UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball program is back on the road after hosting its last six games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions travel to Rutgers for a three-game series in Piscataway and Penn State leads the all-time series 43-32.
Series Information
All-Time Series – PSU 43-32
Last Series – vs. Rutgers, 1-1, 2019
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Probable Starters
Friday
Penn State – Bailey Dees (1-1)
Rutgers – Harry Rutkowski (2-1)
Saturday
Penn State – Conor Larkin (0-1)
Rutgers – Ben Wereski (0-3)
Sunday
Penn State – Kyle Virbitsky ( 0-2)
Rutgers – Brent Teller (1-2)
Last Time vs. Rutgers
The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights last met for a two-game series in 2019. Teams split the doubleheader on May 4.
Up To Bat
The Nittany Lion baseball team enters the weekend with a record of 4-10 and the Scarlet Knights at 8-6 through 14 games this season.
Penn State walked off the #18 Michigan 3-2 in the first game of the series last weekend. Michigan took the final two games of the series, including a 8-6 win in ten innings.
Rutgers is coming off a sweep of Purdue, outscoring the Boilermakers 29-13 in the series.
Diamond Lions on the Bump
Bailey Dees will start game one for the Nittany Lions for the fifth series. Dees is 1-1 on the season and has struck out 24 hitters. Dees had his longest outing to date in his last start against Michigan. Dees went 6.2 and struck out seven Wolverines and allowed just two runs.
The Nittany Lions strikeout leader, Conor Larkin will go in game two of the series on Saturday. Larkin has 30 strikeouts on the season, good for fifth in the Big Ten so far this season.
Kyle Virbitsky will complete the weekend rotation and start on Sunday. Virbitsky tied his career-best with seven strikeouts in his last start against Michigan.
Penn State Hitters
Gavin Homer leads Penn State in batting average so far this season as the senior is currently hitting .314 and is a perfect 5-5 on stolen bases. Homer is on a five-game hitting streak, finishing with four hits against Michigan and scored a pair of runs.
Johnny Piacentino had a strong weekend against Michigan, going 4-13 with three extra base hits. Piacentino leads the Nittany Lions with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Third basemen Justin Williams has nine hits in his last seven games, including four last weekend against Michigan.