Baseball Meets USC In Three-Game Home SeriesBaseball Meets USC In Three-Game Home Series
Caleb Craig

Baseball Meets USC In Three-Game Home Series

Nittany Lions hosts Trojans for three-game series, beginning on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team welcomes USC for a three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park this weekend. The series begins on Friday at 4 p.m. and continues on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will be broadcast on B1G+.

 

Friday's game time has been moved up to 4 p.m. due to forecasted rain on Friday night.

 

All home games are free admission for all ages.

 

Saturday includes postgame fireworks.

 

Sunday features a White Out, encouraging fans to wear white, a trading card set giveaway, postgame autographs and postgame kids run the bases.

 

On Sunday, the Penn State Men’s Gymnastics team, coming off a Big Ten Championship, will throw out the first pitch.

 

Penn State, led by head coach Mike Gambino, is 21-10 this season (9-6 Big Ten) after a road sweep at Minnesota.

 

USC, coached by Andy Stankiewicz, is 21-11 overall (9-6 Big Ten) after a sweep at Ohio State over the weekend and a 14-6 win over Loyola Marymount on Tuesday.

 

For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please check @pennstatebase on X and Instagram.

 

The 2025 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.

 

FOLLOW ALONG

 

PROMOTIONS

  • Saturday’s game features postgame fireworks.
    • Saturday is also SpikesFest, hosted by the State College Spikes.
  • Sunday is a White Out, encouraging fans to wear white.
  • Sunday’s postgame includes autographs, a trading card set giveaway and kids run the bases.

 

PARKING

  • Fan parking is available in Porter North and Jordan East lots.
  • Prepaid parking is available until midnight the day before the game for $5.50 at psu.parkmobile.io
  • Day of game parking is available through Honk for $10, please see the in-lot signage for the QR code and text-to-pay options.

 

SUITE TICKETS

  • Fans can enjoy the action from climate-controlled Luxury Suites at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
  • These 20-person suites offer a fantastic view of Mount Nittany while providing a luxurious experience for fans and their guests.
  • Luxury Suites are available for $400 per game, with a limited number of suites available for each game on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • To book a suite, call 814-272-1711 or email suites@statecollegespikes.com.

 

THE PENN STATE BASEBALL SHOW – 2025 EPISODE 3

  • Graduate student first baseman/outfielder Cole Wagner chats with GoPSUSports reporter Tyler Millen about Penn State’s sweep at Minnesota, his return to baseball and this weekend’s series against USC.

 

LEADING OFF

  • Penn State welcomes USC for a three-game Big Ten series this weekend.
  • Friday will be the third all-time meeting between the Nittany Lions and Trojans. Both previous matchups were in 1994 (L, 5-3, March 12/L, 6-2, March 14).
  • The Nittany Lions are coming off a three-game series at Minnesota last weekend.
  • Penn State has won two Big Ten road series in a season for the first time since 2012 and owns two road sweeps (at Longwood, at Minnesota) in a season for the first time since 2000.
  • With a 21-10 record, PSU is off to its best 31-game start since 2000 (23-8).
  • With 56 home runs and 79 steals this season, PSU is the only D1 team this season with 55+ homers and 59+ steals this year.
  • PSU and Georgia are the only teams in D1 with five or more players with 5+ homers and 5+ steals this year.
  • Penn State’s 79 steals are 11 more than any other Big Ten team this season.
  • Ryan Weingartner’s 22 steals in 2025 are tied-sixth most in a season at PSU.
  • He ranks 17th in the nation in total steals and 18th in steals per game (0.71).
  • Paxton Kling leads PSU with 11 homers, while Bryce Molinaro has nine and Jesse Jaconski has eight.
  • Molinaro is tied-second in D1 with three multi-homer games in 2025.

 

PSU’S STRONG START

  • With a 21-10 start, Penn State got off to its best 31-game start since going 23-8 to begin the 2000 season.
  • Penn State started Big Ten play with series victories in each of its first two series for the first time since 2014.
  • With its sweep over Minnesota, the Nittany Lions have won two Big Ten road series (at Northwestern, at Minnesota) in a season for the first time since 2012 (at Iowa, at Minnesota, at Michigan State).
  • PSU also has earned two road series sweeps (at Longwood, at Minnesota) in a season for the first time since 2000 (at Norfolk State, at Iowa).
  • The Nittany Lions have tallied 10+ runs in 18 games this season, tied for third in the country (behind only LSU and VMI), and eight times in Big Ten games. PSU has 18 games of 10+ runs in a season for just the fifth time in program history (2000).
  • With its win in game one against Indiana on March 7, the Nittany Lions had a nine-game win streak for the first time since 2000.

 

NITTANY LIONS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN HOMERS, STEALS

  • Through 31 games, Penn State has slugged 56 home runs, on pace to break its season record of 91 in 2000.
  • The Nittany Lions rank 15th in the country, averaging 1.81 homers per game.
  • Penn State also ranks 17th in the nation in total home runs and 22nd in runs per game (9.1).
  • Paxton Kling leads the Nittany Lions with 11 homers, while sitting 39th in the country in total homers (6th in Big Ten) and 52nd in home runs per game (0.35; 9th).
  • Kling is among nine Nittany Lions with at least one home run this season and is one of eight with 4+ homers.
  • Bryce Molinaro owns nine homers, Jesse Jaconski has eight, Jack Porter, Nate Voss and Ryan Weingartner each have six, while Joe Jaconski has five homers. Cole Wagner has four.
  • Molinaro has three multi-homer games this season, tied for second in D1.
  • With 56 home runs and 79 steals this season, PSU is the only D1 team with 55+ homers and 59+ steals this season.
  • PSU is one of eight D1 teams (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, High Point, Kansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee) with eight players owning 4+ homers.
  • PSU and Georgia are the only teams in the country with five or more players with 5+ homers and 5+ steals.
  • Penn State has launched five grand slams, including two by Kling, one by Jesse Jaconski, one by Molinaro and one by Voss.
  • PSU is tied-sixth in the country with five grand slams this year.
  • The Nittany Lions are also 14th in the country in stolen bases per game (2.55), pacing the Big Ten, and 19th in total steals (79).
  • Penn State has 11 more steals than any other Big Ten team this season and is approaching its team record of 91 steals in 2000.
  • PSU is one of 27 D1 teams (only Big Ten team) with eight players owning 4+ steals.
  • Weingartner leads the Big Ten in total steals (22), sitting 17th in the country, and steals per game (0.71), holding 18th.
  • Weingartner’s 22 steals are tied-sixth in a season at PSU.
  • Wagner has 11 steals and Kling has nine.

 

SWEEP IN MINNESOTA

  • Penn State picked up a Big Ten road sweep over Minnesota.
  • The Nittany Lions earned a 10-4 win on Friday, a 5-2 victory on Saturday and a 15-10 win on Sunday.
  • PSU batted .314 in the series with 37 hits (nine doubles, two triples, nine homers), 30 runs and 28 RBI. PSU added seven steals.
  • Bryce Molinaro and Nate Voss each had two homers, while Voss drove in six runs.
  • Jesse Jaconski collected six hits, including two doubles and one homer, while Cole Wagner tallied six hits with a triple and a homer and five RBI.
  • On Friday, Ryan DeSanto fired six strong innings, allowing one run and striking out four.
  • Wagner contributed a two-run triple and two-run homer, while Jaconski added three hits, including a solo homer and an RBI double.
  • On Saturday, Mason Horwat tossed a career-high 6.1 innings, giving up two runs and recording four strikeouts.
  • Voss had a solo homer in the fourth and a go-ahead three-run double in the eighth.
  • On Sunday, Penn State launched six homers, including two by Molinaro.
  • Ryan Weingartner and Molinaro blasted homers in the second inning.
  • In the seventh, Joe Jaconski and Voss launched back-to-back homers.
  • In the eighth, Molinaro and Jack Porter hit back-to-back homers.
  • Logan Olson went three shutout innings in his start.