In just eight years at the helm of the Penn State baseball program, head coach Robbie Wine has anchored the Nittany Lions into one of the most consistent teams in the Big Ten. Wine, the school[apos]s 13th coach of all-time, has turned the school[apos]s first intercollegiate athletic squad into one that continues to reach new heights. The Lions have been deemed as one of the most progressive teams in the nation by various college baseball media.
In 2012, the Nittany Lions returned to the Big Ten Tournament, finishing third in the conference with a record of 15-9. It was Penn State[apos]s highest finish in the Big Ten since also finishing third in 2008. Penn State overcame a 3-14 start to the season, by finishing 26-13 to end the year 29-27.
In 2011, Penn State captured a Big Ten Tournament berth for the first time since 2008, after Wine led the squad to a 32-22 record and a 12-12 mark in conference play. The winning season was Penn State[apos]s first since 2007 and the 32-22 record was the Nittany Lions[apos] best since 2000.
In 2008, Wine became the first coach in school history to produce back-to-back top three finishes in the Big Ten. After a slow start to the season, the squad staged a dramatic rally to shut out Indiana and Iowa en route to 17 conference wins and the third seed in the proceeding tournament. From 2007-08, the Nittany Lions maintained a .600 winning percentage against Big Ten opposition.
Penn State followed those efforts with 25 more wins in 2009. It was the third straight season of at least 25 victories, one of only four Big Ten squads to do so. After a hot start, the Nittany Lions struggled down the stretch, but a number of bright spots included a win against 21st-ranked Minnesota in the season-finale which prevented the Golden Gophers from winning the Big Ten Regular Season Championship. Penn State also defeated eventual NCAA Tournament participants Indiana and Ohio State and took two-of-three from perennial power Michigan.
Wine has helped make Medlar Field at Lubrano Park one of the best atmospheres in college baseball. In 2012 the squad drew over 1,000 fans for two-thirds (14) of its home games. The Lions have impressed on the field as well, highlighted by a remarkable 18-4 home mark in 2012. In seven seasons, Penn State baseball has made Medlar Field at Lubrano Park [quote]one of college baseball[apos]s best stadiums.[quote]
Known and respected throughout both professional and collegiate baseball circles, Wine has used his connections to expand Penn State[apos]s recruiting reach. Traditionally known as a regional program, Wine has gradually made Penn State baseball into a nationally-known name. Penn State enters the 2013 season with players from 12 different states as well as one Canadian province. In addition to the 15 Pennsylvania natives, there are 20 student-athletes from across the continent. The roster includes four Californians, three Floridians, three Massachusetts residents, two Texas and Illinois natives, and one player from Minnesota, New York, Ohio Oklahoma, and Virginia.
Not only are some of the best prep and junior college talent signing with Penn State, but they are also performing while here. Three of Wine[apos]s players (pitchers Joe Kurrasch and John Walter and first baseman Jordan Steranka) were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2011, Wine also had a pitcher (Scott Kelley) and first baseman (Cory Wine) drafted into MLB. Penn State has seen 14 players selected from 2007-12, third most in the Big Ten in that span. In 2008, pitcher Drew O[apos]Neil was selected in the fourth round by the Chicago White Sox, becoming the highest Penn State draftee since Nate Bump went in the first round in 1998. He also marked just the second Penn Stater to be drafted in the top 10 rounds in the past 31 years. Before O[apos]Neil[apos]s selection, five players were selected in the 2007 draft, three coming in the first 14 rounds.
Wine has 28 years of playing and coaching experience at the college and professional levels. Prior to his first head coaching position, he was an assistant coach in charge of hitting and defense at his alma mater, Oklahoma State. During his tenure, the Cowboys won a Big 12 Tournament championship (2004), qualified for five NCAA Regionals, one Super Regional and a College World Series (1999). He also oversaw talent evaluation, recruiting and office administration. Scott Baker, Josh Fields, Scott Richmond and Luke Scott are among the various Major Leaguers coming from Oklahoma State during Wine[apos]s tenure.
Strong offenses have been known to follow Wine wherever he coaches. In his first season as head coach in 2005, the Nittany Lions hit nearly 50 points higher (.302-.255) than they had in 2004. Five different Penn State players hit over .300 to account for the incredible improvement. The Nittany Lions also had 73 more RBI (286-213), 92 more hits (546-454) and 81 more runs (318-237).
They followed the improvement with another strong season in 2006, batting .289 as a team with four different players hitting over .300 while five had slugging percentages of .400 or greater.
After four players hit .300 or better in 2007, three did so in 2008, led by Brian Ernst[apos]s team-leading .358 average. Four starters had on-base percentages of over .400 as Penn State drew 249 walks, 55 more than its opponents. The team mirrored the four-year average batting average (.292) under Wine, while improving to .294 in 2009. Four players finished with a .300 average or better, led by Jordan Steranka (.365) and Blake Lynd (.356).
During the 2010 campaign, Penn State[apos]s offense continued to serve as a bright spot. As a team, the Lions hit .298 with a .434 on-base percentage. Ben Heath led the way, hitting .369 while setting a new school record with 19 home runs. Freshmen Elliot Searer and Steve Snyder also eclipsed the .300 plateau, while sophomore Joey DeBernardis hit .354 with a team-high 75 base hits.
Most recently, Steranka left his mark in the record books under Wine[apos]s lead, posting a career batting average of .335 after batting .363 in the 2012 season. His career average is ninth best in program history, just ahead of Joey DeBernardis[apos] 10th-best .317. Steranka went on to break three Penn State records in 2012, notching 871 at-bats, 471 total bases and 59 career doubles. The first baseman also sits second in hits (292) and RBIs (183), third in runs (165) and fourth in home runs (32). Additionally, Sean Deegan topped the Penn State triples record with 15 after recording four in the 2012 season.
In Wine[apos]s final year at Oklahoma State, the Cowboy offense hit .312 and smashed 48 home runs en route to a 38-24 record and its first Big 12 Championship since the beginning of the Big 12 nearly a decade earlier. A year earlier, the offense led the conference in home runs with 77 while in 2000, the Cowboys were in the top three in the league in virtually every offensive category.
Wine led the 1999 Oklahoma State squad to the most runs scored (696) and third-most runs per game (10.39) en route to the College World Series. It also finished third nationally with 132 home runs and a .587 slugging percentage. That was an improvement from an already stellar offense in 1998 that finished 10th in the country with 9.52 runs per game. In his first year as assistant coach the previous season, the Cowboys hit .333 as a team and tied for first nationally with a .620 slugging percentage. They were also second in the country with 149 home runs (2.29/game), while averaging over 10 runs per contest.
Prior to returning to where it all began, Wine spent 15 years in the professional baseball ranks, eight as a player and six as a coach. He was the eighth overall selection of the 1983 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the second-highest pick in Oklahoma State history. Wine worked his way to the Major League level where he played for the Houston Astros for parts of the 1986 and 1987 seasons. After his playing days, he spent 1991 as a hitting, third base and defensive coach for the Miami Miracle of the Single-A Florida State League. He then worked for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1993-96 as part of their big league coaching staff and then as a roving catching instructor.
Wine was a two-time All-American catcher during his playing days at Oklahoma State. Playing for the legendary coach Gary Ward, Wine[apos]s teams made three College World Series appearances, including a second-place finish in 1981. He was inducted into the Oklahoma State Hall of Fame in 1993.
Wine brings a unique perspective as a former Major League Baseball player; he is currently one of just 13 NCAA Division I coaches out of nearly 300 programs that has played in the big leagues.
Born July 13, 1962 in Philadelphia, Robbie is the son of former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Bobby Wine, who has spent over 40 years in professional baseball and is currently an advanced scout for the Atlanta Braves. Robbie graduated from Methacton High School in Fairview Village, Pa. and went back to school while coaching at Oklahoma State to earn his bachelor[apos]s degree in 2002.
Wine resides in Boalsburg with his son Cory (25) and daughter Mackenzie (21). Cory graduated from Penn State in 2009 following a stellar four-year baseball career. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 38th round of June 2009[apos]s Major League Draft and later played for the Gulf Coast League Phillies.
CAREER FILE
| Year | School/Organization | Position | Overall | Conf./Finish | Notables |
| 1991 | Miami Miracle | Hitting/Third Base Coach | -- | -- | Florida State League |
| 1992-93 | Milwaukee Brewers | Bullpen Catching/Instructor | -- | -- | With the Major League Team |
| 1994-96 | Milwaukee Brewers | Roving Catching Instructor | -- | -- | Minor League Instructor |
| 1997 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 46-19 | 22-9/3rd | 2nd at NCAA Mideast Regional |
| 1998 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 40-21 | 14-12/6th | 3rd at NCAA Midwest Regional |
| 1999 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 46-21 | 18-9/4th | 7th at NCAA College World Series |
| 2000 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 36-22 | 14-13/6th | |
| 2001 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 42-22 | 16-14/5th | 2nd at NCAA New Orleans Regional |
| 2002 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 37-21 | 13-13/T-5th | |
| 2003 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 34-24 | 14-13/6th | |
| 2004 | Oklahoma State | Assistant Coach | 38-24 | 15-11/4th | Big 12 Tourney Champs; 3rd at NCAA Tallahassee Regional |
| 2005 | Penn State | Head Coach | 28-27 | 13-19/8th | 47-point improvement in team batting average |
| 2006 | Penn State | Head Coach | 20-36 | 13-19/T-7th | |
| 2007 | Penn State | Head Coach | 31-26 | 20-10/T-2nd | Nation[apos]s 10th best turnaround, school record Big Ten wins |
| 2008 | Penn State | Head Coach | 27-31 | 17-15/3rd | Finished in Big Ten[apos]s top three in back-to-back years |
| 2009 | Penn State | Head Coach | 25-26 | 8-16/8th | |
| 2010 | Penn State | Head Coach | 22-30 | 9-15/10th | |
| 2011 | Penn State | Head Coach | 32-22 | 12-12/6th | Big Ten Tournament |
| 2012 | Penn State | Head Coach | 29-27 | 15-9/6th | Big Ten Tournament |
Eight-Year Assistant Coaching Totals
Overall: 319-174 (.647)
Conference: 126-94 (.573)
Eight-Year Head Coaching Totals
Overall: 214-225 (.487)
Conference: 107-115 (.482)