Baseball Visits Rutgers For B1G SeriesBaseball Visits Rutgers For B1G Series

Josh Spiegel

Baseball Visits Rutgers For B1G Series

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Penn State baseball team travels to Rutgers for a three-game Big Ten series, beginning on Friday, May 5. The three-game set at Bainton Field starts on Friday at 6 p.m. and continues on Saturday at 6 p.m. Sunday's series finales is set for 2 p.m. All games will be broadcast on B1G+.
 
For updates on game time or schedule changes, please check @pennstatebase on Twitter.
 
Penn State, led by head coach Rob Cooper, is 24-15 overall and 6-8 in Big Ten play, after splitting a doubleheader against Iowa last weekend. In game two, Grant Norris launched a three-run homer and Kyle Hannon added a solo shot.
 
Rutgers is 27-18 overall and 8-7 in Big Ten action after winning one of three games at Purdue last weekend and earning an 8-7 win against Princeton on Wednesday.
 
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

 
LEADING OFF

  • Penn State visits Rutgers for the first of two Big Ten road weekends.
  • The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights met four times last season, including Penn State falling 5-4 in 10 innings in the Big Ten Tournament.
  • Penn State split its series against Iowa last weekend.
  • In game one, Tayven Kelley and Grant Norris both tripled, while Tommy Molsky fired three shutout innings in relief.
  • In game two, Norris launched a three-run homer and Kyle Hannon added a solo homer. Jordan Morales started and threw four shutout innings.
  • Patient at the plate, Penn State drew 12 walks in game two.
  • With Kelley's triple, he now has five this season, one away from the PSU season record held by Kevin Billotte (6; 1995), good for 10th in the nation.
  • Kyle Hannon owns 25 steals this year, two shy of the PSU season mark.
  • As a team, Penn State ranks 21st in the nation with 15 triples, led by Kelley's five, while Hannon and Norris each have two.
  • Jaden Henline has five outings this season with 5+ innings and 2 or less ER.

 
SCOUTING RUTGERS

  • Steve Owens is in his fourth year leading the Rutgers program.
  • He has led Rutgers to 98 wins in four seasons, including 44 victories in 2022.
  • Rutgers is 27-18 this season, including 8-7 in Big Ten play, after winning one of three games at Purdue last weekend.
  • The Scarlet Knights rank sixth in the Big Ten in batting average (.293) and runs per game (7.3), while sitting second in the country in sac flies (34).
  • Ryan Lasko leads the team with a .333 average and 62 hits to go with 13 doubles, 11 homers. 43 RBI and 48 runs. Lasko also has 14 steals.
  • Evan Sleight has a .321 average with 12 doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBI, while Chris Brito owns nine homers and 39 RBI.
  • Rutgers has a 4.62 team ERA, holding third in the Big Ten, and ranks fifth in the country turning one double play per game.
  • Drew Conover leads the staff with 60 strikeouts in 50.1 innings and is 4-3 with a 4.65 ERA.
  • Justin Sinibaldi is 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA in six starts.
  • Ben Gorski paces the staff with 20 appearances and has a 1.80 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 30 innings.

 
AGAINST THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

  • Penn State and Rutgers have met 86 times entering Friday's matchup.
  • The teams played four times last season with three of the four games decided by two or less runs.
  • In the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State fell 5-4 in 10 innings. Johnny Piacentino tied the game with a two-run double in the ninth, but the Scarlet Knights re-took the lead with a sac fly in the 10th.

 
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 39 games this season and is batting .319. He leads the team with 51 hits and 11 doubles, while collecting a triple, six homers, 33 RBI and 42 runs. He has also drawn 18 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 134 games, all as the primary shortstop.
  • He owns 160 career hits, including 31 doubles and 12 homers, 77 RBI and 104 runs.

 
HANNON EMERGES AS POWER, SPEED THREAT

  • Kyle Hannon leads the team in runs (46) and steals (25), while leading the team with seven 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 25 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 (0.66), good for 16th in the nation, and total steals (25), sitting 22nd in the country.
  • Hannon is one of six Division I players with 7+ homers and 25+ steals this season, joining Toledo's Jeron Williams (8 HR, 39 SB), West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt (11 HR, 31 SB), Maine's Jake Rainess (12 HR, 30 SB), VMI's Justin Starke (11 HR, 28 SB) and Cal's Rodney Green Jr. (9 HR, 25 SB).

 
NITTANY LIONS CHASING RECORDS

  • Entering 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 doubles record (105, 2011). The Nittany Lions currently own 79 doubles. Penn State has recorded 15 doubles, four away from the program record (19, 2022).
  • Kyle Hannon has 25 steals this season, good for second at PSU, and sits just two steals away from the PSU record held by Michael Campo (27, 2000). Hannon's 32 career steals are three 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 36 walks this season, tied for seventh in a season at PSU. He is two walks away from fifth place.

 
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. The 6-9 righty ranks 16th in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (12.93), sitting second in the Big Ten.
  • 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. He is one of nine DI pitchers with three-straight 10+ strikeout starts this year.
  • Fellow grad student Thomas Bramley has started all 39 games, splitting time between catcher, outfield and designated hitter. Bramley is batting .329 with 47 hits, including nine doubles, a triple and four homers, including a grand slam at Purdue, and has drawn a team-high 36 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 30 games at third base after transferring from Duke and is batting .311 with five homers and leads the team with 38 RBI.
  • Freshman Bobby Marsh, a Bellefonte native and transfer from Florida Atlantic, has played in 33 games (27 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, Marsh is batting .311 overall and .300 in Big Ten play.

 
BALANCED BATS

  • The Nittany Lions currently rank 39th in the country in runs per game (8.0) and 21st in triples (15).
  • Thomas Bramley is batting a team-best .329 with 47 hits and 36 walks, good for fifth in the Big Ten in walks, while Jay Harry leads the team with 51 hits to go with 42 runs and a .319 average. Grant Norris holds the team RBI lead (38) and is batting .311 with 16 extra-base hits.
  • Bobby Marsh (.311) and Johnny Piacentino (.321) are also hitting above .300 with Piacentino contributing 25 runs and 21 RBI, including a grand slam against Ohio State. Piacentino is riding a 12-game hit streak. Marsh has 16 extra-base hits and 27 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 12th in the nation and second in the Big Ten this season.
  • 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 travels to Omaha for a midweek contest on Wednesday, May 10. First pitch is set for 8 p.m.
  • The Nittany Lions continue on the road in the Big Ten with a three-game series at Nebraska on May 12-14. Friday's contest is set for 7:05 p.m. on B1G+. Saturday's game is at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Sunday's series finale starts at noon on ESPN2.