Baseball Battles Ohio State In B1G Home SeriesBaseball Battles Ohio State In B1G Home Series
Mark Selders

Johnny Piacentino

Baseball Battles Ohio State In B1G Home Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team hosts Ohio State in a three-game Big Ten series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, beginning on Friday, April 21. All three games will be broadcast on B1G+.
 
Friday's game, beginning at 6 p.m., is Sandlot Day, honoring the 30th anniversary of the movie, featuring a T-shirt giveaway. Saturday's game, beginning at 2 p.m. is Wear White day and features postgame autographs and a trading card giveaway. Sunday's game is slated for 1 p.m. on Little League Day.
 
The Nittany Lions, led by head coach Rob Cooper, are 20-13 this season after rallying for a 10-8 win over Youngstown State on Tuesday. Bobby Marsh hit a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth.
 
Ohio State is 20-17 overall and 3-9 in Big Ten. The Buckeyes are coming off midweek wins over Miami Ohio (12-11) and Dayton (8-7).
 
Season and single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here. Season tickets are $75 for adults and free for youth (ages 12 and under).
 
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
 
PARKING
Parking for Penn State Baseball games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park will be available at the following locations beginning two hours prior to the start of each game:


Please visit the 2023 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

  • Friday is Sandlot Day, honoring the 30th anniversary of the classic movie.
    • Sandlot Day features a free t-shirt giveaway.
    • Friday also includes our 4 for $24 deal (4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks for $24).
  • Saturday is Wear White Day. Fans are encouraged to wear white.
    • Saturday includes postgame autographs and a trading card giveaway.
  • Sunday is Little League Day
    • Sunday postgame features kids run the bases.

 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State meets Ohio State for a three-game Big Ten series.
  • The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have met 113 times in program history, the most of any Penn State Big Ten opponent.
  • Last season, Penn State won one of three games in Columbus, earning a 13-7 win on Friday with two homers each by Billy Gerlott, Kyle Hannon and Matt Wood.
  • Penn State is coming off a 10-8 win over Youngstown State, scoring the go-ahead runs on a two-run double by Bobby Marsh in the eighth.
  • Jay Harry was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Midseason Watch List on  Tuesday. The award honors the nation's top shortstop.
  • Harry is batting .324 with a team-high 44 hits and 11 doubles to go with five homers, 29 RBI and 32 runs.
  • Kyle Hannon recorded his 24th steal of the season against YSU, moving him into a tie for second in a season at Penn State. He trails only Michael Campo (27, 2000).
  • He's also riding a 17-game hit streak, tied for the eighth-longest in a season at Penn State.

 
SCOUTING OHIO STATE

  • Bill Mosiello is in his first year as head coach at Ohio State.
  • Mosiello spent nine years as associate head coach at TCU.
  • The Buckeyes are 20-17 overall and 3-9 in the Big Ten. Last weekend, OSU took one of three games in a tight series against Maryland.
  • Ohio State won both of their midweek games, earning a 12-11 win over Miami Ohio and an 8-7 victory over Dayton.
  • The Buckeyes rank ninth in the Big Ten with a .274 average and eighth averaging 7.0 runs per game.
  • Taylor Pettorini leads the team with a .327 average as one of six Buckeye regulars with an average above .300.
  • Marcus Ernst paces the squad with six homers, while Henry Kaczmar leads with 31 RBI.
  • Ohio State's pitching staff owns a 5.70 ERA, sitting ninth in the conference.
  • Isaiah Coupet leads Buckeye starters with a 3.82 ERA and 55 strikeouts. He sits sixth in the conference in total strikeouts and second in strikeouts per nine innings (13.14).

 
AGAINST THE BUCKEYES

  • Penn State and Ohio State have met 113 times in program history.
  • Last season, the Nittany Lions won one of three games in Columbus.
  • In the first game of the series, Penn State won 13-7. Billy Gerlott, Kyle Hannon and Matt Wood each blasted two homers and each hit a first inning homer.
  • This marks Ohio State's first visit to Happy Valley since 2018.

 
HARRY NAMED TO WATCH LIST

  • Junior shortstop Jay Harry was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list on Tuesday.
  • The award honors the nation's top shortstop.
  • Harry has started all 33 games this season and is batting .321. He leads the team with 45 hits and 11 doubles, while collecting a triple, five homers, 29 RBI and 35 runs. He has also drawn 13 walks and stolen four bases.
  • The New Jersey native paces the squad with 15 multi-hit games this season, including four three-hit games, while recording 11 multi-run games and eight multi-RBI games.
  • He started the 2023 campaign with two hits, including a double, and three RBI in a win over No. 22 Miami. He also had three hits, including a double, at No. 14 North Carolina.
  • He launched two homers, including a walk-off two-run shot, against Brown on March 11 and added two hits and three RBI against Georgetown.
  • Harry tallied three hits, including a double, three runs and an RBI in a win over Pitt and launched a clutch solo homer against West Virginia.
  • In his Penn State career, Harry has started 128 games, all as the primary shortstop.
  • He owns 154 career hits, including 31 doubles and 11 homers, 73 RBI and 97 runs.
  • In 2022, he tied a Big Ten record with six hits against Michigan State and recorded 164 defensive assists, tied seventh in a season at Penn State.

 
HANNON EMERGES AS POWER, SPEED THREAT

  • Kyle Hannon leads the team in homers (six), runs (40) and steals (24). He's also riding a 17-game hit streak.
  • He is on pace to become Penn State's first player with 10+ homers and 10+ steals in a season since Sean Deegan (12 HR, 15 SB). His 24 steals are already tied for second in a season at PSU and are the most by a PSU player since Deegan's 24 steals in 2010. Hannon needs just three steals to tie the season record held by Michael Campo (27, 1999).
  • Hannon leads the Big Ten in steals per game (0.73), good for 10th in the nation, and total steals (24), sitting 15th in the country.
  • Hannon is one of five Division I players with 6+ homers and 24+ steals this season, joining Toledo's Jeron Williams (6 HR, 33 SB), West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt (8 HR, 27 SB), VMI's Justin Starke (8 HR, 26 SB) and Cal's Rodney Green Jr. (8 HR, 25 SB)
  • Hannon has six games this season with multiple steals.

 
LUENSMANN, OUDERKIRK LEAD STAFF

  • Grad student Daniel Ouderkirk, a West Virginia transfer, has made an immediate impact in the Penn State rotation.
  • Ouderkirk has tallied 53 strikeouts in 36.2 innings and has multiple strikeouts in 16 different innings this season. In nine outings, he has limited opponents to a .217 average.
  • The 6-9 righty ranks 26th in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (13.01), sitting third in the Big Ten. He's eighth in the conference in total strikeouts (53).
  • Ouderkirk recorded at least 10 strikeouts in three straight starts: 11 vs. Northern Illinois, 11 vs. Dartmouth and 10 vs. Brown. He has allowed just one earned run in each start against NIU, Dartmouth and Georgetown. He threw 3.1 shutout innings at Purdue.
  • Ouderkirk became the first Nittany Lion with three straight starts of 10+ strikeouts since at least 2004.
  • He is one of 16 Division I pitchers with multiple starts of 11+ strikeouts and 1 or less earned run this season and one of nine DI pitchers with three-straight 10+ strikeout starts this year.
  • Junior Travis Luensmann was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week after striking out 10 in four relief shutout innings against Indiana. His 10 strikeouts were a career high.
  • In nine appearances (six starts), Luensmann is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. His five wins rank second in the Big Ten.
  • He allowed just one run in five innings at No. 22 Miami, one run in five innings against Northern Illinois and no runs in five innings against Georgetown and no runs in 4.1 innings against Delaware State.

 
TRANSFERS PROVIDE SPARK

  • The Nittany Lions welcomed four transfers to the program ahead of the 2023 season and all four have had strong starts to the year.
  • Joining Ouderkirk are grad students Thomas Bramley (Mount St. Mary's) and Grant Norris (Duke) and freshman Bobby Marsh (Florida Atlantic).
  • Fellow grad student Thomas Bramley has started all 33 games, splitting time between catcher, outfield and designated hitter. Bramley is batting .331 with 40 hits, including eight doubles, a triple and four homers, including a grand slam at Purdue, and has drawn a team-high 30 walks. In the third game against Purdue, snapped a 36-game reached base streak.
  • Norris has started 24 games at third base after transferring from Duke and is batting .329 with four homers and leads the team with 32 RBI.
  • He recently snapped a 10-game hit streak.
  • Freshman Bobby Marsh, a Bellefonte native and transfer from Florida Atlantic, has played in 27 games (21 starts). He owns nine doubles, three homers and 18 RBI.
  • Marsh launched a solo homer in game two at Purdue and drove in the go-ahead run with a two-run double against Youngstown State.

 
BALANCED BATS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank 31st in the country with a .307 team average, 39th in triples (11) and 53rd in steals per game (1.61).
  • Thomas Bramley is batting a team-best .331 with 40 hits and 30 walks, good for second in the Big Ten in walks, while Jay Harry leads the team with 45 hits to go with 35 runs and a .321 average. Grant Norris holds the team RBI lead (32) and is batting .329 with 13 extra-base hits.
  • Kyle Hannon (.307), Bobby Marsh (.329), Johnny Piacentino (.316) and Josh Spiegel (.323) are also hitting above .300 with Piacentino contributing 23 runs and 15 RBI, while Spiegel has 17 RBI. Marsh has 12 extra-base hits and 18 RBI.
  • Tayven Kelley leads PSU with three triples this season and has nine for his career, tied for eighth all-time at Penn State.
  • Against Binghamton, Anthony Steele went two-for-four with a homer, four RBI and a stolen base before taking the mound and striking out two. He also had three strikeouts and an RBI single against Delaware State.

 
OPENING WIN OVER MIAMI

  • Penn State opened the 2023 season with a 9-5 win over Miami on February 17.
  • The Hurricanes were ranked 22nd in the D1Baseball Poll and No. 8 in the Baseball America rankings.
  • The Nittany Lions earned the program's first win over Miami and collected the program's first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since an 8-7 win over No. 21 Duke in 2019.
  • Travis Luensmann threw five innings in the win, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out four.
  • Penn State tallied 16 hits, including six Nittany Lions with multiple hits.
  • Billy Gerlott and Johnny Piacentino each had three hits, while Kyle Hannon and Tayven Kelley launched solo homers.

 
NITTANY LIONS RETURN EXPERIENCED PITCHING STAFF

  • The Nittany Lions welcome back an experienced pitching staff.
  • Penn State pitchers had a strong start to the 2023 season at No. 22 Miami.
  • The Nittany Lions' starting pitchers, Travis Luensmann, Daniel Ouderkirk and Tommy Molsky, combined to throw 13.1 innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs, while striking out 13 batters.
  • The three starters recorded a 2.70 ERA and held Miami hitters to a .170 batting average.
  • Penn State set a program record with 503 strikeouts in 2022 as six members of the staff recorded at least 40 strikeouts.
  • The Nittany Lions return 406 of their 503 strikeouts (81 percent) from last year.
  • Penn State is one of nine Power Five programs, and the only Big Ten school, returning 400+ strikeouts from last season.
  • Among Power Five schools returning 400+ strikeouts, only Wake Forest (92%) returns a higher percentage of strikeouts returning.
  • In 49 of 55 games last season, Penn State's starting pitcher was a Pennsylvania native.
  • Penn State's pitching staff takes a versatile approach with eight different pitchers recording both a start and a save in 2022.
  • Since 2016, eight Penn State pitchers have been selected in the MLB Draft, including Conor Larkin (9th round, Toronto Blue Jays), Kyle Virbitsky (17th round, Oakland A's) and Bailey Dees (18th round, New York Yankees) in 2021.

 
UP NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions travel to Morgantown on Tuesday, April 25 to take on West Virginia at 6:30 p.m.
  • Penn State return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to host Iowa in a Big Ten series, beginning on Friday, April 28. Friday's game is set for 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network, featuring post-game fireworks and a free cape giveaway for kids in honor of National Superhero Day. Saturday's game, begins at 2 p.m. and includes post-game autographs and a trading card giveaway. Sunday's game starts at 1 p.m. on Vs. Cancer Day and includes post-game kids run the bases.