2022_0304_PENN_v_UVA_BASEBALL_MT_2024972022_0304_PENN_v_UVA_BASEBALL_MT_202497

Josh Spiegel

Penn State Welcomes Milwaukee For Home Opening Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team hosts Milwaukee to open its home slate this weekend. The Nittany Lions meet the Panthers on Friday for a 5 p.m. start. Saturday's contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. and Sunday's first pitch is set for 11 a.m. All games will be livestreamed on B1G+.
 
The Nittany Lions, led by head coach Rob Cooper, earned a series win over UMass last weekend. Penn State won the series opener, 10-6, on Friday and picked up a 1-0 shutout win on Sunday.
 
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
PARKING
All Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Complimentary parking will no longer be issued for season ticket holders.
 
Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
 
Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Season packages will be available for general parking for most sports, and information on VIP parking options available for select events will be released later.
 
Please visit the 2022 Baseball Parking page for additional information.
 
Non-football event parking is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information on parking for this event, please email parking@psu.edu or call 814-865-1436. 


PROBABLE STARTERS 
Friday (5 p.m.)  – PSU: Travis Luensmann (0-2, 5.95 ERA) vs. Milwaukee: Riley Frey (2-1, 6.65 ERA)
 
Saturday (1 p.m.)  – PSU: Tommy Molsky (0-3, 4.67 ERA) vs. Milwaukee: Nick Gilhaus (1-0, 1.69 ERA)
 
Sunday (11 a.m.)  – PSU: TBA vs. Milwaukee: TBA
 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State meets Milwaukee in a three-game non-conference series for its home opener.
  • The Nittany Lions and the Panthers meet for the first time in program history.
  • Penn State is coming off a series win over UMass, taking on the Minutemen in Cary, N.C.
  • The Nittany Lions earned a 10-6 win last Friday's contest and a 1-0 victory on Sunday.
  • Sunday's win featured a strong, five-inning start by Mason Mellott, in which he allowed just one hit and one walk. Tyler Shingledecker and Jaden Henline closed out the game, giving up one more baserunner, on an error.
  • Josh Spiegel had a strong week at the plate against VMI and UMass, going 8-for-14 (.571) with two doubles and a homer. He had two hits in each game and raised his season batting average by .106.
  • Matt Wood launched his fourth homer of the season in Sunday's win. He ranks sixth in the Big Ten in homers.
  • Penn State starting pitchers have combined for 65 strikeouts in 14 starts.
  • Tyler Shingledecker ranks second in the Big Ten with seven pitching appearances.
  • The Nittany Lion defense leads the Big Ten with 12 double plays this season.

 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE

  • Milwaukee is led by head coach Scott Doffek.
  • Doffek has a 398-406-2 record in his 16th season as head coach.
  • He has been on the Milwaukee coaching staff for 28 years.
  • The Panthers are 5-6 this season, beginning the year with three-game sweep against Alabama A&M while adding wins against BYU and Dayton.
  • Milwaukee averages 5.8 runs per game and ranks 10th in the country averaging 2.55 stolen bases per game.
  • Aaron Chapman is batting .333 on the season with a team-high 16 hits. He is six-for-six in stolen base attempts.
  • Connor Goodman paces Milwaukee with 10 RBI to go with a .306 average.
  • Luke Seidel, who played last Summer with the State College Spikes, leads the Panthers with eight steals.
  • Milwaukee's pitching staff has a 6.19 ERA and allows a .293 average to opposing hitters.

 
AGAINST THE PANTHERS

  • Penn State meets Milwaukee for the first time in program history.
  • The Nittany Lions have a 10-4 all-time record against current members of the Horizon League.
  • Penn State is 8-2 against Youngstown State, who will meet the Nittany Lions on Tuesday.
  • The Nittany Lions are 1-0 against Illinois-Chicago and 1-2 against Wright State.

 
WOOD OFF TO STRONG START

  • Through 14 games, junior Matt Wood is batting .340 with four doubles, four homers, 12 RBI and 15 runs. His four homers rank sixth in the Big Ten.
  • Wood has six multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games this season.
  • Wood began the 2022 campaign going 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate with two doubles and three homers on opening weekend. He drove in seven RBI and scored eight runs.
  • Wood went 3-for-4 with four RBI and four runs while crushing two homers and a double in game one against LIU. He added a homer against Northeastern.
  • The junior was named Big Ten Player of the Week on March 2 after going 5-for-11 (.454) at the plate with two RBI and four runs against Maine.
  • In D1baseball's preseason rankings, Wood was tabbed as the top catcher in the Big Ten and the 16th-best catcher in the country.
  • Wood returned to the squad after receiving Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2021.

 
HANNON, SPIEGEL ENJOY IMPRESSIVE WEEKS

  • Sophomore Kyle Hannon had a strong weekend against Virginia (3/4-6), going seven-for-eight at the plate, to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors.
  • Hannon notched three doubles and reached base in 11-of-12 plate appearances.
  • In lefty-vs.-lefty matchups, Hannon went six-for-six at the plate.
  • On the season, Hannon is batting .306 with 15 hits. Five of Hannon's 15 hits have been doubles. He also has two steals.
  • Hannon owns four multi-hit games and two multi-RBI games in 2022.
  • A lefty hitter, Hannon has excelled against left-handed pitching this season, going 11-for-22 for a .500 average.  He's also batting .353 with runners in scoring position.
  • Junior Josh Spiegel was 8-for-14 (.571) vs. VMI (3/8) and UMass (3/11-13) with two doubles and a homer. He had two hits in each game and raised his batting average by .106.

 
BARTELS, GERLOTT BRING CONSISTENT APPROACH TO LEAD OUTFIELD

  • Graduate student Cole Bartels and sophomore Billy Gerlott have been consistent presences in Penn State's lineup this season.
  • Bartels is batting .309 with 17 hits, including two doubles. He also has two steals.
  • He is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak, beginning against LIU (2/19) and has reached base in all 14 games.
  • Bartels was 5-of-12 at the plate against Virginia for a .417 average.
  • Gerlott is batting .286 with 14 hits, including four doubles, and eight RBI. He's second on the team in RBI.
  • Gerlott owns a 10-game reached base streak, starting vs. Maine (2/25).
  • Gerlott is hitting a team-best .438 (7-of-16) with runners in scoring position.
  • Kelley is batting .316 (6-of-19) with runners in scoring position.
  • Fellow outfielder Johnny Piacentino went three-for-five with a double and two RBI in the series opener against UMass (3/11).
  • The junior put up impressive power numbers in 2021 with a team-high 15 doubles and eight homers. He drove in 32 RBI and scored 30 runs, both team bests.
  • Piacentino ranked third in the Big Ten in doubles and was a major factor in Penn State leading the conference in doubles as a team with 93. PSU held 11th in the nation averaging 2.21 doubles per game.
  • Piacentino was ranked among D1baseball's Top 150 outfielders in their preseason rankings.

 
PITCHING STAFF FEATURES BALANCED MIX OF VETERANS AND YOUTH

  • The Nittany Lions' opening weekend rotation featured three newcomers and graduate student Mason Mellott.
  • Mellott, graduating in August 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, ranks fourth all-time at Penn State with 13 saves and sixth with 71 appearances. Mellott is on the NCWBA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
  • Mellott threw five scoreless innings to lead Penn State to a 1-0 shutout win over UMass (3/13), allowing just one hit and one walk. Tyler Shingledecker and Jaden Henline combined to close out the shutout, giving up just one more baserunner, on an error.
  • Sophomore Travis Luensmann has recorded 26 strikeouts in his first four starts. Luensmann joined the Nittany Lions after transferring from South Carolina.
  • Luensmann struck out eight in six innings against Maine (2/25).
  • The Altoona native ranked as the No. 2 pitcher in Pennsylvania in the 2020 class by Perfect Game.
  • Junior Kellan Tulio pitched the last two seasons at Louisville before transferring to Penn State.
  • Against Maine (2/26), Tulio threw six innings, allowing one run, and striking out five.
  • The junior has struck out 11 batters in three starts.
  • Tulio made eight career appearances for the Cardinals after being ranked as the top pitcher in Pennsylvania in the 2019 class.
  • Freshman Tommy Molsky made his Penn State debut on February 20 vs. Northeastern and threw six innings. Molsky has 19 strikeouts in four starts, including a career high-tying six vs. UMass (3/12).
  • Sophomore Jaden Henline has struck out 17 batters in 12.2 relief innings, while sitting third in the Big Ten with two saves.
  • Penn State is challenged with replacing a 2021 rotation that featured three MLB draft selections in Conor Larkin (9th round, Toronto Blue Jays), Kyle Virbitsky (17th round, Oakland A's) and Bailey Dees (18th round, New York Yankees).
  • The Nittany Lions were one of only four Division I schools to have all three members of their starting rotation selected. Penn State has eight pitchers who have been drafted since 2016.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State will take on Youngstown State on Tuesday, March 22 at 6 p.m.
  • The Nittany Lions open Big Ten play next weekend, March 25-27, hosting Rutgers.