Baseball Set For Big Ten Tournament Semifinal On SaturdayBaseball Set For Big Ten Tournament Semifinal On Saturday

Baseball Set For Big Ten Tournament Semifinal On Saturday

Nittany Lions meet Oregon or Nebraska at 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network

OMAHA, Neb. – The Penn State baseball team is set to play in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament Presented by IFS.ai on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The Nittany Lions, the No. 9 seed, will meet either top-seed Oregon, ranked No. 4 in the country, or eighth-seed Nebraska. The tournament is being played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, home of the College World Series.

 

Update: Due to rain on Friday night, the Oregon-Nebraska game will now be played at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday with Penn State meeting the winner at 6 p.m. ET.

 

If Penn State advances to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, it would play on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on BTN against either second-seed UCLA, ranked No. 14 in the nation, or third-seed Iowa.

 

Penn State, led by head coach Mike Gambino, is 33-22 this season (15-15 Big Ten) after winning Pool D with victories over No. 5 seed Washington (5-3) and No. 4 seed USC (2-1). PSU’s 33 wins are its second-most in program history.

 

Oregon, coached by Mark Wasikowski, is 42-13 overall and is riding an 11-game win streak. The Ducks picked up a 4-2 win over Michigan State on Thursday.

 

Nebraska, led by Will Bolt, is 29-27 this season and collected a 5-4 win over Michigan State on Tuesday.

 

For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please check @pennstatebase on X and Instagram.

 

The 2025 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

 

FOLLOW ALONG

 

LEADING OFF

  • Penn State meets top-seed Oregon or eighth-seed Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament Presented by IFS.ai.
  • After entering the tournament as the No. 9 seed, the Nittany Lions knocked off No. 5 seed Washington and No. 4 seed USC to win Pool D.
  • The Nittany Lions reached back-to-back Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2000-01.
  • Penn State earned a 5-3 win over Washington on Wednesday, led by 5.2 scoreless innings from Ryan DeSanto. PSU broke the game open with three runs in the sixth, including a two-run sac fly by Bryce Molinaro to score Joe Jaconski and Paxton Kling and a solo homer by Ryan Weingartner.
  • PSU followed with a 2-1 win over USC on Thursday, featuring a go-ahead homer by Nate Voss in the top of the ninth. Five pitchers combined to hold USC to seven hits.
  • Penn State’s 33 wins are its second-most in a season, behind only 45 wins in 2000.
  • Paxton Kling was named first-team All-Big Ten on Tuesday after leading the Nittany Lions in average (.354), hits (74), runs (63), home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.627). He was also named to the All-Defensive Team.
  • Jack Porter earned second-team honors, batting .310 with 10 homers and 38 RBI.

 

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT POOL PLAY RECAP

  • The Nittany Lions advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals by winning Pool D.
  • Penn State, the No. 9 seed, earned a 5-3 win over No. 5 Washington on Wednesday and a 2-1 victory over No. 4 USC on Thursday.
  • On Wednesday, Ryan DeSanto fired 5.2 scoreless innings, not allowing a Washington baserunner to reach third base.
  • Penn State broke the game open with three runs in the sixth, two on a sac fly by Bryce Molinaro that scored Joe Jaconski from third and Paxton Kling from second. Ryan Weingartner added a solo homer.
  • On Thursday, Logan Olson, Ben DeMell, Matt Morash, Dimond Loosli and Chase Renner combined to hold USC to one run on seven hits.
  • Nate Voss launched a go-ahead homer with two outs in the top ninth, crushing a hanging breaking ball into the left-field bleachers.
  • PSU’s first run scored on an RBI single by Molinaro to plate Kling, who went three-for-three on the day.

 

ALL-BIG TEN HONORS

  • Three Nittany Lions earned All-Big Ten honors on Tuesday.
  • Junior outfielder Paxton Kling was tabbed All-Big Ten first team and Big Ten All-Defensive team.
  • He is the 17th first-team All-Big Ten selection in program history.
  • In 2025, Kling leads PSU in batting average (.354), hits (74) runs (63), slugging percentage (.627) and OPS (1.089) while tying for the team high in homers (13).
  • Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Jack Porter was selected All-Big Ten second team.
  • Porter is batting .310 with 57 hits, 38 RBI and 44 runs in 2025.
  • He owns 14 doubles and 10 homers.
  • Graduate student Cole Wagner earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
  • In 2025, Wagner collected 38 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four homers, 27 RBI, 27 runs and 11 steals in 36 games.

 

YEAR TWO GROWTH UNDER GAMBINO

  • In 2025, Penn State’s 33 wins are the second-most in program history, behind only 45 in 2000.
  • PSU has reached the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals in back-to-back years for the first time since 2000-01.
  • Penn State has reached 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2011, while earning seven series wins and nine winning weekends.
  • PSU’s 15 Big Ten wins this season are its most since 2012.
  • The Nittany Lions won three Big Ten road series (at Northwestern, at Minnesota, at Rutgers) in a season for the first time since 2012 (at Iowa, at Minnesota, at Michigan State).
  • Penn State won at least five Big Ten series in a season (vs. Indiana, at Northwestern, at Minnesota, vs. Purdue, at Rutgers) for the first time since 2012.
  • PSU owns eight Big Ten road wins this season, its most since winning nine Big Ten road games in 2007.
  • Penn State has earned a .500 or better record in Big Ten games in back-to-back seasons for the sixth time in program history (1995-96; 2000-01; 2003-04; 2007-08; 2011-12; 2024-25).
  • Penn State’s 27 wins in Big Ten play over the last two seasons are its most in a two-year span since 2011-12 (not counting the Big Ten-only schedule in 2021).
  • PSU is 11-3 in series/weekend openers this season and 22-6 in series/weekend openers over the last two years.
  • In non-conference action, Penn State earned a win over Missouri in its season opener, its first win over an SEC team since 1995, a 3-2 victory over No. 17 West Virginia and a series win over Xavier, a Top 50 RPI team.

 

NITTANY LIONS DISPLAY POWER, SPEED

  • Through 55 games, Penn State has slugged 79 home runs.
  • The Nittany Lions have tallied 10+ runs in 23 games this season, tied for 10th in the country, and 23 times in Big Ten games. PSU’s 23 games of 10+ runs set a new program record, bettering 2000 (22).
  • Paxton Kling and Bryce Molinaro lead the Nittany Lions with 13 homers, while Jesse Jaconski and Ryan Weingartner have 11 each and Jack Porter and has 10.
  • Penn State has five players with 10+ homers in a season for the first time in program history.
  • PSU has at least three players with 10+ homers for the second-straight season.
  • Kling is the only Big Ten player with 13+ HR and 15+ SB this year and the first Nittany Lion with 13+ HR and 15+ SB in a season.
  • Nate Voss has eight homers, while Joe Jaconski has six, Cole Wagner has four and Matt Maloney has three.
  • Molinaro is the first Nittany Lion with back-to-back 10+ homer seasons since Sean Deegan (12 HR in 2011; 11 HR in 2012).
  • Molinaro’s 61 RBI rank second in a season at PSU.
  • With 79 home runs and 107 steals this season, PSU is one of seven D1 teams with 79+ homers and 107+ steals this season.
  • Penn State has seven players owning 6+ homers and is one of 14 D1 teams, and joins Maryland and Oregon among Big Ten teams, with five players owning 10+ homers.
  • PSU is one of two D1 teams in the country with seven or more players with 6+ homers and 6+ steals.
  • Penn State has launched six grand slams, including two by Kling, one by Jesse Jaconski, one by Molinaro, one by Voss and one by Weingartner.
  • The Nittany Lions pace the Big Ten in total steals (107; 44th nationally) and steals per game (1.95; 47th).
  • Penn State has 11 more steals than any other Big Ten team this season and broke team record of 91 steals in 2000.
  • PSU has nine players owning 6+ steals.
  • Weingartner leads the Big Ten in total steals (30), sitting 37th in the country, and steals per game (0.55), holding 51st.
  • Weingartner’s 30 steals are a PSU program season record, topping the previous record held by Michael Campo (27; 1999) and Kyle Hannon (27; 2023).
  • Weingartner is one of seven players in Division I this season with 11+ homers and 30+ stolen bases.
  • Kling has 15 steals, Wagner has 11 and Joe Jaconski has 11.
  • Penn State has four players with 10+ steals in a season for the first time since 1994 (Dave Hall, 13; Lance Rathmell, 12; Ryan Wheeler, 11; Kirk Rentschler, 10).

 

HAGENMAN MAKES MLB DEBUT

  • Former Nittany Lion Justin Hagenman made his Major League baseball debut for the New York Mets on Wednesday, April 16.
  • After entering the game in the second inning, against the Minnesota Twins, Hagenmen went 3.1 innings. He was charged with one run on three hits, while striking out four.
  • Hagenman notched two strikeouts in the first inning, including a punch out against the first batter he faced, the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers.
  • He is the 24th Penn State player to appear in a MLB game and the first since Nate Bump in 2005.
  • After being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 23rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Hagenman’s professional baseball journey includes stops with the Ogden Raptors (2018), Great Lakes Loons (2018-19), Tulsa Drillers (2021-22), Oklahoma City Dodgers (2022-23), Worchester Red Sox (2023-24) and Syracuse Mets (2025).
  • Hagenman was traded from the Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox in July 2023 and signed with the Mets in November 2024.
  • In his minor league career, Hagenman is 32-16 with 22 saves and a 3.95 ERA in 203 appearances (27 starts) and 433 strikeouts in 419.1 innings.
  • He was a three-year starter at Penn State from 2016-18, posting a 4.64 ERA, 10 wins and 190 strikeouts. He is fourth all-time at PSU with 42 career starts.

 

DOLLAR DOG NIGHT

  • The Nittany Lions hosted their sixth and final Dollar Dog Night of the 2025 season against West Virginia on April 22.
  • Penn State set records for attendance (6,106) and hot dogs consumed (12,112).
  • PSU fans have consumed 39,324 hot dogs over six Dollar Dog Nights this year, an average of 6,554 hot dogs.
  • Penn State’s first five Dollar Dog Night totals of 2025: vs. FDU (5,960), vs. St. Bonaventure (7,506), vs. Pitt (6,733), vs. Bucknell (4,429) and vs. Delaware (2,584).
  • Across 15 Dollar Dog Nights in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Penn State fans have consumed 74,501 hot dogs, averaging 4,967 per Dollar Dog Night.