UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State junior catcher Matt Wood was selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-American on Wednesday. He was named to the Academic All-America Third Team.
Wood became Penn State's eighth Academic All-American (10 occasions), joining pitcher David Lutz (Third Team, 2010), pitcher Paul Cianciolo (Second, 2009), second baseman Mike DeRenzo (Third, 2003; First, 2002; First, 2001), catcher Chris Netwall (Third, 2001), outfielder Dan Beers (Third, 1999), catcher Jared Sadlowski (First, 1997) and first baseman Carl Albrecht (Third, 1997).
"There is no one more deserving of this honor," said head coach Rob Cooper. "Matt is the epitome of a student-athlete who excels on the field, off the field and in the classroom. He is what is great about college athletics."
A First-Team All-Big Ten selection, Wood won the Big Ten batting average title in the regular season, hitting .395. He is the second Nittany Lion to win the Big Ten batting title, joining Michael Campo (2000).
Wood started 55 games this season, including 41 at catcher. He finished the season batting .379 with 75 hits, including 15 doubles, three triples and 12 homers. Wood collected 53 RBI and 55 runs. The lefty batted .404 against left-handed pitchers, .370 against right-handed pitchers and .440 with runners in scoring position.
His .379 average ranks second in the Big Ten. He also sits second in OPS (1.147), fourth in on-base percentage (.480) and fifth in slugging percentage (.667).
On the season, Wood led the Nittany Lions in batting average, hits, runs, homers, RBI, walks (36), slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Wood paced PSU with 24 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games.
In 24 Big Ten regular season games, Wood hit .413 with 38 hits. He had seven doubles, two triples, seven homers, 29 RBI and 21 runs. He recorded a 1.229 OPS.
Wood had an impressive 26-game hit streak and a 36-game reached-base streak. The hit streak, the second-longest in program history, including 15 multi-hit performances. He batted .469 (45-of-96) with eight doubles, two triples and four homers. During the streak, he also drew 16 walks and three hit-by-pitches.
In his Penn State career, Wood started 106 games with a .340 average. He tallied 132 hits with 26 doubles, four triples, 16 homers, 79 RBI and 81 runs. He had a career .552 slugging percentage, .437 on-base percentage and a .989 OPS.
The Nittany Lions, led by head coach Rob Cooper, won 26 games in 2022. Penn State made its first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2012, earning a 5-2 win over No. 3 seed Iowa.
Penn State won Big Ten series against Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State, sweeping the Spartans. The Nittany Lions also earned a win in each series against Rutgers, No. 23 Maryland, Northwestern and Ohio State.
The 2022 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
