Baseball Battles Pitt At PNC ParkBaseball Battles Pitt At PNC Park

Steven Miller

Baseball Battles Pitt At PNC Park

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team returns to PNC Park to face Pitt on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.
 
The Nittany Lions will play in PNC Park for the fourth time since 2017. Last season, Penn State earned a 19-6 win over Pitt, including a thrilling 14-run inning. Penn State played West Virginia at PNC Park in 2017 and 2019.
 
Penn State, led by head coach Rob Cooper, is 24-22 overall and looks to bounce back after falling in three games at Nebraska last weekend.
 
Pitt is 22-27 overall, coached by Mike Bell, after taking one of three games against No. 11 Miami.
 
For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please check @pennstatebase on Twitter and Instagram.
 
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.
 
TICKETS

  • Tickets are available on pirates.com/collegebaseball
  • Tickets are $10. Alumni can purchase discount tickets using the code NITTANYLION. Students can receive free tickets here by using their @psu.edu email address.

 
FOLLOW ALONG

 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State meets Pitt in its final midweek game of the season on Tuesday.
  • The Nittany Lions and Panthers return to PNC Park for the second-straight season.
  • Penn State is playing at PNC Park for the fourth time since 2017.
  • The Nittany Lions played West Virginia at PNC Park in 2017 and 2019 before earning a 19-6 win over Pitt last season, highlighted by a 14-run ninth.
  • Josh Spiegel hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth and Kyle Hannon added his own three-run blast later in the inning. Tayven Kelley contributed a three-run triple.
  • Penn State looks to bounce back after dropping a three-game series at Nebraska.
  • In the series, Grant Norris batted .500 with a double and two homers.
  • Josh Spiegel also notched a double and two homers.
  • Tayven Kelley has five triples this season, one shy of the Penn State record held by Kevin Billotte (6).
  • Kyle Hannon has collected 26 steals, sitting one behind the program season record held by Michael Campo (27, 2000).

 
SCOUTING PITT

  • Pitt is led by head coach Mike Bell, in his fifth season. Bell has led Pitt to 105 wins in his tenure.
  • The Panthers are 22-27 overall and 10-15 in the ACC this year.
  • Pitt is coming off a three-game series against No. 11 Miami. The Panthers won the middle game of the series and dropped a pair of one-run games.
  • Pitt is batting .258 as a team and averaging 6.5 runs per game.
  • Kyle Hess leads the squad with a .325 average to go with seven doubles, six triples, eight homers and 38 RBI.
  • Bellefonte native CJ Funk leads the team with 12 homers, while Noah Martinez paces the team with 55 hits and 43 RBI to go with a .301 average. Jack Anderson (.314) is also hitting above .300.
  • Pitt has a 7.13 team ERA and a .310 opponent batting average.
  • Nash Bryan leads the team with 26 appearances and has 42 strikeouts in 38 innings.

 
AGAINST THE PANTHERS

  • Penn State has played 137 previous times against Pitt, with PSU holding an 90-46-1 lead.
  • Pitt is one of five opponents Penn State has played more than 100 times, joining Bucknell (131-32-1), Michigan (49-54), Ohio State (43-73) and West Virginia (73-44).
  • Penn State earned a 16-8 win on March 28, scoring five runs in the sixth and six runs in the eighth.
  • In 2022 at PNC Park, the Nittany Lions exploded for 14 runs in the Top 9th to earn a 19-6 win.

 
EARNING THEIR DEGREES

  • Carson Ertter (management information systems), Steven Miller (architectural engineering) and Blaise Sclafani (communication arts & sciences) earned their bachelor's degrees on May 5-7 weekend.
  • Penn State now has seven college graduates on the roster.
  • Josh Spiegel graduated in December 2022 with a bachelor's degree in recreation, parks & tourism management.
  • Other graduates include Thomas Bramley (business, Mount St. Mary's), Grant Norris (sociology, Duke) and Daniel Ouderkirk (finance (bachelor's), West Virginia; business data analytics (master's), West Virginia).

 
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 46 games this season and is batting .290. He leads the team with 54 hits and 12 doubles, while collecting a triple, six homers, 33 RBI and 43 runs. He has also drawn 19 walks and stolen five bases.
  • The New Jersey native owns 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 141 games, all as the primary shortstop.
  • He owns 163 career hits, including 32 doubles and 12 homers, 77 RBI and 105 runs.

 
HANNON EMERGES AS POWER, SPEED THREAT

  • Kyle Hannon leads the team in runs (48) and steals (26), while tying the team lead with seven homers.
  • Hannon is challenging to become Penn State's first player with 10+ homers and 10+ steals in a season since Sean Deegan (12 HR, 15 SB). His 26 steals are already second in a season at PSU. Hannon needs just two steals to tie the season record held by Michael Campo (27, 1999). Hannon has six games this season with multiple steals.
  • Hannon sits second in the Big Ten in steals per game (0.57), good for 29th in the nation, and total steals (26), sitting 27th in the country.
  • Hannon is one of 14 Division I players with 7+ homers and 26+ steals this season.

 
NITTANY LIONS CHASING RECORDS

  • In mid-May, several Nittany Lions are pursuing Penn State season records or a spot among a season Top 10.
  • As a team, Penn State is on pace to challenge the program's season triples record. Penn State has posted 16 triples, three away from the program record (19, 2022).
  • Kyle Hannon has 26 steals this season, good for second at PSU, and sits just one steal away from the PSU record held by Michael Campo (27, 2000). Hannon's 33 career steals are two shy of eighth all-time at Penn State.
  • Tayven Kelley has five triples this season, tied for second at PSU, just one shy of the PSU record set by Kevin Billotte (6, 1995). Kelley also has 11 career triples, tied fifth all-time at Penn State.
  • Thomas Bramley owns 39 walks this season, tied for third in a season at Penn State. He is seven walks shy of second place and eight walks away from the PSU season record.

 
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 Daniel Ouderkirk, a West Virginia transfer, are grad students Thomas Bramley (Mount St. Mary's) and Grant Norris (Duke) and freshman Bobby Marsh (Florida Atlantic).
  • Ouderkirk has tallied 57 strikeouts in 39.2 innings and has multiple strikeouts in 18 different innings this season.
  • Ouderkirk recorded at least 10 strikeouts in three straight starts: 11 vs. Northern Illinois, 11 vs. Dartmouth and 10 vs. Brown. He became the first Nittany Lion with three straight starts of 10+ strikeouts since at least 2004.
  • Fellow grad student Thomas Bramley has started all 46 games, splitting time between catcher, outfield and designated hitter. Bramley is batting .315 with 53 hits, including nine doubles, a triple and four homers, including a grand slam at Purdue, and has drawn a team-high 39 walks. In the third game against Purdue, snapped a 36-game reached base streak.
  • Bramley has 17 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games.
  • He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in walks (39) and leads PSU in on-base percentage (.448).
  • Norris has started 37 games at third base after transferring from Duke and is batting .295 with seven homers and leads the team with 40 RBI.
  • Freshman Bobby Marsh, a Bellefonte native and transfer from Florida Atlantic, has played in 40 games (34 starts). He owns 11 doubles, six homers and 30 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 Youngstown State and Ohio State, recorded 11 RBI.
  • On the season, Marsh is batting .297 overall and .274 in Big Ten play.
  • Travis Luensmann, a 2022 transfer, is tied fourth in the Big Ten with six wins and sits fourth in the league with a 3.94 ERA.

 
BALANCED BATS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank 23rd in triples per game (0.35) and 31st in total triples (16).
  • Johnny Piacentino leads the Nittany Lions with a .326 average to go with 45 hits, 22 RBI and 27 runs.
  • Piacentino is hitting .328 in conference play with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI.
  • Thomas Bramley is batting .315 with 53 hits, 39 walks, good for fifth in the Big Ten in walks, and a .448 on-base percentage, leading PSU, while Jay Harry leads the team with 54 hits to go with 43 runs and a .290 average. Grant Norris holds the team RBI lead (40) and owns 19 extra-base hits. Bobby Marsh (.297) is hitting just under .300. Marsh has 17 extra-base hits and 30 RBI.
  • Tayven Kelley leads PSU with five triples this season and has 11 for his career, tied for fifth all-time at Penn State.
  • Kelley's five triples rank 19th in the country and second in the Big Ten.
  • 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

  • The Nittany Lions host Maryland for their final regular season series. The three-game set begins on Thursday, May 18 at 5 p.m. The series continues on Friday, May 19, at 5 p.m. and concludes with Senior Day on Saturday beginning at noon. All three games will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
  • For the Maryland series, Friday features Bark in the Park Night, postgame fireworks and our 4 for $24 deal (four tickets, four hot dogs, four drinks for $24). In addition to senior day, Saturday features postgame autographs and a trading card giveaway.