Penn baseball headed to the Ivy League tournament

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The University of Pennsylvania baseball team is headed to the Ivy League tournament this weekend as the No. 3 seed.

They're back-to-back tournament champions, but it's now a clean slate as they embark on another shot at the title.

"Coach always tells us, he reminds us before we go, 'It comes down to what team is going to be the toughest,'" left-handed pitcher Marty Coyne said. "We really pride ourselves in that -- being a little tougher on some of the small details that go into a baseball game, playing our best at the right time."

It's been an interesting year for the Quakers, full of ups and downs. They finished the regular season with a 21-18 record, 13-8 in Ivy play. They've had to pull from everyone's skillset to get to the postseason: Coyne is their best reliever, ranked second in the Ivy League in ERA, while Ryan Taylor leads the team in stolen bases.

"It's definitely different than years past," Taylor reflected. "In years past, we had a couple of superstars in a way, and this year everybody's good. So, when we play together, I feel like we're one of the better teams we've had since I've been here."

This is the Quakers' third-straight appearance in the ILT. In the past two years, they also appeared in NCAA regionals. Although it looks different this year, it's forced the team to come together.

"We don't really have that one standout guy that we've had in years past," said head coach John Yurkow. "So, it's really going to be important, especially offensively, that all nine guys in the lineup are going to be able to chip in and help."

They'll face No. 2 seed Columbia on Friday in New Haven, CT. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

"This is what we worked for since September," Taylor said. "The regular season is over, and all that matters now is the tournament. It doesn't matter what seed you are, we know we can go in there and if we play our best, we can go out on top."