Baseball Meets Omaha For Three-Game SeriesBaseball Meets Omaha For Three-Game Series
Mark Selders

Mason Mellott

Baseball Meets Omaha For Three-Game Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team welcomes Omaha for a three-game series this weekend at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions and Mavericks are set for 6 p.m. first pitches on Friday and Saturday. The teams will meet at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be livestreamed on B1G+.
 
The Nittany Lions, led by head coach Rob Cooper, are coming off an 8-4 win at West Virginia. PSU recorded six extra-base hits, including a homer by Josh Spiegel. Billy Gerlott had an RBI triple and Johnny Piacentino had two doubles and three RBI.
 
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday (6 p.m.)  – PSU: RHP Travis Luensmann (2-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. Omaha: LHP Caled Riedel (2-2, 0.86 ERA)
 
Saturday (6 p.m.)  – PSU: TBA vs. Omaha: RHP Charlie Bell (4-3, 2.54 ERA)
 
Sunday (1 p.m.)  – PSU: TBA vs. Omaha: RHP Mark Timmins (2-2, 3.12 ERA)
 
*subject to change
 
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. 
 
PROMOTIONS
On Friday, Penn State will hold its 800 Strong & Wear White game. All fans are encouraged to wear white.
 
On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will host Little League Day, featuring a pregame parade around the field and kids run the bases after the game. There will also be postgame fireworks.
 
Inspired by "The Office", Sunday will be Paper Appreciation Day, featuring a special first pitch.
 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State welcomes Omaha to begin a six-game homestand.
  • The Nittany Lions are set for a three-game series against the Mavericks.
  • Penn State is on its Big Ten bye week before returning to conference action the next three weekends.
  • Friday's game will feature a strong pitching matchup between PSU's Travis Luensmann, who hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 16.2 innings, and Omaha's Caleb Riedel, who has an 0.86 ERA in nine starts.
  • The Nittany Lions are coming off an 8-4 win at West Virginia on Wednesday.
  • Penn State had six extra-base hits against the Mountaineers, including a solo homer by Josh Spiegel. Billy Gerlott had an RBI triple, while Johnny Piacentino had two doubles and three RBI.
  • Over his last 10 games, Spiegel is batting .400 with 16 hits (five doubles, a triple, three homers) and 14 RBI.
  • Matt Wood is now riding a 21-game hit streak, the third-longest in program history.

 
SCOUTING OMAHA

  • Omaha is led by head coach Evan Porter.
  • A former player and member of the Omaha Athletics Hall of Fame, Porter is in his sixth year as head coach and 10th season as a coach in the Mavericks' program.
  • Under Porter, Omaha has 109 wins and reached an NCAA Regional in 2019.
  • Mike Boeve leads Omaha in nearly every offensive category: average (.377), runs (34), hits (52), doubles (18), homers (7), RBI (29), slugging (.659), on-base (.517), walks (29) and steals (11).
  • Jack Lombari is hitting .303 with 14 RBI.
  • Omaha has a 4.22 team ERA led by Caleb Riedel who is 2-2 with an 0.86 ERA in nine starts.
  • Charlie Bell (4-3, 2.54 ERA) and Mark Timmins (2-2, 3.12 ERA) round out the Omaha rotation.

 
AGAINST THE MAVERICKS

  • The Nittany Lions will meet Omaha for the second time in program history.
  • In the only previous meeting, Penn State won 3-0 on March 3, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.
  • Ryan Harper threw seven innings, giving up just five hits, while Jack Anderson earned the save.
  • The teams were scoreless through six inning before Aaron Novak scored on a wild pitch. Elliot Searer added an RBI double, while Taylor Skerpon had an RBI single.
  • Omaha is the only current Summit League team that Penn State has ever played.

 
WOOD LEADING BIG TEN IN BATTING AVERAGE

  • Through 37 games played, junior Matt Wood is batting .412 with 11 doubles, three triples, six homers, 34 RBI and 32 runs.
  • He leads the Big Ten in batting average (.412), good for 15th in the country.
  • Wood also sits third in the Big Ten in hits per game (1.47), third in triples (3), third in OPS (1.157), third in slugging percentage (.669) and fifth in on-base percentage (.488).
  • Wood leads the Nittany Lions in batting average, hits (56), runs (34), triples, RBI, walks (21), slugging percentage, on-base percentage and steals (4). He's tied with Josh Spiegel for the team lead in homers.
  • Among Division I catchers, Wood is third in batting average, fourth in triples, sixth in OPS, eighth in slugging percentage and on-base percentage and 10th in hits.
  • The lefty batter has been impressive facing righty (.407) and lefty (.422) pitchers.
  • Wood is batting .500 with runners in scoring position.
  • In Big Ten play, Wood is hitting .473 with 26 hits in 15 games. He has five doubles, two triples, two homers and 16 RBI.
  • Wood paces PSU with 19 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games this season and is riding a current 21-game hit streak.
  • During the 21-game hit streak, Wood has 12 multi-hit performances. He is batting .462 (36-of-78) with seven doubles, two triples and two homers.

 
LUENSMANN AGAINST THE BIG TEN

  • Travis Luensmann has been strong in five appearances (three starts) against Big Ten opponents this year.
  • In 22.1 innings, Luensmann has allowed five runs (three earned) and 15 hits (no extra-base hits), while striking out 23 batters.
  • The sophomore is 2-0 with a save and a 1.21 ERA in those five appearances. His 1.21 ERA ranks second in the Big Ten in conference games.
  • He has not allowed an earned run in 16.2 innings, including each of his last three outings (4IP at Northwestern, 6IP vs. Purdue, 6IP at Minnesota).
  • Over his last three outings, he's given up two runs (both unearned) and 10 hits in 16 innings.
  • He struck out six batters in each outing vs. Northwestern (4/9) and Purdue (4/16).

 
PENNSYLVANIA INFLUENCE IN PITCHING STAFF

  • In 35 of 38 games this season, Penn State's starting pitcher has been a Pennsylvania native.
  • Sophomore Travis Luensmann (Altoona) has made eight starts, and 10 appearances, with 55 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Luensmann struck out eight in six innings against Maine (2/25). He ranks ninth in the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings (10.61).
  • In Big Ten games, Luensmann has a 1.21 ERA in five appearances (three starts), sitting second in the conference.
  • Freshman Tommy Molsky has made nine starts, and 12 appearances, tallying 35 strikeouts. Molsky tied a career high with six strikeouts against UMass (3/12).
  • Graduate student Mason Mellott has made four starts and 15 appearances.
  • Mellott, graduating in August 2021 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, is tied third all-time at Penn State with 15 saves and ranks third with 82 appearances. Mellott is on the NCWBA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
  • In his last three outings, Mellott has thrown eight shutout innings, earning two wins.
  • Junior Kellan Tulio has made eight starts and 11 appearances. with 36 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA. He threw five innings, allowing no earned runs, and struck out a career-high seven at Northwestern (4/9).
  • Jaden Henline made the start in game one the last four weekends. At Maryland, he went five innings and at Northwestern (4/9), struck out six.
  • Henline has struck out 40 batters in 36.1 innings and sits third in the Big Ten with three saves. In 12 appearances (four starts), Henline has thrown two or more innings in nine outings.
  • Senior Pittsburgh native Steven Miller made his first career start at Northwestern (4/9), throwing three shutout innings and striking out three.  He has 27 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.
  • In the bullpen, senior Tyler Shingledecker has made 15 appearances and a start with a team-high four wins. The lefty has held opponents without an earned run in nine of his 15 outings.  He has 39 strikeouts and only seven walks.
  • Junior Souderton native Jordan Morales leads PSU with 19 appearances and has 39 strikeouts and only eight walks.
  • Carson Kohls has been another effective member out of the bullpen in 11 appearances (one start), including two scoreless outings where he went three or more innings.
  • 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.

 
NITTANY LIONS FINDING POWER IN BIG TEN PLAY

  • In 15 Big Ten games, Penn State has collected 44 extra-base hits, including 21 doubles, nine triples and 14 homers.
  • Matt Wood leads the Nittany Lions with nine extra-base hits, including five doubles, two triples and two homers, to go with 16 RBI.
  • Jay Harry and Josh Spiegel lead the Nittany Lions with eight extra-base hits. Harry has three doubles, two triples and three homers, while Spiegel has four doubles, a triple and three homers. Spiegel has 13 RBI in conference play, while Harry has scored 12 runs.
  • Billy Gerlott has two doubles, a triple and three homers during that span.
  • On the season, Wood leads PSU with three triples and six homers to go with 11 doubles, while Spiegel paces PSU with 12 doubles and is tied with Wood with six homers. Harry has four and Billy Gerlott has three.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State resumes Big Ten play next weekend, welcoming Michigan State on May 6-8.