Penn State Nittany Lions baseball

The Penn State Nittany Lions baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and are members of the Big Ten Conference.

Penn State Nittany Lions baseball
2025 Penn State Nittany Lions baseball team
Conference history	Atlantic 10 (1983–1991)
University	Pennsylvania State University
Athletic director	Patrick Kraft
Head coach	Mike Gambino (2nd season)
Conference	Big Ten
Location	University Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Home stadium	Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (Capacity: 5,570)
Nickname	Nittany Lions
Colors	Blue and white[1]
College World Series runner-up
1957
College World Series appearances
1952, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1973
NCAA regional champions
2000
NCAA tournament appearances
1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 2000
Conference regular season champions
1996

History

Penn State has played baseball continuously since 1893.^{[citation needed]} The Nittany Lions currently play their home games at 5,570-seat Medlar Field, a facility that opened in 2006 and that they share with the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League.

After spending most of their history as an Independent, the Nittany Lions joined the Atlantic 10 Conference ahead of the 1983 season. In 1989, Penn State announced plans to join the Big Ten Conference for all sports, beginning baseball play in the Big Ten in 1992.^[2] Since joining the conference, Penn State won the 1996 regular season title and has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game twice, most recently in 2024.

Throughout its history, Penn State has played in 17 NCAA baseball tournaments, advancing to the College World Series 5 times, and finishing as runners-up to California in 1957. Penn State's most recent College World Series appearance came in 1973 while its most recent NCAA tournament berth came in 2000, when the Nittany Lions won the Rutgers-hosted Montclair Regional before falling to Texas in the Austin Super Regional.

The Nittany Lions have been coached by Mike Gambino since the 2024 season.

Penn State in the NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Division I baseball tournament started in 1947. The Nittany Lions have played in 17 tournaments and advanced to the College World Series in 1952, 1957, 1959, 1963, and 1973, finishing as the runners-up to California in 1957.

Year	Record	Pct	Notes
1952	2–2	.500	College World Series, 3rd place
1955	0-1	.000	Lost in District 2 Semifinals
1956	0-1	.000	Lost in District 2 Semifinals
1957	5–2	.714	College World Series, 2nd place
1958	0–1	.000	Lost in District 2 Semifinals
1959	4–2	.667	College World Series, 3rd place
1962	0–1	.000	Lost in District 2 Semifinals
1963	3–2	.600	College World Series, 5th place
1967	1–2	.333	District 2 Semifinals
1970	1-2	.333	District 2 Semifinals
1971	1-2	.333	District 2 Semifinals
1972	2–2	.500	District 2 Finals
1973	3–2	.600	College World Series, 7th place
1974	0-2	.000	District 2 Semifinals
1975	1–2	.333	Mideast Regional
1976	0–2	.000	Northeast Regional
2000	4–3	.571	Austin Super Regional
TOTALS	27–31	.466

College World Series

Penn State baseball has appeared in the College World Series five times. Its best result was runner-up in 1957.^[3][4]

Championship Results

College World Series^[3][4]

Year	Rank
1952	4
1957	2
1959	4
1963	6
1973	8

Super Regionals^[4]

Year	Rank
2000	2

Regionals^[4]

Year	Rank
2000	1
1976	5
1975	3
1975	4
1974	4
1973	1
1972	2
1971	3
1970	3
1967	3
1963	1
1962	3
1959	1
1958	3
1957	1
1956	3
1955	3

All-Time Scores

• 1952 (2-2)
  • Penn State. 5, Texas 3
  • Penn State 12, Duke 7
  • Missouri 3, Penn State 2
  • Holy Cross 15, Penn State 4
• 1957 (3-2)
  • Penn State 7, Florida State 0
  • Penn State 4, Texas 1
  • California 8, Penn State 0
  • Penn State 5, Notre Dame 4
  • California 1, Penn State 0
• 1959 (2-2)
  • Penn State 5, Connecticut 3
  • Oklahoma State 8, Penn State 6
  • Penn St. 7, Clemson 0
  • Oklahoma State 4, Penn State 3
• 1963 (1-2)
  • Arizona 8, Penn State 1
  • Penn State 3, Western Michigan 0
  • Texas 6, Penn State 4 (10 innings)
• 1973 (0-2)
  • Arizona State 3, Penn State 1
  • Oklahoma 6, Penn State 0

^[3]

Awards

Jace Diesing Sr. Most Outstanding Player Award

• 1957: Cal Emery

^[3]

Season by Season Result

Season	League	Conference	Head Coach	Conference Results			Regular Season			Conference Results	NCAA Tournament
				Wins	Losses	Ties	Wins	Losses	Ties
Penn State Nittany Lions
1952	NCAA	Independent	Joe Bedenk				15	4	0		CWS, 3rd place
1955	NCAA	Independent									District 2 Semifinals
1956	NCAA	Independent									District 2 Semifinals
1957	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	19	0	0		District 2 Champions CWS, 2nd place
1958	NCAA	Independent									District 2 Semifinals
1959	NCAA	Independent					15	4	0		District 2 Champions CWS, 3rd place
1962	NCAA	Independent									District 2 Semifinals
1963	NCAA	Independent	Chuck Medlar				13	4	0		District 2 Champions CWS, 5th place
1965	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	0	0	0
1966	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	15	8	0
1967	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	16	8	1		District 2 Semifinals
1968	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	10	12	0
1969	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	14	8	0
1970	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	17	8	0		District 2 Semifinals
1971	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	15	6	0		District 2 Semifinals
1972	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	18	5	1		District 2 Finals
1973	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	19	7	0		District 2 Champions CWS, 7th place
1974	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	18	6	1		District 2 Semifinals
1975	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	22	9	0		Mideast Regional
1976	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	18	8	0		Northeast Regional
1977	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	18	6	0
1978	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	17	6	2
1979	NCAA	Eastern 8		0	0	0	20	5	0	5 Seed, 2-1
1980	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	17	7	0
1981	NCAA	Independent		0	0	0	17	12	0
1982	NCAA	Independent	Shorty Stoner	0	0	0	17	11	0
1983	NCAA	Atlantic 10		9	1	0	16	23	0	1 Seed West Division, 0-2, Lost to Temple in Title Game
1984	NCAA	Atlantic 10		9	5	0	24	17	0	2 Seed West Division, 1-2, Lost to Temple in Lower Final
1985	NCAA	Atlantic 10		11	4	0	32	14	0	2 Seed West Division, 1-2, Lost to West Virginia in Lower Final
1986	NCAA	Atlantic 10		8	7	0	29	19	0	3 Seed West Division (Did not Qualify)
1987	NCAA	Atlantic 10		12	6	0	29	19	0	2 Seed West Division, 0-2, Lost to UMass in Lower Round 1
1988	NCAA	Atlantic 10		9	8	0	24	26	0	3 Seed West Division (Did not Qualify)
1989	NCAA	Atlantic 10		12	4	0	23	19	1	2 Seed West Division, 0-2, Lost to GWU in Lower Round 1
1990	NCAA	Atlantic 10		6	10	0	22	23	0	4 Seed West Division (Did not Qualify)
1991	NCAA	Atlantic 10	Joe Hindelang	14	6	0	25	20	0	1 Seed West Division, 1-2, Lost to Rutgers in Lower Final
1992	NCAA	Big Ten		11	17	0	24	24	0	8 Seed (Did not Qualify)
1993	NCAA	Big Ten		5	23	0	15	28	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
1994	NCAA	Big Ten		12	15	0	25	24	0	6 Seed (Did not Qualify)
1995	NCAA	Big Ten		13	13	0	25	29	0	5 Seed (Did not Qualify)
1996	NCAA	Big Ten		19	8	0	32	24	0	1 Seed, 1-2, Eliminated by Illinois in Lower Final
1997	NCAA	Big Ten		12	14	0	29	24	0	6 Seed (Did not Qualify)
1998	NCAA	Big Ten		15	11	0	28	24	0	4 Seed, 1-2, Eliminated by Illinois in Lower Final
1999	NCAA	Big Ten		12	15	0	32	23	0	6 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2000	NCAA	Big Ten		18	9	0	41	17	0	2 Seed, 3-2, Eliminated by Illinois in Final	Montclair Regional Champions Austin Super Regional
2001	NCAA	Big Ten		15	11	0	29	29	0	4 Seed, 1-2, Eliminated by Michigan in Third Round
2002	NCAA	Big Ten		11	19	0	23	30	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2003	NCAA	Big Ten		17	15	0	29	28	0	4 Seed, 3-2, Eliminated by Ohio State in Lower Final
2004	NCAA	Big Ten		17	15	0	28	29	0	6 Seed, 0-2, Eliminated by Michigan State in Lower Round 1
2005	NCAA	Big Ten	Robbie Wine	13	19	0	28	27	0	8 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2006	NCAA	Big Ten		13	19	0	26	30	0	8 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2007	NCAA	Big Ten		20	10	0	31	26	0	3 Seed, 3-2, Eliminated by Minnesota in Lower Final
2008	NCAA	Big Ten		17	15	0	27	31	0	3 Seed, 1-2, Eliminated by Indiana in Lower Round 3
2009	NCAA	Big Ten		8	16	0	25	26	0	8 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2010	NCAA	Big Ten		9	15	0	22	30	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2011	NCAA	Big Ten		12	12	0	32	22	0	6 Seed, 0-2, Eliminated by Minnesota in Lower Round 1
2012	NCAA	Big Ten		15	9	0	29	27	0	3 Seed, 0-2, Eliminated by Nebraska in Lower Round 1
2013	NCAA	Big Ten		4	20	0	14	36	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2014	NCAA	Big Ten	Rob Cooper	5	18	0	18	32	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2015	NCAA	Big Ten		6	16	0	18	30	0	12 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2016	NCAA	Big Ten		12	12	0	28	27	0	10 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2017	NCAA	Big Ten		4	20	0	18	37	0	13 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2018	NCAA	Big Ten		3	21	0	15	34	0	13 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2019	NCAA	Big Ten		4	18	0	22	27	0	13 Seed (Did not Qualify)
2020	NCAA	Big Ten		0	0	0	10	5	0	Was not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	NCAA	Big Ten		18	24	0	18	24	0	Was not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022	NCAA	Big Ten		26	29	0	11	13	0	6 Seed, 1-2, Eliminated by Rutgers in Second Round
2023	NCAA	Big Ten		7	16	0	25	25	0	12 Seed, (Did not Qualify)
2024	NCAA	Big Ten	Mike Gambino	12	12	0	29	24	0	7 Seed, 3-1, Lost to Nebraska in Big Ten Championship game
Total				475	557	0	1380	1190	6	Final Standings, Tournament Record, Final Game

Shutouts

• 1957: Ed Drapcho, Penn St. vs. Florida St., 6-8-57 (7-0)
• 1959: Ron Riese, Penn St. vs. Clemson, 6-15-59 (7-0)
• 1963: Dick Noe, Penn St. vs. Western Mich., 6-11-63 (3-0)

^[3]

Notable alumni

To date Penn State has had 89 players drafted and has been the alma mater to 24 MLB Players

Statistical Leaders

Batting

Source:^[5]

Games Played

Career Rank Player Games Years 1 Mike Campo 219 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Cory Wine 218 2006 2007 2008 2009 3 Chris Netwall 214 1998 1999 2000 2001 4 Jordan Steranka 210 2009 2010 2011 2012 5 Mike Milliron 208 2002 2003 2004 2005 6 Adam Beers 205 1995 1996 1997 1998 7 Eric Spadt 204 1997 1998 1999 2000 8 Shawn Fagan 203 1997 1998 1999 2000 9 Chris Wright 202 1999 2000 2001 2002 10 Brian Ernst 201 2005 2006 2007 2008

Single season Rank Player Games Year 1 Mike Campo 64 2000 Shawn Fagan 64 2000 Zach Smithlin 64 2000 4 Eric Spadt 63 2000 5 Chris Netwall 59 2000 6 Chris Wright 58 2001 Zach Smithlin 58 2001 Brian Ernst 58 2008 Cory Wine 58 2008 Rick Marlin 58 2008

At Bats

Career Rank Player At Bats Years 1 Jordan Steranka 867 2009 2010 2011 2012 2 Cory Wine 799 2006 2007 2008 2009 3 Mike Campo 791 1997 1998 1999 2000 4 Steve Snyder 766 2010 2012 2013 2014 5 Brian Ernst 738 2005 2006 2007 2008 6 Shawn Fagan 700 1997 1998 1999 2000 7 Sean Deegan 694 2009 2010 2011 2012 8 Elliot Searer 682 2010 2011 2012 2013 9 Chris Netwall 680 1998 1999 2000 2001 10 Mike Milliron 678 2002 2003 2004 2005

Single season Rank Player At Bats Year 1 Mike Campo 261 2000 2 Shawn Fagan 244 2000 3 Jordan Steranka 236 2010 4 Matt Cavagnaro 233 2007 Sean Deegan 233 2012 6 Jordan Steranka 222 2012 Sean Deegan 222 2011 8 Joe Blackburn 219 2007 Jim Haley 219 2016 10 Brian Ernst 218 2008 Sean Deegan 218 2010

Runs Scored

Career Rank Player Runs Scored Years 1 Mike Campo 282 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Shawn Fagan 188 1997 1998 1999 2000 3 Jordan Steranka 165 2009 2010 2011 2012 4 Eric Spadt 157 1997 1998 1999 2000 5 Chris Netwall 153 1998 1999 2000 2001 6 Kevin Billotte 146 1995 1996 1997 1998 7 Chris Wright 141 1999 2000 2001 2002 8 Mike Milliron 139 2002 2003 2004 2005 9 Derek Bochna 135 1992 1993 1994 1995 10 Sean Deegan 132 2009 2010 2011 2012

Single season Rank Player Runs Scored Year 1 Mike Campo 83 2000 2 Shawn Fagan 72 2000 3 Mike Campo 63 1999 4 Matthew Wood 55 2022 5 Eric Spadt 54 2000 Sean Deegan 54 2011 7 Kevin Billotte 53 1998 Ben Heath 53 2010 9 Shawn Fagan 52 1998 Mike Derenzo 52 2002

Hits

Career Rank Player Hits Years 1 Mike Campo 295 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Jordan Steranka 292 2009 2010 2011 2012 3 Shawn Fagan 251 1997 1998 1999 2000 4 Brian Ernst 234 2005 2006 2007 2008 5 Cory Wine 228 2006 2007 2008 2009 6 Steve Snyder 224 2010 2012 2013 2014 7 Chris Netwall 218 1998 1999 2000 2001 Chris Wright 218 1999 2000 2001 2002 9 Lance Thompson 216 2003 2004 2005 2006 10 Jared Sadlowski 212 1994 1995 1996 1997

Single season Rank Player Hits Year 1 Mike Campo 111 2000 2 Shawn Fagan 92 2000 3 Jordan Steranka 82 2012 4 Matt Cavagnaro 78 2007 Brian Ernst 78 2008 6 Lance Thompson 77 2006 7 Joe Blckburn 76 2007 8 Wes Reohr 75 2002 Joey DeBernardis 75 2010 Matthew Wood 75 2022

Doubles

Career Rank Player Doubles Years 1 Chris Wright 59 1999 2000 2001 2002 Jordan Steranka 59 2009 2010 2011 2012 3 Joey DeBernardis 54 2009 2010 2011 2012 4 Mike Campo 53 1997 1998 1999 2000 5 Jared Sadlowski 50 1994 1995 1996 1997 6 Lance Thompson 47 2003 2004 2005 2006 7 Cory Wine 44 2006 2007 2008 2009 8 Dave Hall 39 1991 1992 1993 1994 Chris Netwall 39 1998 1999 2000 2001 Brian Ernst 39 2005 2006 2007 2008

Single season Rank Player Doubles Year 1 Mike Campo 24 2000 Joey DeBernardis 24 2011 3 Chris Wright 23 2000 4 Jordan Steranka 20 2012 Dave Hall 20 1992 6 Dan Beers 19 1999 7 Sean Deegan 18 2011 8 Paul Komorowski 17 1988 Chris Wright 17 2001 Josh Spiegel 17 2022

Triples

Career Rank Player Triples Years 1 Sean Deegan 15 2009 2010 2011 2012 2 Kevin Billotte 13 1995 1996 1997 1998 3 Mike Campo 12 1997 1998 1999 2000 Jordan Steranka 12 2009 2010 2011 2012 5 Russ Mushinsky 10 1989 1990 1991 Mike Derenzo 10 1999 2001 2002 2003 7 Shawn Fagan 9 1997 1998 1999 2000 Cory Wine 9 2006 2007 2008 2009 9 Lance Thompson 8 2003 2004 2005 2006 Joe Blackburn 8 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Joey DeBernardis 8 2009 2010 2011 2012 Steve Snyder 8 2010 2012 2013 2014 Greg Guers 8 2014 2015 2016

Single season Rank Player Triples Year 1 Kevin Billotte 6 1995 2 Russ Mushinksky 5 1990 Mike Campo 5 2000 Joe Blackburn 5 2007 Sean Deegan 5 2010 Sean Deegan 5 2011 Jordan Steranka 5 2011

Homeruns

Career Rank Player Homeruns Years 1 Shawn Fagan 43 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Chris Netwall 34 1998 1999 2000 2001 3 Dan Beers 33 1997 1998 1999 4 Jordan Steranka 32 2009 2010 2011 2012 5 Mike Campo 30 1997 1998 1999 2000 Chris Wright 30 1999 2000 2001 2002 7 Eric Spadt 29 1997 1998 1999 2000 8 Derek Bochna 28 1992 1993 1994 1995 9 Sean Deegan 26 2009 2010 2011 2012 10 Carl Albrecht 25 1995 1996 1997

Single season Rank Player Homeruns Year 1 Ben Heath 19 2010 2 David Simononis 17 1978 3 Dan Beers 16 1998 4 Shawn Fagan 15 2000 5 Adam Beers 13 1998 Dan Beers 13 1999 Shawn Fagan 13 1999 Chris Wright 13 2001 9 Jared Sadlowski 12 1997 Shawn Fagan 12 1998 Chris Netwall 12 1999 Sean Deegan 12 2011 Matthew Wood 12 2022

Runs Batted In (RBI)

Career Rank Player RBI Years 1 Shawn Fagan 198 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Jordan Steranka 183 2009 2010 2011 2012 3 Chris Wright 176 1999 2000 2001 2002 4 Mike Campo 152 1997 1998 1999 2000 5 Chris Netwall 137 1998 1999 2000 2001 6 Dan Beers 128 1997 1998 1999 Eric Spadt 128 1997 1998 1999 2000 Cory Wine 128 2006 2007 2008 2009 9 Jared Sadlowski 124 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 10 Lance Thompson 121 2003 2004 2005 2006

Single season Rank Player RBI Year 1 Shawn Fagan 80 2000 2 Dan Beers 60 1998 3 Chris Wright 58 2000 4 Ben Heath 57 2010 Jordan Steranka 57 2011 6 Chris Wright 56 2001 Robert Yodice 56 2008 8 Shawn Fagan 53 1999 Matthew Wood 53 2022 10 Carl Albrecht 52 1997

Stolen Bases

Career Rank Player Steals Years 1 Zach Smithlin 62 2000 2001 2002 2003 2 Mike Campo 57 1997 1998 1999 2000 3 Sean Deegan 41 2009 2010 2011 2012 4 Kevin Billotte 39 1995 1996 1997 1998 5 Derek Bochna 35 1992 1993 1994 1995 Blake Lynd 35 2009 2010 2011 Steve Snyder 35 2010 2012 2013 2014 Greg Guers 35 2014 2015 2016 9 Ryan Wheeler 34 1991 1992 1993 1994 Shawn Fagan 34 1997 1998 1999 2000

Single season Rank Player Steals Year 1 Mike Campo 27 1999 Kyle Hannon 27 2023 3 Rod Perry 24 2001 Zach Smithlin 24 2003 Sean Deegan 24 2010 6 Blake Lynd 22 2009 7 O.J. McDuffie 20 1990 Mike Campo 20 2000 Greg Guers 20 2016 10 Ray Lopez 17 1991

Caught Stealing

Career Rank Player Caught Steals Years 1 Steve Snyder 22 2010 2012 2013 2014 2 Mike Milliron 17 2002 2003 2004 2005 3 Kevin Billotte 15 1995 1996 1997 1998 4 Derek Bochna 14 1992 1993 1994 1995 5 Ryan Wheeler 13 1991 1992 1993 1994 Chris Netwall 13 1998 1999 2000 2001 7 Kirk Rentschler 12 1992 1993 1994 1995 Shawn Fagan 12 1997 1998 1999 2000 9 Ray Werner 11 1995 1996 Zach Smithlin 11 2000 2001 2002 2003 Blake Lynd 11 2009 2010 2011 Jim Haley 11 2014 2015 2016

Single season Rank Player Caught Steals Year 1 Steve Snyder 10 2013 2 Blake Lynd 9 2009 3 Ray Werner 8 1995 4 Lance Rathmell 7 1994 Kevin Billotte 7 1995 Mike Milliron 7 2005 7 Russ Mushinsky 6 1991 Eric Spadt 6 1999 Rod Perry 6 2001 Brian Ernst 6 2007 Curtis Robison 6 2021

Walks

Career Rank Player Walks Years 1 Shawn Fagan 126 1997 1998 1999 2000 2 Eric Spadt 112 1997 1998 1999 2000 3 Ryan Wheeler 106 1991 1992 1993 1994 4 Kevin Billotte 104 1995 1996 1997 1998 5 James Coates 103 2013 2014 2015 2016 6 Chris Wright 101 1999 2000 2001 2002 7 Mike Campo 90 1997 1998 1999 2000 8 Donnie Wright 87 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 9 Chris Netwall 86 1998 1999 2000 2001 10 Cory Wine 85 2006 2007 2008 2009

Single season Rank Player Walks Year 1 Eric Spadt 47 2000 2 Shawn Fagan 46 1999 3 Shawn Fagan 39 2000 Landon Kakata 39 2008 5 James Coates 37 2016 6 Scott Gummo 36 2006 Matthew Wood 36 2022 8 Ryan Wheeler 35 1994 Mike Milliron 35 2004 10 Chris Wrigth 34 2001 Wes Borden 34 2008