Nittany Lions Head to Evanston to Face Wildcats (Series Preview)

Penn State (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) at Northwestern (7-8, 0-0 Big Ten)

Dates: March 14-16

Times (EST): 4:00 PM (Fri), 2:00 PM (Sat), 1:30 PM (Sun)

Location: Rocky and Berenice Miller Park (Evanston, IL)

Coverage

• TV: BTN ($)

• Radio: LionVision/Bigfoot Country Legends (PSU)

• Live Stats/Pregame Lineups: StatBroadcast (PSU)

Storylines

Thrilling Bats Make History

The Nittany Lions defeated the Georgetown Hoyas by a score of 11-6 on Wednesday, splitting the two-game midweek set, but why is it significant? That was Penn State’s 10th game with double-digit runs in a game, the first time that happened in 15 games for the Nittany Lions since 1957. (Source: Penn State Baseball on X)

Head Coaching Position Endowed at NU

Wildcats head coach Ben Greenspan was honored with the Sidney and Mildred LaPidus Head Baseball Coach endowment on Thursday. Greenspan is in his second year of being the head coach at Northwestern. (Source: Northwestern University)

Numbers Tell The Story

Penn State	Offense	Northwestern
.298	Batting Average	.244
.418	On-Base Pct	.342
29 (1.93)	Home Runs (per game)	12 (0.80)
48-41-39	Run Splits (F-S-S)	13-24-27

Penn State	Defense	Northwestern
6.12	Earned Run Avg	6.22
.277	Opponent Batting Avg	.257
128 (8.53)	Strikeouts (per game)	95 (6.33)
70 (4.67)	Walks (per game)	72 (4.80)

Nittany Lions Slightly Lead Head-to-Head (Source: 2025 Penn State Baseball Record Book)

Penn State is 48-44 against Northwestern all-time. Penn State last played Northwestern from April 5-7, 2024, sweeping the Wildcats at home. Penn State is 16-24 against Northwestern on the road all-time. Penn State has won the last one series dating back to April 5-7, 2024. Northwestern last won a series over Penn State from April 9-10, 2022, taking two of three against the Nittany Lions at home.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Penn State (Starters)

1. LHP Ryan DeSanto, Jr. (3-0, 3.78 ERA)

2. LHP Matt Morash, So. (0-1, 6.30 ERA)

3. TBD

Penn State (In the Bullpen)

• LHP Anthony Steele, Sr. (7 app, 8.1 IP, 1.08 ERA, 1.48 WHIP)

• RHP Chase Renner, R-So. (6 app, 5.2 IP, 1.59 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)

• RHP Dimond Loosli, Jr. (5 app, 8.1 IP, 4.32 ERA, 1.48 WHIP)

Northwestern (Starters)

1. LHP Crawford Wade, Gr. (1-2, 5.95 ERA)

2. RHP Matthew Kouser, Fr. (2-1, 4.91 ERA)

3. TBD

Northwestern (In the Bullpen)

• LHP Blake MacMillan, Gr. (5 app, 3.77 ERA, 2 sv)

• RHP Jack Grunkemeyer, Fr. (5 app, 8.1 IP, 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP)

• LHP Alex Grant, Fr. (6 app, 12 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)

Top Hitters/Runners

Penn State (12.00|10.25|9.75 Runs per Game)

1. CF Paxton Kling, Jr. (.344|.442|.719, 7 hr, 23 rbi)

2. 3B Bryce Molinaro, R-So. (.300|.434|.550, 3 hr, 24 rbi)

3. SS Ryan Weingartner, Jr. (.293|.474|.586, 4 hr, 11 rbi, 13 sb)

Northwestern (4.33|4.80|5.40 Runs per Game)

1. DH/1B Trent Liolios, Jr. (.333|.442|.667, 4 hr, 11 rbi)

2. LF Preston Knott, Sr. (.293|.382|.534, 2 hr, 8 rbi)

3. C Bennett Markinson, Sr. (.222|.302|.444, 3 hr, 11 rbi)

Game Promotions (Rocky and Berenice Miller Park, Evanston, IL)

Friday: N/A

Saturday: N/A

Sunday: N/A

Quick Picks: Expert Analysis

Bryan: Penn State’s rotation was dealt a heavy blow following the potential loss of Horwat indefinitely. The Nittany Lions will still be able to rely on their bats to take two of three. Penn State 2, Northwestern 1.