Nittany Lions Head to College Park in Season Finale (Series Preview)

# 11 Penn State (23-23, 9-12 Big Ten) at # 6 Maryland (34-19, 10-11 Big Ten)

# denotes Big Ten Rank (See BP Baseball's Week 14 Power Rankings on Instagram).

Dates: May 16-18

Times: 6:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 2:00 PM

Coverage

• TV: BTN+ ($)

• Radio: LionVision (PSU) & Maryland Baseball Network (MD)

• Live Stats/Pregame Lineups: StatBroadcast (PSU) & SideArm Stats (MD)

Storylines

Medlar Magic Strikes Again

In the Nittany Lions' home finale of 2024, Penn State clawed back down 9-2 in the bottom of the 4th, and they eventually walked it off thanks to a walk-off opposite-field single by Joe Jaconski. In 2022, the Nittany Lions had an average of 566 fans per game, however this season that number has nearly tripled (~ 1,615 fans per game).

Hacopian Brothers Make an Impact

Junior Eddie and freshman Chris have spent their first seasons together in College Park at the top of the Terps' batting average category (.376 and .325). Freshman Chris has also tied Sam Hojnar for most home runs on the team with 14.

Numbers Tell The Story

Penn State	Offense	Maryland
.303	Batting Average	.273
.401	On-Base Pct	.387
60	Home Runs	68
94-92-114	Run Splits (F-S-S)	69-78-75

Penn State	Defense	Maryland
7.00	Earned Run Avg	5.55
.291	Opponent Batting Avg	.269
303	Strikeouts	371
236	Walks	242

Terps Hold Comfortable Lead (Source: Baseball History Penn State Athletics)

Penn State is 6-14 against Maryland since 2004. Penn State last played Maryland from May 18-20, 2023, taking one of three from the Terps at home (MD outscored PSU, 27-24). Penn State has never won a series against the Terps (since before 2004).

Probable Starting Pitchers

Penn State (Starters) [Weekend Starter ERA: 5.80]

1. RHP Travis Luensmann, Sr. (5-2, 4.78 ERA)

2. RHP Jaden Henline, Sr. (3-3, 6.50 ERA)

3. RHP Frankie Sanchez, Jr. (2-3, 7.41 ERA)

Penn State (In the Bullpen) [Weekend Bullpen ERA: 7.70]

• RHP Mason Horwat, Fr. (14 rel app, 44.2 IP, 5.04 ERA, 1.39 WHIP)

• LHP Anthony Steele, Jr. (22 app, 30 IP, 6.00 ERA, 1.43 WHIP)

• RHP Chic DeGaetano, Gr. (17 app, 15.1 IP, 8.22 ERA, 1.96 WHIP)

Maryland (Starters) [Weekend Starter ERA: 5.68]

1. LHP Omar Melendez, Jr. (5-1, 4.84 ERA)

2. RHP Logan Koester, R-Sr. (6-6, 6.06 ERA)

3. LHP Evan Smith, Fr. (1-1, 4.02 ERA)

Maryland (In the Bullpen) [Weekend Bullpen ERA: 4.86]

• RHP Logan Berrier, R-Sr. (19 app, 2.85 ERA, 7 sv)

• LHP Andrew Johnson, Jr. (13 app, 29 IP, 4.66 ERA, 1.41 WHIP)

• RHP Kenny Lippman, Gr. (7 rel app, 61.2 IP, 4.52 ERA, 1.44 WHIP)

Top Hitters/Runners

Penn State (7.23|7.08|9.50 Runs per Game)

1. DH/C J.T. Marr, Gr. (.418 avg, 6 hr, 46 rbi)

2. SS Grant Norris, Gr. (.286 avg, 14 hr, 42 rbi)

3. 3B Bryce Molinaro, R-Fr. (.333 avg, 9 hr, 37 rbi)

Maryland (5.31|6.00|5.77 Runs per Game)

1. 1B Eddie Hacopian, Jr. (.376 avg, 7 hr, 46 rbi)

2. 2B Sam Hojnar, R-Sr. (.279 avg, 14 hr, 54 rbi)

3. 3B Chris Hacopian, Fr. (.325 avg, 14 hr, 41 rbi)

Game Promotions (Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium, College Park, MD)

Thursday: Terrapin Club Day, Bob's Bingo

Friday: BLACKOUT, High School and Travel Team Day II

Saturday: Senior Day, Testudo Appearance, Autograph Action, Bob’s Base Running – Family Edition

Quick Picks: Expert Analysis

Bryan: Maryland is going to be one of the toughest tests of the season for the Nittany Lions. I think Penn State will give a good fight, but will only take one of three. Maryland 2, Penn State 1.