"Touching Base" is a column by Penn State baseball head coach Robbie Wine. Wine recently completed his second season leading the Nittany Lions.
[To read Coach Wine's entries from the 2006 season, click here. To read entries from the 2005 season, click here.]
November 21, 2006
What an exciting time for Penn State Baseball. We are now settled into Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and it feels like home. In June the doors opened for the coaching staff to move into our new offices at the stadium overlooking the field and Mt. Nittany. What a great place to work. This past summer was a new experience for all of us. We had the opening of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the State College Spikes minor league team. It is a great fit for Penn State baseball and the local community. We had baseball to follow all summer. Our third baseman last year, Scott Gummo who signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, had the opportunity to play in our new park this summer. Most of our players were out playing very competitive summer ball. We had several win championships and play in playoffs.
The new facility also drew the attention of recruits and their families across the nation. This summer and fall was the first time we were able to show a final product to them. Last year we wore hard hats and walked them through mud and dirt and the year before we showed them plans of the stadium. Needless to say recruiting went well. We targeted in-state players and have developed strong relationships with area scouts and coaches we can count on for their unbiased evaluations.
Our fall season was a tremendous success. We were able to double the amount of work accomplished this fall. It is so important for the team to have a place they can call home. They have a lounge area, locker room, training room, batting cages, weight room and one of the best, if not the best, field in the country to practice on. The energy showed every time they stepped on the field. It was a very competitive fall. We also had a lot of fun along the way. Off season conditioning and weight training is the next step. This portion of the year round training is one of the most important when it comes to team chemistry and character. This is the time of year when you find who can reach down and give you everything they have.
Our schedule this season is challenging. We face several regional tournament teams as well as the College World Series runner up University of North Carolina. The tough schedule we endured last season will pay off this season. We have also scheduled 25 home games this season. Having the ability to play night games will help us academically and make it easier for some to attend our games.
We are currently taking steps to bring back past players and Penn State Alumni. We have plans in the works for an alumni celebration / reunion. The alumni celebration / reunion will be April 21st. We will have a double header starting at 4:35pm versus Northwestern. This will coincide with the annual Blue-White Football game. This celebration will include an alumni game, tailgate, Blue White Football game and other special events during our games. We have other information posted on our website at www.GoPSUsports.com. We hope to see you there!
We are very excited about this coming year. This group of student-athletes is very determined and a great bunch of guys to coach. They will make Penn State proud!