Salem County outfielder Ryan Taylor played a ‘pivotal role’ in Penn’s journey back to the NCAAs

The last time Penn faced a No. 1 seed in an NCAA baseball regional, it worked out pretty well.

Things look a little different this year, as the Quakers (24-23) gear up to take on top-seeded Virginia (41-15) on Friday (noon, ESPN+) to open the Charlottesville Regional. Penn graduated nine players from the 2023 team that upset Auburn and advanced to the regional final.

One of those nine actually will be in the opposite dugout Friday, as Penn’s former weekend starter, Owen Coady, is now a Cavalier.

But some things are the same. That 2023 team certainly relied on its upperclassmen, but it also had the benefit of youth in its starting lineup, including Ryan Taylor, a native of Elmer in Salem County. Even though he only just finished his second year of college, Penn’s center fielder already has seen it all in the playoffs.

“Coming in last year, there was a lot of nerves,” he said. “New team, new guys, didn’t really know anybody. But compared to this year, you’re experienced and you get to help the younger guys develop, be there for them. ... Having one year under my belt, I’ve definitely developed as a player.”

As a freshman, Taylor hit leadoff in Penn’s season opener at South Carolina and recorded his first collegiate hit against the top-25 program. Taylor, a graduate of St. Augustine Prep, was a mainstay in the starting lineup throughout the entire 2023 season, joining shortstop Davis Baker and outfielder Jarrett Pokrovsky as a trio of rookies on the rise.

“I have to remind myself still that they’re only sophomores,” said Penn coach John Yurkow. “They can handle it. All three of them have the right mentality. They’re all through-and-through baseball kids. All three of those guys, they’ve obviously played a pivotal role in what we’ve done this year.”

After playing infield for most of his life, Taylor filled a utility role last season He transitioned to center field full-time this year and is batting .312 and leads the team in doubles (15).

And Taylor has shown up when it matters most. In the Ivy League tournament, he hit .412 with a team high-tying eight RBIs, two doubles, and a triple.

“We didn’t really jell as a group until late,” Taylor said. ”In the tournament, we came on the ground and locked in. We knew we were the most talented team out of everybody. Like we knew we had the talent to do it, and we just finally came together at the right time.”

Pokrovsky suffered a torn ACL during the penultimate series of the regular season, the latest in a host of injuries befalling Penn this year, Yurkow said. Losing him was a big blow for the Quakers, and Pokrovsky watched his team win the Ivy tournament from a wheelchair by the dugout.

Those injuries made it essential for Penn’s newcomers to step up, just as the trio did a year ago. Yurkow pointed to freshman outfielder Gavin Collins as a player who has risen to the occasion. And the Quakers boast a transfer of their own in second baseman Connor Chavez, a junior from Northeast Texas Community College who is one of the reasons Penn made it this far.

It was his go-ahead home run — the first opposite-field homer of his life — that kept his team alive in Game 6 of the Ivy championship against Cornell.

“I almost blacked out running the bases,” Chavez said. “It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.”

Last year, Chavez watched the Quakers’ win over Auburn huddled around his phone with his summer ball teammates. On Friday, Penn will need his heroics if the Quakers are to repeat the feat.

The journey this year has been a lot more difficult. From rebuilding the senior class to dealing with injuries to surviving the elimination bracket in the Ivy tournament, it was a far cry from a season ago when Penn set the program record for wins with 34.

“This year is way more awesome than last year, that we came back,” Taylor said. “Because of the circumstances. We weren’t just beating everybody by a lot all season; we lost a lot of games. Our record doesn’t show what we accomplished this year.”

It’s true that Penn barely has winning record. But those like Taylor who have seen it firsthand know that in postseason play, all of that goes out the window. The only win that matters is the next one.