Nick Puccio was hired in July 2023 as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Penn State baseball program.
In 2024, Penn State posted a 29-24 overall record and 12-12 mark in Big Ten play. Penn State earned its first winning record in the regular season since 2016 (28-27) and maintained a .500 or better mark from the entire season for the first time since 2011 (32-22). The Blue and White notched its best record in Big Ten play since going 12-12 in 2016. The Nittany Lions finished with a Top-100 RPI for the first time since 2007.
Penn State reached the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game for the first time since 2000 and won three-straight games to open the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history.
The Nittany Lions’ tremendous Big Ten Tournament run, as the eighth seed, included wins over Illinois (8-4) and Michigan (9-5 and 7-6) before falling to No. 2 seed Nebraska, 2-1, in the championship game.
In the regular season, Penn State picked up Big Ten sweeps over Maryland and Northwestern, a series win over Rutgers and victories against Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State and Minnesota. PSU was 6-2 in Big Ten series openers.
Non-conference play included series wins over Stanford, Davidson, Harvard and UMass Lowell, while also earning two wins over Army and one over Monmouth on opening weekend and a win over Georgetown. Midweek wins included Pitt and FDU.
Adam Cecere (first team), J.T. Marr (first team) and Travis Luensmann (second team) were named American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region East Team. Penn State had three ABCA All-Region selections for the first time since 1973. The three selections were tied with Maryland for most in the Big Ten.
Cecere (second team) and Marr (second team), Bryce Molinaro (third team) earned All-Big Ten honors.
As a team, Penn State finished among the Top Five in the Big Ten in batting average (.306; 2nd), slugging percentage (.491; 2nd), sac flies (32; 2nd), double plays (46; 3rd), double plays per game (0.87; 3rd), doubles per game (2.08; 4th), home runs per game (1.34; 5th) and runs per game (7.6; 5th).
The Nittany Lions had seven players with 52+ hits and eight with 40+ hits, seven players with 37+ RBI, five with a .409+ on-base percentage and eight with a .425+ slugging percentage.
Penn State, Illinois and Indiana were the only Big Ten teams with seven players owning 37+ RBI and PSU was one of two Big Ten teams with seven players owning 52+ hits.
The Nittany Lions launched 71 homers, its most since hitting 91 in 1998. PSU’s 46 homers in Big Ten games were tied for most in the conference with Illinois.
Cecere (17), Grant Norris (14) and Molinaro (11) became Penn State’s first trio with 11+ homers in a season since 1999 (Shawn Fagan, 13; Dan Beers, 13; Chris Netwall, 12).
Marr posted incredible numbers, batting .416 with 92 hits (17 doubles, six homers), 54 RBI and 50 runs. His batting average never dipped below .408 in the entire 2024 season. Marr’s 92 hits are tied-second in a season at Penn State, while he ranks seventh in total bases (127), eighth in at-bats (221), doubles (17) and RBI (54).
Marr ranked second in the Big Ten in hits per game (1.74; 2nd nationally), batting average (.416; 5th), hits per game (92; 22nd), eighth in on-base percentage (.464) and 11th in OPS (1.039).
Cecere paced the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.676) and OPS (1.140), while holding second in walks per game (0.89; 49th nationally), third in home runs (17), home runs per game (0.32) and walks (47), fourth in on-base percentage (.474) and sixth in sac flies (5).
Cecere’s 47 walks are tied for a PSU season record and his 17 homers are tied-second in a season at Penn State. He also ranks sixth in a season in slugging percentage (.676), seventh in hit-by-pitches (10), eighth in total bases (125) and ninth in RBI (53).
Joe Jaconski ranked fifth in the Big Ten in walks (43) and Norris ranked ninth in homers (14). Norris’ 14 homers are sixth in a season at PSU, while Jaconski’s 43 walks are fourth.
Puccio served as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern from 2019-23. He helped Northeastern to three-straight seasons of 30+ wins, including 44 in 2023. The Huskies played in NCAA Regionals in 2021 and 2023, won CAA Titles in 2021 and 2023 and reached the CAA Championship Game in 2022.
During Puccio’s time at Northeastern, the Huskies had 21 All-CAA selections, 14 All-New England players, one CAA Player of the Year and three All-Americans. Northeastern had 10 players drafted or signed by MLB teams, including eight Top-20 round picks.
As recruiting coordinator, Puccio brought in four Top 100 classes, including the 53rd-ranked class in 2021.
Puccio's offense set or tied six individual offensive records and eight team marks in 2023. The Huskies had a program-best 44 wins thanks to an offensive explosion that saw a new record in runs scored at 459, due in part to 106 homers. Individually, the Huskies saw new season-best records from Danny Crossen, who reached base in 60 consecutive games and had a program-record 84 hits, Mike Sirota, who scored a program-best 73 runs in 2023, and Cam Maldonado, who broke the individual rookie home run mark with 13 long balls on the year. Puccio helped coach five all-CAA hitters, three All-Region bats, two All-American selections in 2023, with Mike Sirota making the ABCA/Rawlings Third Team, and Cam Maldonado making the Collegiate Baseball Freshman team.
In 2023, won games against Duke, UConn and Maryland. The Huskies led the CAA in hits (614), home runs (106), home runs per game (1.77), on-base percentage (.395), runs (459), runs per game (7.6), slugging percentage (.510), stolen bases (133), stolen bases per game (2.22), ERA (3.75), hits allowed per nine innings (8.46), shutouts (7), WHIP (.733) and fielding percentage (.977). Northeastern ranked third in the country in ERA, sixth in shutouts, seventh in walks allowed per nine innings (3.14), eighth in stolen bases, ninth in stolen bases per game and WHIP, 20th in home runs per game, 21st in home runs and 27th in slugging percentage and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The 2022 season saw another strong base-running season for the Huskies, who finished Top 20 in the country in stolen bases with 107. Outfielder Mike Sirota finished the season with CAA All-Rookie honors. The Huskies went 31-29-1, including a sweep at No. 8 NC State, a win at No. 18 Clemson and a win at No. 8 UConn. The Huskies reached the CAA Championship game.
In his third season with Northeastern in 2021, Puccio helped the Huskies to a CAA-best batting average of .295, which was ranked 31st in the nation. The Northeastern offense led the squad to its first-ever CAA Championship. Jared Dupere was named CAA Player of the Year with a .343 average, 21 homers and 50 RBI. Dupere went on to be named ABCA/Rawlings All-East first-team member and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 13th round. Outfielder Ben Malgeri was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 18th round. Max Viera was a CAA rookie team honoree and a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. Northeastern recorded 118 steals, good for fourth in the nation.
Puccio guided Ian Fair to a CAA batting title in 2019 with a .357 average as the Huskies finished third in the CAA in team batting average.
Puccio arrived at Northeastern after serving as the head coach at Nichols College. Puccio led a four-year transformation of the baseball program, elevating the Bison from their six-win, 2014 campaign to consecutive 20-win seasons during 2016 and 2017. Under his direction, Nichols enjoyed a record-breaking 2016 season, setting the school’s best all-time mark for single-season victories (24) while reaching the program’s first-ever ECAC Division III New England tournament.
During his five-year tenure at Nichols, Puccio produced 19 all-conference selections, three All-New England honorees and two professional players.
Before coaching the Bison, Puccio was the assistant coach at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., where he helped guide the Lyons to a pair of NCAA Division III tournament appearances (2012, 2013), including a trip to the 2012 College World Series championship game. While serving on Wheaton’s staff, Puccio helped develop 13 All-New England honorees, 13 All-NEWMAC selections and one All-America selection.
Between collegiate campaigns, Puccio spent the 2013 summer as hitting coach for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the CCBL, where he instructed 14 MLB Draft picks, including two first-round selections.
Puccio's coaching career began at Southeastern Iowa Community College in 2011. He served as the Blackhawks’ hitting coach, catching coach and recruiting coordinator.
Puccio graduated from Dean College in 2007 with his associate of arts degree in education and received his bachelor's of science degree in interdisciplinary studies from Fitchburg State in 2010, playing baseball at both schools.
Puccio and his wife, Samantha, have two sons, Chase and Clayton.