UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team opens its season on Friday, March 5 against the Northwestern Wildcats 358 days since its last time taking the diamond against Miami (Ohio) on March 12, 2020.
The Nittany Lions open their season in one of the more unique venues in program history, U.S. Bank Stadium. U.S. Bank Stadium serves as home to the Minnesota Vikings during the NFL season and occasionally hosts the Minnesota Golden Gophers throughout their baseball season.
Series Information
All-Time Series – PSU 42-40
Live Stats
Stream on BTN+ ($)
Probable Starters
Friday, March 5 – 12 p.m. ET
Penn State – Bailey Dees (0-0)
Northwestern – Ryan Bader (0-0)
Saturday, March 6
Game 1 – 10 a.m. ET
Penn State – Conor Larkin (0-0)
Northwestern – Tyler Uberstine (0-0)
Game 2 – 1 p.m. ET
Penn State – Jaden Henline (0-0)
Northwestern – Mike Doherty (0-0)
Sunday, March 7 – 11 a.m. ET
Penn State – Kyle Virbitsky (0-0)
Northwestern – TBD
Last Time vs. Northwestern
The Nittany Lions and Wildcats last met for a three-game series in April of 2018. The Wildcats took all three games in that series.
Diamond Lions on the Bump
· Junior Bailey Dees toes the rubber on Opening Day for the Nittany Lions for his second consecutive opening day start. Dees made five starts for the Nittany Lions, finishing with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. Dees punched out 27 batters over 28.2 innings last season and held opposing hitters to a .149 average.
· Junior Conor Larkin will start game one of the doubleheader on Saturday. Larkin made four starts for Penn State in 2020, limiting opponents to a .200 average. Larkins 28 Ks were the most on the team last season and he finished with a 1.69 ERA which was the tops among the Penn State starters.
· Freshman Jaden Henline will make his Penn State debut during game two of the doubleheader. Henline was ranked as the No. 8 right-handed pitcher and No. 21 player in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game and was a Perfect Game top 500 national ranking.
· Rounding out the weekend rotation is junior Kyle Virbitsky. Virbitsky made four starts last year going 15.2 innings and punching out 18. Virbitsky worked out of the bullpen for his first two season in 2018 and 2019 before moving into the rotation in 2020.
· The Nittany Lions pitching staff, led by pitching coach Josh Newman, was lights out in 2020. As a staff, the pitchers finished with a 2.16 ERA, striking out 145 batters and held opponents to a .196 average. Out of the bullpen, Tyler Shingledecker boasted a 0.64 ERA and striking out 20 hitters in 14 IP.
Penn State Hitters
· The Nittany Lions return 2020 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America Johnny Piacentino, following his strong start to his freshman campaign. Piacentino was one of 18 outfielders and four Big Ten players overall to be named to the team, and he becomes the third Nittany Lion in program history to earn the honor, joining Michael Campo (1997) and Justin Hagenman (2016). In Penn State's shortened 2020 season, Piacentino tied for the team lead with a .400 batting average, which also ranked tied for seventh best in the Big Ten. Additionally, Piacentino's .511 on-base percentage ranked sixth in the conference, while his .686 slugging percentage ranked seventh.
· Senior Gavin Homer started 14 games on the infield for Penn State, batting .400 with six doubles, two triples and one homer and a team-leading 17 RBIs. Homer sported a .500 OBP and swiped a team best eight bags in 2020.
· Junior Curtis Robison and sophomore Justin Williams were the two Nittany Lions to appear in all 15 games last season. Robison batted .294 and tied for the team lead with six doubles. Williams, an All-Big Ten Freshman performer in 2019, hit .276 and tied for the team lead with two homers.
2021 Schedule
March 5-7 – vs. Northwestern (U.S. Bank Stadium)
March 12-14 - @ Indiana
March 19-21 – vs. Maryland
March 26-28 – vs. Michigan
April 2-4 - @ Rutgers
April 9-11 - @ Michigan State (Will play Michigan State and Purdue)
April 16-18 – vs. Nebraska
April 23-25 - @ Ohio State
April 30 – May 2 – Michigan State
May 7-9 - @ Iowa
May 14-17 – Minnesota and Rutgers
May 21-23 - @ Illinois
May 28-30 – @ Purdue (Will play Purdue and Minnesota)