Nov. 10, 2015
Video: Head coach Rob Cooper | Professor and Players
Photo Gallery | Cuba Trip Notes (PDF)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Members of the Penn State baseball team talked with local media Tuesday afternoon at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Head coach Rob Cooper opened the session discussing how the trip came together and discussing the unique opportunity, and then Dr. John S. Nichols gave historical perspective on the team's trip. Student-athletes Tim Scholly (State College, Pa.), James Coates (Girard, Ohio) and Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) gave their perspectives on the unique opportunities.
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Up to Bat
The Penn State baseball team is set for its historic trip to Cuba, in which it will take part in multiple lectures and cultural experiences arranged by Penn State's partner institution in Cuba, the Center for Marti Studies, and play four games against teams from Cuba's premier baseball league, the Cuban National Series. The Nittany Lions will depart for Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Nov. 21 and return to State College, Sunday, Nov. 29.
Clarification
It was initially believed that Penn State was "slated to become the first United States team – amateur or professional - to compete against teams from the Cuban National Series, Cuba's premier baseball league." It was brought forth though that NCAA Division III Westfield State (Mass.) ended up playing Industriales twice in March 2013 (at the same time as the World Baseball Classic). Westfield State's college-level games got canceled at the last minute but Cuban officials hastily arranged for it to play Industriales. Industriales won both games, 5-3 and 7-0.
Center for Marti Studies
Penn State and the Center for Marti Studies in Havana have a previously signed official memorandum of understanding. Led by Cuban task force chair Dr. John S. Nichols, Penn State has long held an official policy of engaging Cuba on educational fronts.
Second Cuba Trip for Penn State Athletics
Penn State is believed to be the first NCAA school to send two different teams to Cuba in the post-revolutionary era, as the Penn State volleyball team was the first Division I team to compete there in March 2000, taking on various national squads.
History in the Making
Penn State is poised to set several historical milestones with its trip:
First NCAA Division I team to compete against a Cuban National Series team.
First U.S. team (any level) to play multiple Cuban National Series teams.
First U.S. baseball team to play in Cuba since restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba.
Second NCAA team to play in Cuba since restoration of diplomatic ties (Coastal Carolina men's basketball, August 2015).
Third U.S. collegiate team to visit Cuba this year. The Princeton track and field team traveled to Cuba in June, while the Coastal Carolina men's basketball squad visited in August. Additionally, a group of Vanderbilt student-athletes and staff visited in July, but did not compete.
Fifth NCAA Division I baseball team to compete in post-revolutionary Cuba
NCAA Teams in Cuba
PSU baseball will be one of the few NCAA teams to compete in post-revolutionary Cuba. Johns Hopkins baseball is believed to be the first NCAA team to compete in the post-revolutionary era in 1986, and then St. Thomas (Minn.) challenged the University of Havana in Cuba in Jan. 2000. Division I baseball programs to visit Cuba include Washington (Dec. 2000), Tennessee (Dec. 2002), Southern California (Jan. 2004) and Alabama (Dec. 2008). Division II Grand Valley State (Jan. 2012) and University of Tampa (Jan. 2014) were the most recent NCAA baseball teams to compete in Cuba. Princeton track and field (Jun. 2015) and Coastal Carolina men's basketball (Aug. 2015) were the most recent NCAA teams to travel to Cuba. U.S. schools previously competing in Cuba have typically faced teams in the Cuban national program or developmental leagues.
Education
Despite playing on their first full day in Cuba, the educational slate will begin before the Nittany Lions take the field. The team will meet with representatives of the Cuban Federation of Baseball Sunday morning and learn about Cuba's system of development for baseball. Throughout the week, student-athletes will also attend lectures by leading Cuban scholars, visit important historical and cultural sites, attend cultural events, and travel in the countryside and get a glimpse of real Cuban life outside the tourist centers of Havana. Thanksgiving Day will feature a lesson on the history of sport in Cuba with special guest Yosvany Aragón, a former star on the Cuban national baseball team.
How It Started
Several months ago, Penn State head baseball coach Rob Cooper was in a routine fundraising meeting when he suggested he would like to raise a fund for an international trip. Director of the Varsity ‘S' Club Kirk Diehl asked if he had an interest in going to Cuba. Cooper initially thought Diehl was joking, but Diehl informed him of Penn State's relationship with the Center for Marti Studies in Cuba and introduced him to Dr. John S. Nichols, Penn State professor emeritus of communications and international affairs.
How It Happened
Much of the planning for the trip has been handled by Kate Manni, assistant director for embedded programs at Penn State and Dr. John S. Nichols professor emeritus of communications and international affairs at Penn State.
Manni's responsibilities typically include helping Penn State students with study abroad programs, but she has led the trip planning with her expertise on Cuba and will be traveling with the team.
Dr. Nichols will also be traveling with the team. He retired from Penn State University in 2010 after more than 33 years as a faculty member and administrator. His teaching and research focus was international communications and comparative media systems, and he long specialized in communications issues in Cuba and other countries in the Caribbean Basin. In retirement, he continues to lead Penn State's initiative to establish collaborative educational programs with Cuba. Nichols previously organized and led a U.S. congressional delegation to Cuba and was a consultant to ABC News on Cuban coverage. He also was a frequent witness before congressional committees and analyst on network television and radio, primarily on Cuban issues.
Cuban Baseball
Cuba's current national baseball system has been in place since 1961-62.
The "Serie Nacional" (National Series) is the closest equivalent to Major League Baseball in Cuba. There are 16 teams located in the country's 14 provinces, but players are assigned to a team based on location.
There is a "Super Liga" that runs from May to June comprised of the top National Series players on five teams. The Cuban National Team is selected from this group.
There are developmental leagues as well.
Scouting Industriales
Industriales is widely considered the "New York Yankees of Cuban Baseball." The team has won a league-high 12 championships and draws one of the largest followings in Cuba.
Scouting Pinar del Rio
Pinar del Rio has been one of the most successful teams recently in the National Series, winning two titles (2011, 2014) since Industriales' last title in 2010.
Scouting Matanzas
Matanzas has never won a league title, but came close in 2013-14, finishing as the runner-up to Pinar del Rio.
Convention
Penn State head coach Rob Cooper and strength and conditioning coach Jamie Burleson have been invited to participate in the seventh annual International Convention of Physical Activity and Sport (AFIDE) in Havana, which will be taking place simultaneously.
Beyond the Baseball Team
The trip will afford educational opportunities beyond the student-athletes on the Penn State baseball team. Eight undergraduate students from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State will cover the trip providing content for media outlets across the state as part of a partnership with the Pennsylvania News Media Association. The Curley Center students focus on storytelling through broadcast, multimedia and print journalism options.
Cooper Familiar with International Game
Shortly after Penn State head coach Rob Cooper accepted the PSU head coaching position in 2014, he traveled to Taichung, Taiwan to serve as the head coach of USA Baseball's 18U National Team at the IBAF U18 World Cup. Cooper steered Team USA to an 8-1 record, in World Cup play, including seven consecutive victories (defeating Cuba, 6-5, in one contest) to win the gold medal. Cooper received one of the highest honors bestowed in the profession, as he was announced as the Rod Dedeaux USA Baseball Coach of the Year.
Cooper was also a member of the coaching staff for the 2007 and 2009 USA College National teams. The 2007 team earned a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, falling to Cuba in the gold medal game. Fourteen of the 20 players on the 2007 team reached the Major Leagues, including 2013 All-Star Pedro Alvarez. Fourteen of the 22 members of the 2009 team have also reached the Major Leagues, including 2015 All-Stars Gerrit Cole and Yasmani Grandall.
2016 Schedule Highlights
The Nittany Lions are scheduled to host six weekend series and eight midweek games for a total of 26 home dates. Season tickets and reserved seats for the TCU series May 6-8 are on sale now by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711. TCU will be one of the most formidable opponents to ever visit Medlar. The Horned Frogs have reached the NCAA College World Series in each of the past two seasons and three times in the past five seasons.In total, Penn State will compete against five teams coming off NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015, traveling to UNC-Wilmington (Mar. 5-7) and Illinois (Mar. 25-27) and also hosting Maryland (Apr. 29-May 1) and Iowa (May 19-21). Illinois and Maryland both reached the Super Regionals. The Nittany Lions are slated to play a total of 10 games against schools from the Big 12, SEC and ACC.