Baseball Meets Iowa In Key Big Ten SeriesBaseball Meets Iowa In Key Big Ten Series
Steven Walter

Kyle Hannon

Baseball Meets Iowa In Key Big Ten Series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team welcomes Iowa for a three-game Big Ten series, beginning on Friday, April 28. The three-game set at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park starts on Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start and Sunday's series finale is set for 1 p.m. 
 
For updates on game time or schedule changes, please check @pennstatebase on Twitter.
 
Penn State, led by head coach Rob Cooper, is 23-14 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions snapped a four-game win streak at No. 18 West Virginia on Tuesday, falling 14-2. Penn State swept Ohio State last weekend.
 
Iowa is 30-10 overall and 7-5 in conference action after sweeping Nebraska last weekend.
 
Season and single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here.
 
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
PARKING
Parking for Penn State Baseball games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park will be available at the following locations beginning two hours prior to the start of each game:

  • Porter North, Jordan East, Stadium West
  • Free with valid Penn State parking permits
  • $5.50 prepaid parking is available through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/medlar-field-lubrano-park. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event.
  • $10 day-of-event (pay station or Park Mobile app – zone no. 95112
  • Baseball Parking Interactive Map
  • Friday - Please be aware that due to the Movin' On concert, Park Avenue will be closed between Bigler Road and University Drive beginning at 5:30 p.m.


Please visit the 2023 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*

  • Friday includes Dollar Dog Night, National Superhero Day, postgame fireworks and 4 for $24 deal
    • Dollar Dog Night - $1 hot dogs (limit of four per purchase)
    • Kids will receive Penn State capes in honor of National Superhero Day
    • 4 for $24 deal – 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 drinks for $24
  • Saturday includes postgame autographs and a trading card giveaway
  • Sunday is Vs. Cancer Day
    • Sunday postgame features kids run the bases

*Subject to change 

LEADING OFF

  • Penn State welcomes Iowa for a three-game conference series.
  • The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes are set to meet in Happy Valley for the first time since 2016.
  • The teams met twice in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament with Penn State winning the first matchup, 5-2, but falling 11-3 in the second contest.
  • Penn State is 9-1 in weekend openers this season and have won four-straight.
  • The Nittany Lions are 5-7 in Big Ten play after sweeping Ohio State last weekend.
  • Penn State outscored the Buckeyes, 32-8, scoring 10 runs on Friday and 15 runs on Sunday.
  • Penn State snapped a four-game win streak, falling 14-2 at No. 18 West Virginia on Tuesday.
  • In four games last week against YSU and OSU, Marsh batted .400 with three    doubles, a homer and 11 RBI and launched a solo homer at WVU.
  • Kyle Hannon owns 24 stolen bases this season, three away from tying the Penn State season record held by Michael Campo (27, 2000).

 
SCOUTING IOWA

  • Rick Heller is in his 10th season as head coach at Iowa.
  • He has led the Hawkeyes to 305 wins and owns 996 career victories.
  • In 2023, Iowa is 30-10 overall and 7-5 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes are coming off a three-game sweep over Nebraska last weekend.
  • Iowa ranks seventh in the Big Ten with a .291 batting average and second in the league averaging 8.4 runs per game.
  • Keaton Anthony leads the squad with a .377 average, 55 hits, 21 doubles and eight homers to go with 34 RBI. His 21 doubles rank second in the country.
  • Brennen Dorighi is hitting .336 with 49 hits, 38 RBI and 47 runs.
  • Iowa's pitching staff leads the Big Ten with a 4.14 ERA, good for 25th in the country, and paces the conference in hits allowed per nine innings (7.05), sitting fourth in the country, and strikeouts per nine innings (11.1), holding eighth in the nation.
  • Brody Brecht leads the country allowing just 4.78 hits per nine innings, while sitting seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (13.96) and leading the Big Ten in total strikeouts (76).

 
AGAINST THE HAWKEYES

  • Penn State and Iowa have met 77 times entering Friday's matchup.
  • The teams played twice in last year's Big Ten Tournament. Penn State won the first matchup, 5-2, but dropped the second game, 11-3.
  • In the first matchup, Travis Luensmann threw 3.1 shutout innings in relief, while striking out seven, and Matt Wood crushed a three-run homer.
  • Penn State and Iowa meet in Happy Valley for the first time since 2016.

 
HARRY NAMED TO BROOKS WALLACE AWARD WATCH LIST

  • Junior shortstop Jay Harry was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list on Tuesday, April 18.
  • The award honors the nation's top shortstop.
  • Harry has started all 37 games this season and is batting .323. He leads the team with 50 hits and 11 doubles, while collecting a triple, six homers, 31 RBI and 41 runs. He has also drawn 15 walks and stolen five bases.
  • The New Jersey native paces the squad with 16 multi-hit games this season, including five three-hit games, while recording 12 multi-run games and eight multi-RBI games.
  • He started the 2023 campaign with two hits, including a double, and three RBI in a win over No. 22 Miami. He also had three hits, including a double, at No. 14 North Carolina.
  • He launched two homers, including a walk-off two-run shot, against Brown on March 11 and added two hits and three RBI against Georgetown.
  • Harry tallied three hits, including a double, three runs and an RBI in a win over Pitt and launched a clutch solo homer against West Virginia before tallying three hits, three runs and a solo homer against Ohio State.
  • In his Penn State career, Harry has started 132 games, all as the primary shortstop.
  • He owns 159 career hits, including 31 doubles and 12 homers, 75 RBI and 103 runs.

 
HANNON EMERGES AS POWER, SPEED THREAT

  • Kyle Hannon leads the team in runs (43) and steals (24), while tying for the team lead with six homers. He recently snapped a 17-game hit streak.
  • Hannon is on pace to become Penn State's first player with 10+ homers and 10+ steals in a season since Sean Deegan (12 HR, 15 SB). His 24 steals are already tied for second in a season at PSU and are the most by a PSU player since Deegan's 24 steals in 2010. Hannon needs just three steals to tie the season record held by Michael Campo (27, 1999). Hannon has six games this season with multiple steals.
  • Hannon leads the Big Ten in steals per game (0.67), good for 15th in the nation, and total steals (24), sitting 19th in the country.
  • Hannon is one of six Division I players with 6+ homers and 24+ steals this season, joining Toledo's Jeron Williams (6 HR, 37 SB), West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt (9 HR, 28 SB), Maine's Jake Rainess (12 HR, 29 SB), VMI's Justin Starke (10 HR, 26 SB) and Cal's Rodney Green Jr. (9 HR, 25 SB).

 
LUENSMANN, OUDERKIRK LEAD STAFF

  • Grad student Daniel Ouderkirk, a West Virginia transfer, has made an immediate impact in the Penn State rotation.
  • Ouderkirk has tallied 57 strikeouts in 39.1 innings and has multiple strikeouts in 18 different innings this season. In nine outings, he has limited opponents to a .216 average.
  • The 6-9 righty ranks 22nd in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (13.04), sitting third in the Big Ten. He's eighth in the conference in total strikeouts (57).
  • Ouderkirk recorded at least 10 strikeouts in three straight starts: 11 vs. Northern Illinois, 11 vs. Dartmouth and 10 vs. Brown. He has allowed just one earned run in each start against NIU, Dartmouth and Georgetown. He threw 3.1 shutout innings at Purdue.
  • Ouderkirk became the first Nittany Lion with three straight starts of 10+ strikeouts since at least 2004.
  • He is one of nine DI pitchers with three-straight 10+ strikeout starts this year.
  • Junior Travis Luensmann was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week after striking out 10 in four relief shutout innings against Indiana. His 10 strikeouts were a career high.
  • In 10 appearances (six starts), Luensmann is 6-2 with a 2.91 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. His six wins rank second in the Big Ten.
  • He allowed just one run in five innings at No. 22 Miami, one run in five innings against Northern Illinois and no runs in five innings against Georgetown and no runs in 4.1 innings against Delaware State.
  • Tossed five innings, allowing one earned run, to earn a win against Ohio State.

 
TRANSFERS PROVIDE SPARK

  • The Nittany Lions welcomed four transfers to the program ahead of the 2023 season and all four have had strong starts to the year.
  • Joining Ouderkirk are grad students Thomas Bramley (Mount St. Mary's) and Grant Norris (Duke) and freshman Bobby Marsh (Florida Atlantic).
  • Fellow grad student Thomas Bramley has started all 37 games, splitting time between catcher, outfield and designated hitter. Bramley is batting .338 with 46 hits, including nine doubles, a triple and four homers, including a grand slam at Purdue, and has drawn a team-high 33 walks. In the third game against Purdue, snapped a 36-game reached base streak.
  • Bramley has 15 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games.
  • Norris has started 28 games at third base after transferring from Duke and is batting .313 with four homers and leads the team with 34 RBI.
  • Freshman Bobby Marsh, a Bellefonte native and transfer from Florida Atlantic, has played in 31 games (25 starts). He owns 11 doubles, five homers and 27 RBI.
  • Marsh launched a solo homer in game two at Purdue and drove in the go-ahead run with a two-run double against Youngstown State. He hit a solo homer at West Virginia.
  • In four games against YSU and Ohio State, recorded 11 RBI.
  • On the season, batting .333 overall and .364 in Big Ten play.

 
BALANCED BATS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank 33rd in the country in runs per game (8.1), 44th with a .300 team average and 33rd in triples (13).
  • Thomas Bramley is batting a team-best .338 with 46 hits and 33 walks, good for third in the Big Ten in walks, while Jay Harry leads the team with 50 hits to go with 41 runs and a .323 average. Grant Norris holds the team RBI lead (34) and is batting .313 with 13 extra-base hits.
  • Bobby Marsh (.333), Johnny Piacentino (.321) and Josh Spiegel (.306) are also hitting above .300 with Piacentino contributing 25 runs and 21 RBI, including a grand slam against Ohio State, while Spiegel has 19 RBI. Marsh has 16 extra-base hits and 27 RBI.
  • Tayven Kelley leads PSU with four triples this season and has 10 for his career, tied for sixth all-time at Penn State.
  • Against Binghamton, Anthony Steele went two-for-four with a homer, four RBI and a stolen base before taking the mound and striking out two. He also had three strikeouts and an RBI single against Delaware State.

 
OPENING WIN OVER MIAMI

  • Penn State opened the 2023 season with a 9-5 win over Miami on February 17.
  • The Hurricanes were ranked 22nd in the D1Baseball Poll and No. 8 in the Baseball America rankings.
  • The Nittany Lions earned the program's first win over Miami and collected the program's first win over a ranked non-conference opponent since an 8-7 win over No. 21 Duke in 2019.
  • Travis Luensmann threw five innings in the win, allowing just one run on two hits and striking out four.
  • Penn State tallied 16 hits, including six Nittany Lions with multiple hits.
  • Billy Gerlott and Johnny Piacentino each had three hits, while Kyle Hannon and Tayven Kelley launched solo homers.

 
NITTANY LIONS RETURN EXPERIENCED PITCHING STAFF

  • The Nittany Lions welcome back an experienced pitching staff.
  • Penn State pitchers had a strong start to the 2023 season at No. 22 Miami.
  • The Nittany Lions' starting pitchers, Travis Luensmann, Daniel Ouderkirk and Tommy Molsky, combined to throw 13.1 innings, allowing eight hits and four earned runs, while striking out 13 batters.
  • The three starters recorded a 2.70 ERA and held Miami hitters to a .170 batting average.
  • Penn State set a program record with 503 strikeouts in 2022 as six members of the staff recorded at least 40 strikeouts.
  • The Nittany Lions return 406 of their 503 strikeouts (81 percent) from last year.
  • Penn State is one of nine Power Five programs, and the only Big Ten school, returning 400+ strikeouts from last season.
  • Among Power Five schools returning 400+ strikeouts, only Wake Forest (92%) returns a higher percentage of strikeouts returning.
  • In 49 of 55 games last season, Penn State's starting pitcher was a Pennsylvania native.
  • Penn State's pitching staff takes a versatile approach with eight different pitchers recording both a start and a save in 2022.
  • Since 2016, eight Penn State pitchers have been selected in the MLB Draft, including Conor Larkin (9th round, Toronto Blue Jays), Kyle Virbitsky (17th round, Oakland A's) and Bailey Dees (18th round, New York Yankees) in 2021.

 
UP NEXT

  • Penn State continues Big Ten play at Rutgers on May 5-7 weekend. Friday and Saturday games are set for 6 p.m. while Sunday's first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.