UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team visits Charlottesville this weekend for a three-game series against No. 5 Virginia at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park. Friday's game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch, while Saturday and Sunday's contests will start at 1 p.m. All games will be broadcasted on ACCNX.
The Nittany Lions, led by head coach Rob Cooper, are 3-4 this season after taking two of three games against Maine last weekend.
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday (3 p.m.) – PSU: Travis Luensmann (0-1, 4.35 ERA) vs. UVA: Nate Savino (1-0, 2.45 ERA)
Saturday (1 p.m.): PSU: Kellan Tulio (1-0, 1.64 ERA) vs. UVA: Brian Gursky (2-0, 1.69 ERA)
Sunday (1 p.m.) – PSU: TBA vs. UVA: Brandon Neeck (1-0, 0.96 ERA)
LEADING OFF
- Penn State continues non-conference action with a three-game series vs. No. 5 Virginia this weekend.
- The Nittany Lions and Cavaliers will meet for the first time since 2004, when Penn State earned an 8-3 win on February 22.
- Penn State is looking for its first win over a Top 5 opponent since a 3-2 victory over No. 1 North Carolina on March 3, 2007.
- The Nittany Lions took two of three games against Maine last weekend.
- Matt Wood won Big Ten Player of the Week after going 5-of-11 at the plate (.458 average) with four runs and two RBI.
- Wood leads the Big Ten with a .917 slugging percentage through seven games.
- In game one, Travis Luensmann struck out eight in six innings and C.J. Pittaro scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
- In game two, Jay Harry hit his first homer of the season and Kellan Tulio allowed just one run in six innings.
- The series finale featured three RBI by Josh Spiegel and two by Anthony Steele.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
- Virginia is led by head coach Brian O'Connor in his 19th season.
- O'Connor owns a 758-319 record at Virginia.
- He has led Virginia to 15 NCAA Regional appearances, seven NCAA Super Regional appearances, five College World Series and a national championship in 2015.
- The Cavaliers are 8-0 this season and ranked No. 5 in the Baseball America Top 25.
- Virginia ranks fifth in the nation averaging 12.8 runs per game.
- The Cavaliers are batting .350 as a team, good for eighth in the nation.
- On the mound, UVA has a team 1.38 ERA, sitting sixth in the country.
- Jake Gelof leads the country with a .636 batting average, while Casey Saucke ranks 10th with a .545 average.
- Gelof also sits sixth in the nation with five homers and second with 23 RBI.
- Devin Ortiz has not allowed an earned run in three appearances (two starts), covering 11.2 innings, and has 19 strikeouts.
AGAINST THE CAVALIERS
- Penn State will meet Virginia for the 26th time in the series.
- Virginia leads the all-time series, 12-11-2.
- The Nittany Lions won the last matchup, 8-3, in 2004.
WOOD RETURNS TO LEAD CATCHERS
- Junior Matt Wood returned to the squad after receiving Second Team All-Big Ten honors last season.
- Wood began the 2022 campaign going 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate with two doubles and three homers on opening weekend. He drove in seven RBI and scored eight runs.
- Wood went 3-for-4 with four RBI and four runs while crushing two homers and a double in game one against LIU. He added a homer against Northeastern.
- The junior was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Wednesday (3/2) after going 5-for-11 (.454) at the plate with two RBI and four runs.
- Through seven games, Wood leads the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.917).
- In D1baseball's preseason rankings, Wood was tabbed as the top catcher in the Big Ten and the 16th-best catcher in the country.
- In 2021, Wood batted .295 with 15 extra-base hits and 21 RBI while collecting 11 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games. He also threw out six base stealers.
- Fellow junior Josh Spiegel split time between catcher and designated hitter in 2021 and notched 15 extra-base hits and 22 RBI.
- He collected five hits, including three doubles, in 15 at-bats on opening weekend.
- Spiegel drove in three runs in the series finale vs. Maine last weekend.
HARRY LOOKS TO BUILD ON FRESHMAN SUCCESS, LEAD INFIELD
- Shortstop Jay Harry batted .412 (7-for-17) with three RBI on opening weekend.
- He followed that with his first homer of the season against Maine in the second game of the series.
- Harry posted 10 doubles, a homer and 18 RBI as a freshman, registering seven multi-hit games.
- Fellow sophomore Kyle Hannon collected four hits, including two doubles, and drove in four runs opening weekend. In game one against LIU, Hannon recorded two hits, including a double, and two RBI.
- Sophomore C.J. Pittaro transferred in from Vanderbilt, where he batted .333 and drove in three runs in five appearances.
- Pittaro scored the game-winning run in game one against Maine.
PITCHING STAFF FEATURES BALANCED MIX OF VETERANS AND YOUTH
- Penn State will be challenged with replacing a 2021 rotation that featured three MLB draft selections in Conor Larkin (9th round, Toronto Blue Jays), Kyle Virbitsky (17th round, Oakland A's) and Bailey Dees (18th round, New York Yankees).
- The Nittany Lions were one of only four Division I schools to have all three members of their starting rotation selected.
- Penn State has eight pitchers who have been drafted since 2016.
- The Nittany Lions' opening weekend rotation featured three newcomers and graduate student Mason Mellott.
- Mellott, graduating in August 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, ranks fourth all-time at Penn State with 13 saves and seventh with 68 appearances.
- Sophomore Travis Luensmann is projected to pitch on Friday vs. Virginia. Luensmann joined the Nittany Lions after transferring from South Carolina.
- Luensmann struck out eight in six innings against Maine last Friday.
- The Altoona native ranked as the No. 2 pitcher in Pennsylvania in the 2020 class by Perfect Game.
- Junior Kellan Tulio is expected to start on Saturday vs. Maine. Tulio pitched the last two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Penn State.
- Against Maine, Tulio threw six innings, allowing one run, and striking out five.
- Tulio made eight career appearances for the Cardinals after being ranked as the top pitcher in Pennsylvania in the 2019 class.
- Freshman Tommy Molsky made his Penn State debut on February 20 vs. Northeastern and threw six innings, allowing two unearned runs and striking out three.
- Senior Tyler Shingledecker has been a strong arm out of the bullpen, not allowing an earned run in three appearances (3.2 innings) and striking out five.
- Sophomore Jaden Henline has struck out eight batters in seven relief innings.
- Junior Jordan Morales joined the staff after transferring from LaSalle, where he made 21 appearances and seven starts. He threw 2.1 perfect innings vs. Maine with four strikeouts.
PIACENTINO POWERS OUTFIELD
- Junior Johnny Piacentino put up impressive power numbers in 2021 with a team-high 15 doubles and eight homers. He drove in 32 RBI and scored 30 runs, both team bests.
- Piacentino ranked third in the Big Ten in doubles and was a major factor in Penn State leading the conference in doubles as a team with 93. PSU held 11th in the nation averaging 2.21 doubles per game.
- The New Jersey native tied a Penn State single-game record with three homers against Northwestern (3/7/21).
- He also matched a Penn State record with five hits against Michigan State (5/1/21) to go with five RBI and four runs.
- Piacentino is ranked among D1baseball's Top 150 outfielders in their preseason rankings.
- Graduate student Cole Bartels looks to build off a strong summer, when he was named Futures League MVP after batting .389 with six homers.
- Bartels earned his bachelor's degree in advertising/public relations in May 2021.
- He made 26 starts between first base and the outfield last season, collecting 24 hits.
- Bartels drove in two runs in PSU's second game vs. Maine and scored three runs in the series finale.
- Junior Tayven Kelley made 27 starts in the outfield in 2021, tallying 11 extra-base hits.
- Kelley had four hits and two RBI on opening weekend.
- Sophomore Billy Gerlott also had a strong summer season, batting .325 with 10 homers in the Prospect League.
- Gerlott collected three RBI on opening weekend and drove in two more last weekend.
UP NEXT
- Penn State visits VMI for a mid-week contest on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gray-Minor Stadium.