UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team (6-11, 6-11) heads to Michigan State for its first pod weekend of the season. The Nittany Lions will play both Michigan State and Purdue during the pod weekend.
Penn State opens the weekend with a pair of games against Michigan State and then follows with two against Purdue
The Nittany Lions are coming off a series win over Rutgers last weekend.
Series Information
Will play MSU in the first two games and Purdue in the final two games.
Live Stats
Stream on BTN+ ($)
Probable Starters
Game 1
Penn State – Bailey Dees (2-1)
Michigan State – Mason Eria (2-2)
Game 2
Penn State – Conor Larkin (1-3)
Michigan State – Adam Berghorst (1-1)
Game 3
Penn State – Kyle Virbitsky (0-2)
Purdue – TBD
Game 4
Penn State – TBD
Purdue – TBD
Last Time vs. MSU/Purdue
The Nittany Lion played Purdue most recently, falling twice in 2019 to the Boilermakers. The Nittany Lions were on the road in that series, falling 1-0 in game one and dropping game two 2-1 in 10 innings. The final game of that three-game series was cancelled.
In the last series against Michigan State in 2018, the Nittany Lions won the series by winning two of the three games. The Nittany Lions won game one 13-1 and game two 6-1.
Diamond Lions on the Bump
Bailey Dees will start on Friday for the fourth time this season as the Nittany Lions ace. Dees is currently 2-1 with a 5.13 ERA. Dees has punched out 27 in 26.1 innings pitched this season. Dees tossed six scoreless innings in Penn State's 1-0 win in the first game of the series against Rutgers last weekend.
Conor Larkin will toe the rubber for the Nittany Lions in the second game of the weekend against Michigan State. Larkin went six scoreless in his last outing, allowing just three hits and striking out seven. Larkin leads the team with 37 strikeouts this season.
Kyle Virbitsky had his career-long outing in his start last weekend against Rutgers. Virbitsky will throw in the second game on Saturday and the first game against Purdue. Virbitsky took his start into the eighth inning during the series finale against Rutgers. Virbitsky scattered seven hits, allowing three runs and striking out six.
The final starter of the weekend is TBA for Penn State.
Penn State Hitters
Third baseman Justin Williams has been the Nittany Lions hottest hitter over the last ten games. Williams is hitting at a .359 clip over that span with four doubles, three home runs and six RBI. Williams is the Nittany Lions leading hitter based on average over the course of the first 17 games this season. Williams is batting .311 overall so far in 2021.
Freshman outfielder Tayven Kelley has inserted himself into the starting lineup over the Nittany Lions last 10 games. Kelley is hitting .303 with five doubles and six RBI. The five doubles are the most on the team over that span.
Penn State has found its power stroke in the last five games, bashing five home runs and slugging 11 doubles.
Senior second baseman Gavin Homer is batting .297 this season for Penn State with a .375 OBP. Homer's six stolen bases are tied for fourth in the Big Ten.