinee against Bucknell (11-18, 3-7 Patriot League) at Depew Field.
First pitch between the Big Red and Bison is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Game action being broadcast on ESPN+.
| Cornell (10-10, 5-4 Ivy League) at Bucknell (11-18, 3-7 Patriot League) |
| When |
Tuesday, April 8 |
| Where |
Lewisburg, Pa. // Depew Field |
| Watch |
Tuesday |
| Radio |
None |
| Live Stats |
Tuesday |
| Game Notes |
Bucknell | Cornell |
| Probable Starting Pitchers |
| Day |
Cornell |
Bucknell |
| Tue. 3:30 p.m. ET |
LHP Noah Keller (1-1, 18.82 ERA) |
TBA |
WEEKEND REWIND
Cornell faced Columbia last weekend, where the Lions took the series victory, 13-9, behind a walk-off grand slam hit by Sam Miller in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.
The Big Red and Lions traded wins on Friday with Columbia opening the doubleheader with a 10-1 victory before sophomore left-handed pitcher Huxley Holcombe pitched a career-high 7.2 innings and struck out a single-game high seven batters to split the twin bill.
STAYING STRONG IN THE FIELD
Coming off its program-record .975 fielding percentage (35 errors in 1,407 fielding chances) last season, Cornell has carried its fielding success over into the 2025 campaign, committing just 15 errors in 628 fielding opportunities.
The Big Red's .977 fielding percentage this season ranks 38th in Division I baseball after the conclusion of Sunday's contests, leading all Ivy League programs in fielding percentage by nine points (Penn — .967). Cornell's 17 errors committed are tied with Arkansas for the sixth-fewest miscues in Division I baseball this season and has 10 fewer errors than the second-place holder in the Ancient Eight (Dartmouth — 27 errors).
FEWEST ERRORS COMMITTED
This Season (as of 4/7/25)
• 15, Ball State (847 putouts, 298 assists, 15 errors, .987 fielding percentage in 33 games)
• 15, Charlotte (814 putouts, 243 assists, 15 errors, .986 fielding percentage in 31 games)
• 15, UTRGV (798 putouts, 281 assists, 15 errors, .986 fielding percentage in 31 games)
• 16, Rutgers (819 putouts, 279 assists, 16 errors, .986 fielding percentage in 32 games)
• 16, Vanderbilt (822 putouts, 245 assists, 16 errors, .985 fielding percentage in 32 games)
• 17, Arkansas (825 putouts, 260 assists, 17 errors, .985 fielding percentage in 33 games)
• 17, Cornell (512 putouts, 201 assists, 17 errors, .977 fielding percentage in 20 games)
Since last season, Cornell has a cumulative .976 fielding percentage (52 errors in 2,137 fielding chances), ranking as the 39th-best percentage in Division I baseball. Among the eight Ivy League programs, the Big Red has an eight-point lead over Penn, which ranks 185th with its .967 fielding clip (85 errors in 2,598 fielding chances).
The 52 errors committed by Cornell since last season is tied with Notre Dame for the fewest miscues in Division I baseball, and is only one of six programs that have committed under 60 errors during the timeframe, also joined by Northwestern (55), Arkansas (56), Cal Poly (58), and Rutgers (59).
FEWEST ERRORS COMMITTED IN DIVISION I BASEBALL
Since Start of 2024 Season (as of 4/7/25)
• 52, Notre Dame (2083 putouts, 705 assists, 52 errors, .982 fielding percentage in 81 games)
• 52, Cornell (1505 putouts, 580 assists, 52 errors, .976 fielding percentage in 58 games)
• 55, Northwestern (2066 putouts, 761 assists, 55 errors, .981 fielding percentage in 81 games)
• 56, Arkansas (2396 putouts, 703 assists, 56 errors, .982 fielding percentage in 93 games)
• 58, Cal Poly (2349 putouts, 834 assists, 58 errors, .982 fielding percentage in 87 games)
• 59, Rutgers (2206 putouts, 814 assists, 59 errors, .981 fielding percentage in 85 games)
IVY 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 before the 2018 season.
QUATRANI HONORED BY D1BASEBALL
Sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani was honored by D1Baseball.com with preseason honors, being selected as one of the nation's top 50 Division I catchers heading into the 2025 seeason on Jan. 28.
Fresh off being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year in 2024, Quatrani 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 led the team in numerous batting categories, including slugging percentage (7.14) and OPS (1.206), as well as home runs (11) and RBI (43).
Among the 50 players named to the preseason list, Quatrani was the lone representative from the Ivy League and was just 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 became one of five players to have at least a .360 batting average in their first year with Cornell, joining Brian Billigen (.404 in 2009), Terry Birrer (.379 in 1982), former Big Red infielder and head coach Bill Walkenbach (.363 in 1995), and infielder Andrew Luria (.363 in 1999).
TOP BATTING AVERAGES BY FRESHMEN (MIN. 80 ABs)
Cornell Program History
• .404, Brian Billigen (2009) — 46-of-114
• .379, Terry Birrer (1982) — 44-of-116
• .366, Mark Quatrani (2024) — 38-of-105
• .3630, Bill Walkenbach (1995) — 53-of-146
• .3628, Andrew Luria (1999) — 41-of-113
ALL-IVY AWARDS
Last season, current seniors Max Jensen and John Quinlan were unanimously voted First Team All-Ivy last season, while current sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani was also voted a first-team selection along with being tabbed the conference's Rookie of the Year.
Quatrani's Rookie of the Year award signified just the third time in program history that a Cornell player was honored with been tabbed the conference's top newcomer. Only infielder Bill Walkenbach (1995) and pitcher Kellon Urbon (2012) were the previous Big Red players to receive the honor.
The trio of First Team All-Ivy selections signified the fifth time (1969, 1971, 1977, 1982, 2024) Cornell has had at least three first-team all-league players since 1960. Mike Branca (first base), Marlin McPhail (second base), John DeMayo (outfield), and Greg Myers (pitcher) all received First Team All-EIBL honors in 1982, the last time Cornell had three first-team selections.
TRIO OF FIRST TEAM ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES
Program History (Since 1960)
• 1969 — Ed Cott (C), Chris Ritter (OF), Pete Watzka (3B), Bob Witkoski (SS)
• 1971 — Tom Boettcher (3B), Pete Watzka (OF), Bob Witkoski (2B)
• 1977 — Gary Gronowski (P), Dave Johnson (OF), Ken Veenema (2B)
• 1982 — Mike Branca (1B), John DeMayo (OF), Marlin McPhail (2B), Greg Myers (P)
• 2024 — Max Jensen (1B), Mark Quatrani (C), John Quinlan (OF)
DIGGING THE LONG BALL
Cornell hit 52 home runs last season, marking the most by the Big Red in a single season in the program's 153-year history, besting the previous mark of 38 set during the 2009 season.
Sophomore catcher Mark Quatrani led the Big Red in home runs last season with 11, tying Eric Kirby (1995) and Erik Rico (2002) for the second-most blasts in a season. The 11 home runs by a freshman broke a 29-year record held by former infielder Bill Walkenbach — who later became the Big Red's head coach from 2009-15 — after he hit six home runs in 1996.
Quatrani is two home runs shy of matching Kirby, Raul Gomez (1998-01), and Andrew Luria (1999-02) for the ninth-most home runs in program history. Chris Cruz assumes the program record for home runs (25 from 2011-14).
WHEN IT RUNS, IT POURS
Cornell has scored 153 runs across its 20 games so far this season, computing to an 7.65 runs per game average, which ranks 81st nationally through Sunday's games.
The Big Red's 7.65 runs per game average is its highest clip in a single season since 1891, when Cornell scored 232 runs in 25 games (9.28 runs per game), and is one of six seasons in program history that it has averaged at least seven runs per game (minimum of 20 games played), also having been done in 1901 (7.50 runs per game in 24 games), 1900 (7.45 runs per game in 33 games), 2024 (7.11 runs per game in 38 games), and 1899 (7.05 runs per game in 22 games).
MOST RUNS PER GAME IN A SEASON
Cornell Program History (Min. 20 GP)
• 1891 — 232 runs in 25 games (9.28 runs per game)
• 2025 — 153 runs in 20 games (7.65 runs per game)
• 1901 — 180 runs in 24 games (7.50 runs per game)
• 1900 — 246 runs in 33 games (7.45 runs per game)
• 2024 — 270 runs in 38 games (7.11 runs per game)
• 1899 — 155 runs in 22 games (7.05 runs per game)
• 1902 — 188 runs in 27 games (6.96 runs per game)
This year, 122 of Cornell's 153 runs have come during multi-run innings, computing to 79.7 percent of its scoring production. Including last year's scoring production, 82.0 percent of its runs (347 of 423) have come in multi-run frames.
Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Cornell has had at least one multi-run inning in 102 of its 126 games (81.0 percent). The Big Red has had a multi-run inning in 22 of its last 25 contests, dating back to last season.
RAREFIED COMPANY
Senior outfielder John Quinlan and senior infielder Max Jensen were two of Cornell's most reliable hitters in Ivy League play last season.
Quinlan mustered 42 hits in conference games, assuming Cornell's program record for hits in conference play in a single season. He also became just the second player in EIBL / Ivy League history with 40-plus hits in conference games in a season, joining Dartmouth's Tyler Cox, who had 45 hits in Ancient Eight play in 2022.
Jensen also excelled against Ivy League opposition last season, amassing 37 base knocks, placing him in a five-way tie with Yale's Dan Thompson (1995), Brown's Joe Lomuscio (2019), Columbia's Joe Engel (2019), and Harvard's Jake Suddleson (2019) for the sixth-most hits in conference play in EIBL / Ivy League history.
The Cornell duo became the first pair of teammates in the history of the EIBL and Ivy League to record at least 37 hits within the same season.
MOST HITS IN CONFERENCE PLAY
EIBL / Ivy League History
• 45, Tyler Cox, Dartmouth (2022)
• 42, John Quinlan, Cornell (2024)
• 39, Matt Kutler, Brown (2005)
• 38, Tom Grandieri, Penn (2010)
• 38, Peter Matt, Penn (2019)
• 37, Dan Thompson, Yale (1995)
• 37, Joe Lomuscio, Brown (2019)
• 37, Joe Engel, Columbia (2019)
• 37, Jake Suddleson, Harvard (2019)
• 37, Max Jensen, Cornell (2024)
Quinlan (54) and Jensen (51) also became the third set of Big Red teammates with 50-plus hits in a season, joining Ken Veenema (56) and Dave Johnson (50) in 1977 and Brian Billigen (57) and Frank Hager (52) in 2012.
PLAYERS WITH 50+ HITS IN SAME SEASON
Cornell Program History
• 1977, Ken Veenema (56) and Dave Johnson (50)
• 2012, Brian Billigen (57) and Frank Hager (52)
• 2024, John Quinlan (54) and Max Jensen (51)
QUINLAN'S HOT BAT
Dating back to the final five games of the 2023 season, Quinlan has reached base safely in 54 of his last 58 games (93.1 percent), while registering at least one base hit in 46 contests (79.3 percent of games). During his active 28-game on-base streak, Quinlan is slashing .283/.408/.442 with an .850 OPS, along with nine doubles, two triples, two home runs, 24 RBI, and has drawn 23 walks.
ONE LAST GO-AROUND
A staple of the Big Red baseball program since 1991, Cornell baseball associate head coach Tom Ford announced Dec. 19 that the 2025 season — his 35th with Cornell baseball — will serve as his final year on the Big Red coaching staff.
"It has been a privilege to work with the Cornell baseball program for as long as I have. The experience has been rewarding for so many reasons. Having said that, I will be retiring after the spring season," Ford said. "For years, my family has been so supportive and have always planned their schedule around mine. It is time for me to plan my schedule around them.
"It has been an honor to coach a group of such outstanding young men. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the players. I can't put into words how much they have meant to me. There are so many great memories and relationships built that I will never forget. I hope they got as much out of this program as I did. I also want to thank the alums and donors who keep this program alive. Your loyalty is remarkable and helps a great deal. Please realize that the program is in great hands with Coach Pepicelli, and only great things are yet to come. I've been very fortunate to work with a group of outstanding coaches whose guidance and friendship are much appreciated. Also, thank you to all the support staff who have assisted with the program.
Across Ford's 34 years on Cornell's coaching staff, he has coached 128 All-Ivy honorees, including 30 first-team and 44 second-team selections. He has also been on staff for all three Ivy League Rookies of the Year, including last year's winner Mark Quatrani.
"Tom has been a tremendous representative of our program," stated Dan Pepicelli, who is entering his 10th season as the Ted Thoren Head Coach of Cornell Baseball. "Nobody has been more committed than Coach Ford to developing our guys into better players and men. He has been an absolute rock of stability and wisdom in our program. I have relied on him for so much guidance and valued our relationship. We will miss him after this season."
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
Entering its doubleheader with Lehigh on Monday, Bucknell had an overall record of 11-18 and a 3-7 mark in Patriot League play. The lone conference wins for the Bison came against Navy (8-1 on March 23) and sweeping a March 28 doubleheader against Holy Cross (6-5 and 20-8).
Before its games on Monday, Bucknell had lost its last five games, being swept in a road doubleheader against Army (14-8 and 9-7), suffering a 14-3 run-rule setback to Penn State on April 1, and dropping a pair of one-run contests to Lafayette, 2-1 and 3-2, on Sunday.
Tyler Dunn leads the Bison in batting average (.351), on-base percentage (.520), slugging percentage (.554), and OPS (1.074), drawing 25 walks compared to just 12 strikeouts. Michael Trommer has the tram lead in home runs (3) and RBI (26). Both Dunn and Trommer are in a five-way tie with Ryan Facinelli, Billy Fluharty, and Billy Kender for the team lead in doubles. Chris Morabito has a team-leading three triples on the season.
Tyler O'Neill paces the Bison pitching staff with his 2-3 record and 3.51 ERA over eight starts. He has struck out 48 batters in 51.1 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .226 batting average. Jonathan Adelmann is one of Bucknell's go-to relievers, having a 1-2 record with a 2.01 ERA in 12 relief appearances. He is also holding the opposition to a .226 batting average and has 29 strikeouts to just nine walks in 22.1 innings pitched.
LAST TIME AGAINST BUCKNELL
In the first set of a pair of doubleheaders played at Depew Field in 2017, Cornell senior right-handed pitcher Tim Willittes tossed a seven-inning complete game in the opener, and senior Cole Rutherford hit home runs in the both games as the Big Red posted victories of 5-2 and 11-4 to sweep Bucknell at Depew Field.
Cornell earned the series win after winning the opening game of the latter twin bill, 7-3, before coming up on the short end of a 1-0 pitchers' duel in the night cap.
118 YEARS, 147 MILES, 51 MEETINGS
Cornell and Bucknell will be meeting for the 52nd time on Tuesday afternoon. The Bison own the series lead, 28-22-1, despite Cornell winning six of the last eight meetings, all of which have come under Dan Pepicelli, the Ted Thoren Head Coach of Cornell Baseball.
Of the previous 30 meetings between the Big Red and Bison, 26 have come at Depew Field, dating back to the 2000 season. The other four contests came at Hank DeVincent Field in Philadelphia on March 3-4, 2007.
The Big Red is 10-5 over its last 15 games played against Patriot League opposition, dating back to 2016. Cornell has won six out of the last nine, which includes three wins over Bucknell, two against Navy, and beating Army once.
Tuesday will be the first time Cornell is playing an opponent from the Patriot League since defeating Army, 4-1, on April 3, 2019 in West Point, N.Y., at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field.
