UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State baseball team begins its Big Ten Tournament Presented by IFS.ai pool play on Wednesday, May 21. The No. 9 seed Nittany Lions will take on No. 5 seed Washington on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and No. 4 seed USC on Thursday at 3 p.m. The tournament is being played at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha with all games being broadcasted on Big Ten Network.

If Penn State advances to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, it would play on Saturday at 3 p.m. The championship game will be played on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Penn State, led by head coach Mike Gambino, is 31-22 this season (15-15 Big Ten) after earning a series win over Xavier. PSU reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2011.

Washington, coached by Eddie Smith, is 29-26 overall (17-13 Big Ten) after taking one of three games against USC on their final regular season weekend. It will be PSU’s first game against Washington since 1923.

USC, led by Andy Stankiewicz, is 34-20 this season (18-12 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions took one of three games in a series against USC earlier this season.

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.

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LEADING OFF

Penn State enters the Big Ten Tournament Presented by IFS.ai as the No. 9 seed, set to face No. 5 seed Washington and No. 4 seed USC.

The Nittany Lions finished the 2025 regular season with 31 wins after a series victory over Xavier. PSU reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2011.

PSU won five Big Ten series in a season for the first time since 2012 and won three Big Ten road series for the first time since 2012, while its 15 Big Ten wins are its most since 2012 (not counting a Big Ten-only schedule in 2021),

Penn State had a .500 or better record in Big Ten games in back-to-back seasons for the sixth time in program history.

PSU’s eight Big Ten road wins this season are its most since 2007 (9).

The Nittany Lions won their first three games in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, after entering as the 8-seed, knocking off Illinois (8-4) and Michigan twice (9-5, 7-6) before falling in the Big Ten Championship game against Nebraska (2-1).

Paxton Kling was named first-team All-Big Ten on Tuesday after leading the Nittany Lions in average (.340), hits (69), runs (60), home runs (13) and slugging percentage (.616). He was also named to the All-Defensive Team.

Jack Porter earned second-team honors, batting .310 with 10 homers and 38 RBI.

PSU has five players with 10+ homers for the first time in program history.

ALL-BIG TEN HONORS

Three Nittany Lions earned All-Big Ten honors on Tuesday.

Junior outfielder Paxton Kling was tabbed All-Big Ten first team and Big Ten All-Defensive team.

He is the 17th first-team All-Big Ten selection in program history.

In 2025, Kling leads PSU in batting average (.340), hits (69), runs (60), slugging percentage (.616) and OPS (1.065) while tying for the team high in homers (13).

Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Jack Porter was selected All-Big Ten second team.

Porter is batting .310 with 57 hits, 38 RBI and 44 runs in 2025.

He owns 14 doubles and 10 homers.

Graduate student Cole Wagner earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

In 2025, Wagner collected 38 hits, nine doubles, two triples, four homers, 27 RBI, 27 runs and 11 steals in 36 games.

YEAR TWO GROWTH UNDER GAMBINO

In 2025, Penn State has reached 30 wins in a season for the first time since 2011, while earning seven series wins and nine winning weekends.

PSU’s 15 Big Ten wins this season are its most since 2012.

With its series win at Rutgers, the Nittany Lions won two Big Ten road series (at Northwestern, at Minnesota, at Rutgers) in a season for the first time since 2012 (at Iowa, at Minnesota, at Michigan State).

With its series win against Rutgers, Penn State has won at least five Big Ten series in a season (vs. Indiana, at Northwestern, at Minnesota, vs. Purdue) for the first time since 2012.

With two wins at Rutgers, PSU owns eight Big Ten road wins this season, its most since winning nine Big Ten road games in 2007.

Penn State has earned a .500 or better record in Big Ten games in back-to-back seasons for the sixth time in program history (1995-96; 2000-01; 2003-04; 2007-08; 2011-12; 2024-25).

Penn State’s 27 wins in Big Ten play over the last two seasons are its most in a two-year span since 2011-12 (not counting the Big Ten-only schedule in 2021).

PSU is 11-3 in series/weekend openers this season and 22-6 in series/weekend openers over the last two years.

In non-conference action, Penn State earned a win over Missouri in its season opener, its first win over an SEC team since 1995, a 3-2 victory over No. 17 West Virginia and a series win over Xavier, a Top 50 RPI team.

NITTANY LIONS DISPLAY POWER, SPEED

Through 53 games, Penn State has slugged 77 home runs.

The Nittany Lions have tallied 10+ runs in 23 games this season, tied for eighth in the country, and 23 times in Big Ten games. PSU’s 23 games of 10+ runs set a new program record, bettering 2000 (22).

Paxton Kling and Bryce Molinaro lead the Nittany Lions with 13 homers, while Jesse Jaconski has 11 and Jack Porter and Ryan Weingartner have 10 each.

Penn State has five players with 10+ homers in a season for the first time in program history. PSU’s last time with four players with 10+ homers was 1999 (Dan Beers, 13; Shawn Fagan, 13; Chris Netwall, 12; Eric Spadt, 10).

Penn State has at least three players with 10+ homers for the second-straight season.

Kling is the only Big Ten player with 13+ HR and 14+ SB this year and the first Nittany Lion with 12+ HR and 14+ SB since Sean Deegan (12 HR, 14 SB) in 2011.

Nate Voss has eight homers, while Joe Jaconski has six, Cole Wagner has four and Matt Maloney has three.

Molinaro is the first Nittany Lion with back-to-back 10+ homer seasons since Sean Deegan (12 HR in 2011; 11 HR in 2012).

Molinaro’s 58 RBI are tied for third in a season at PSU.

With 77 home runs and 106 steals this season, PSU is one of seven D1 teams with 77+ homers and 105+ steals this season.

Penn State has seven players owning 6+ homers and is one of 12 D1 teams, and joins Maryland and Oregon among Big Ten teams, with five players owning 10+ homers.

PSU is the only team in the country with seven or more players with 6+ homers and 6+ steals.

Penn State has launched six grand slams, including two by Kling, one by Jesse Jaconski, one by Molinaro, one by Voss and one by Weingartner, tying for 14th in the country.

The Nittany Lions pace the Big Ten in total steals (106; 41st nationally) and steals per game (2.00; 45th).

Penn State has 10 more steals than any other Big Ten team this season and broke team record of 91 steals in 2000.

PSU has nine players owning 6+ steals.

Weingartner leads the Big Ten in total steals (30), sitting 35th in the country, and steals per game (0.57), holding 44th.

Weingartner’s 30 steals are a PSU program season record, topping the previous record held by Michael Campo (27; 1999) and Kyle Hannon (27; 2023).

Weingartner is one of six players in Division I this season with 10+ homers and 30+ stolen bases.

Kling has 14 steals, Wagner has 11 and Joe Jaconski has 11.

Penn State has four players with 10+ steals in a season for the first time since 1994 (Dave Hall, 13; Lance Rathmell, 12; Ryan Wheeler, 11; Kirk Rentschler, 10).

HAGENMAN MAKES MLB DEBUT

Former Nittany Lion Justin Hagenman made his Major League baseball debut for the New York Mets on Wednesday, April 16.

After entering the game in the second inning, against the Minnesota Twins, Hagenmen went 3.1 innings. He was charged with one run on three hits, while striking out four.

Hagenman notched two strikeouts in the first inning, including a punch out against the first batter he faced, the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers.

He is the 24th Penn State player to appear in a MLB game and the first since Nate Bump in 2005.

After being selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 23rd round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Hagenman’s professional baseball journey includes stops with the Ogden Raptors (2018), Great Lakes Loons (2018-19), Tulsa Drillers (2021-22), Oklahoma City Dodgers (2022-23), Worchester Red Sox (2023-24) and Syracuse Mets (2025).

Hagenman was traded from the Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox in July 2023 and signed with the Mets in November 2024.

In his minor league career, Hagenman is 32-16 with 22 saves and a 3.95 ERA in 203 appearances (27 starts) and 433 strikeouts in 419.1 innings.

He was a three-year starter at Penn State from 2016-18, posting a 4.64 ERA, 10 wins and 190 strikeouts. He is fourth all-time at PSU with 42 career starts.

DOLLAR DOG NIGHT

The Nittany Lions hosted their sixth and final Dollar Dog Night of the 2025 season against West Virginia on April 22.

Penn State set records for attendance (6,106) and hot dogs consumed (12,112).

PSU fans have consumed 39,324 hot dogs over six Dollar Dog Nights this year, an average of 6,554 hot dogs.

Penn State’s first five Dollar Dog Night totals of 2025: vs. FDU (5,960), vs. St. Bonaventure (7,506), vs. Pitt (6,733), vs. Bucknell (4,429) and vs. Delaware (2,584).

Across 15 Dollar Dog Nights in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Penn State fans have consumed 74,501 hot dogs, averaging 4,967 per Dollar Dog Night.

XAVIER SERIES RECAP

The Nittany Lions picked up a series win over the Musketeers with a 7-1 win on Thursday and a 7-6 victory on Friday.

Matt Maloney led the Nittany Lions at the plate, going 8-of-12 with three doubles, two homers, five RBI and two runs.

Paxton Kling added three hits, including a homer, four RBI and five runs.

On Thursday, Maloney contributed four hits, including a two-run double.

On the mound, the Nittany Lions, led by Ryan DeSanto’s start, held Xavier to four hits, no earned runs, and recorded 10 strikeouts. PSU started the game by tossing 4.1 no-hit innings.

On Friday, Maloney launched a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth. Kling added a two-run homer and three runs, while Jesse Jaconski contributed three hits and four RBI.

Matthew VanOstenbridge earned the win, tossing three innings, giving up one run and securing three strikeouts. Will Andrews finished the game with two shutout frames.

On Sunday, Maloney continued his strong weekend with a solo homer and an RBI double.