Penn State Hosts Michigan State For Key Big Ten SeriesPenn State Hosts Michigan State For Key Big Ten Series
Craig Houtz

Cole Bartels

Penn State Hosts Michigan State For Key Big Ten Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team takes on Michigan State for a key three-game Big Ten series this weekend. The Nittany Lions and Spartans are set for a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m., and an 11 a.m. start on Monday. All games will be livestreamed on B1G+.
 
The Nittany Lions, led by Rob Cooper, are coming off a weekend with two wins over Omaha. Penn State won Friday's contest, 8-7, and Saturday's game, 4-3.
 
Due to graduation weekend, fans should expect more traffic around the stadium on Sunday and should allow for more time to park.
 
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Sunday (1 p.m.)  – PSU: RHP Jaden Henline (1-2, 4.61 ERA) vs. MSU: RHP Conner Tomasic (3-2, 4.47 ERA)
 
Sunday (Game 2)  – PSU: TBA vs. MSU: TBA
 
Monday (11 a.m.)  – PSU: TBA vs. MSU: TBA
 
*subject to change
 
PARKING
All Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Complimentary parking will no longer be issued for season ticket holders.
 
Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
 
Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Season packages will be available for general parking for most sports, and information on VIP parking options available for select events will be released later.
 
Please visit the 2022 Baseball Parking page for additional information.
 
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436. 
 
PROMOTIONS
On Saturday, Penn State will celebrate Military Appreciation Day and Vs. Cancer Day.
 
Sunday's game, on Mother's Day, will feature first pitches by the players' mothers.
 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State hosts Michigan State for a key Big Ten series this weekend.
  • In an extremely tight Big Ten standings, Penn State and Michigan State are two of six teams between 7-8 and 6-9.
  • Penn State is coming off two wins over Omaha last weekend.
  • Derek Cease was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after going 5-of-7 (.714) at the plate in four games last week. He drove in two runs and scored four, including the game-tying run on Friday vs. Omaha and the go-ahead run on Saturday.
  • In game one, Jaden Henline threw 4.2 shutout innings to close out the game and Johnny Piacentino had a two-run triple.
  • In Saturday's game, Jay Harry and Matt Wood each had two hits and Jordan Morales closed it out with three scoreless innings.
  • Wood has a hit in 23-straight games, tied for the second-longest hit streak in program history with MIke DeRenzo (2002).
  • Over his last 20 games, Josh Spiegel has 13 extra-base hits and 19 RBI.

 
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE

  • Michigan State is coached by Jake Boss Jr. in his 14th season.
  • Boss Jr. has a 380-323 record at Michigan State, leading the Spartans to nine winning seasons.
  • Michigan State is 21-21 overall and 6-9 in the Big Ten this season. The Spartans enter the weekend with six straight wins.
  • The Spartans are batting .273 as a team.
  • Mitch Jebb leads the team with a .331 average, 56 hits and 40 RBI. He also has 17 steals.
  • Jack Frank has a .316 average to go with 12 doubles, seven homers and 28 RBI.
  • Michigan State has a 5.59 team ERA.
  • Conner Tomasic is slated to start game one. He is 3-2 with a 4.47 ERA this season.
  • Kyle Bischoff leads MSU with a 1.88 ERA and paces the Big Ten with 10 saves. He has 28 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.

 
AGAINST THE SPARTANS

  • The Nittany Lions will meet Michigan State for the 92nd time in program history.
  • Penn State trails the all-time series, 50-41, against Michigan State.
  • However, Penn State has won four straight matchups and six of the last matchups at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
  • Penn State swept the series against the Spartans on April 30-May 2, 2021.
  • The second game of that series featured a 21-4 win by the Nittany Lions, including 10 runs in the first inning.
  • Johnny Piacentino tallied five hits, including three doubles, five RBI and four runs, while Jay Harry had three hits, including a homer, and six RBI.

 
WOOD LEADING BIG TEN, DI CATCHERS IN BATTING AVERAGE

  • Through 40 games played, junior Matt Wood is batting .415 with 11 doubles, three triples, six homers, 37 RBI and 36 runs.
  • He leads the Big Ten in batting average (.415), good for ninth in the country and first among Division I catchers.
  • Wood also sits fourth in the Big Ten in hits per game (1.48), third in triples (3), third in OPS (1.159), third in slugging percentage (.662) and third in on-base percentage (.497).
  • Wood leads the Nittany Lions in batting average, hits (59), runs (36), triples, RBI, walks (23), slugging percentage and on-base percentage. He's tied with Josh Spiegel for the team lead in homers and with Ben Kailher for the team lead in steals (5).
  • Among Division I catchers, Wood leads in batting average. He ranks fifth in OPS and on-base percentage, fifth in triples and ninth in slugging percentage.
  • The lefty batter has been impressive facing righty (.412) and lefty (.422) pitchers.
  • Wood is batting .515 with runners in scoring position.
  • In Big Ten play, Wood is hitting .473 with 26 hits in 15 games. He has five doubles, two triples, two homers and 16 RBI.
  • Wood paces PSU with 20 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games this season and is riding a current 23-game hit streak. The 23-game streak is tied for the second-longest in program history with Mike DeRenzo (2002).
  • During the 23-game hit streak, Wood has 13 multi-hit performances. He is batting .464 (39-of-84) with seven doubles, two triples and two homers.

 
LUENSMANN AGAINST THE BIG TEN

  • Travis Luensmann has been strong in five appearances (three starts) against Big Ten opponents this year.
  • In 22.1 innings, Luensmann has allowed five runs (three earned) and 15 hits (no extra-base hits), while striking out 23 batters.
  • The sophomore is 2-0 with a save and a 1.21 ERA in those five appearances. His 1.21 ERA ranks second in the Big Ten in conference games.
  • He has not allowed an earned run in 16.2 innings, including each of his last three outings (4IP at Northwestern, 6IP vs. Purdue, 6IP at Minnesota).
  • Over his last three outings against Big Ten teams, he's given up two runs (both unearned) and 10 hits in 16 innings.
  • He struck out six batters in each outing vs. Northwestern (4/9) and Purdue (4/16).

 
PENNSYLVANIA INFLUENCE IN PITCHING STAFF

  • In 36 of 40 games this season, Penn State's starting pitcher has been a Pennsylvania native.
  • Sophomore Travis Luensmann (Altoona) has made nine starts, and 11 appearances, with 61 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. Luensmann struck out eight in six innings against Maine (2/25). He ranks ninth in the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings (10.84).
  • In Big Ten games, Luensmann has a 1.21 ERA in five appearances (three starts), sitting second in the conference.
  • Freshman Tommy Molsky has made nine starts, and 12 appearances, tallying 35 strikeouts. Molsky tied a career high with six strikeouts against UMass (3/12).
  • Graduate student Mason Mellott has made four starts and 16 appearances.
  • Mellott, graduating in August 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, is tied third all-time at Penn State with 15 saves and ranks third with 83 appearances, two appearances away from tying David Lutz (2007-10) for second.
  • Junior Kellan Tulio has made eight starts and 11 appearances. with 36 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA. He threw five innings, allowing no earned runs, and struck out a career-high seven at Northwestern (4/9).
  • Jaden Henline has struck out 44 batters in 41 innings and sits fifth in the Big Ten with three saves. In 13 appearances (four starts), Henline has thrown two or more innings in 10 outings. He earned his first career victory against Omaha, going 4.2 shutout innings in relief.
  • Senior Pittsburgh native Steven Miller made his first career start at Northwestern (4/9), throwing three shutout innings and striking out three.  He has 28 strikeouts in 31 innings.
  • In the bullpen, senior Tyler Shingledecker has made 16 appearances and two starts with a team-high four wins. The lefty has held opponents without an earned run in 10 of his 16 outings.  He has 40 strikeouts and only nine walks.
  • Junior Souderton native Jordan Morales leads PSU with 20 appearances and has 44 strikeouts and only eight walks. He is 3-0 on the season.
  • Carson Kohls has been another effective member out of the bullpen in 12 appearances (one start), including two scoreless outings where he went three or more innings.
  • Penn State is 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.

 
NITTANY LIONS FINDING POWER IN BIG TEN PLAY

  • In 15 Big Ten games, Penn State has collected 44 extra-base hits, including 21 doubles, nine triples and 14 homers.
  • Matt Wood leads the Nittany Lions with nine extra-base hits, including five doubles, two triples and two homers, to go with 16 RBI.
  • Jay Harry and Josh Spiegel lead the Nittany Lions with eight extra-base hits. Harry has three doubles, two triples and three homers, while Spiegel has four doubles, a triple and three homers. Spiegel has 13 RBI in conference play, while Harry has scored 12 runs.
  • Billy Gerlott has two doubles, a triple and three homers during that span.
  • On the season, Wood leads PSU with three triples and six homers to go with 11 doubles, while Spiegel paces PSU with 13 doubles and is tied with Wood with six homers. Harry has four and Billy Gerlott has three.
  • Penn State has already recorded 16 triples this season, leading the Big Ten, and sits just two off the program record, accomplished in 1986, 2007 and 2010.
  • Led by Wood and Johnny Piacentino's three triples, six Nittany Lions have multiple triples this season.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State meets Georgetown on Tuesday, May 10 for a mid-week contest. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at the Bowie Baysox' Prince George's Stadium.
  • The Nittany Lions then travel to Ohio State for a three-game series, beginning on Friday, May 13.