After a puzzling midweek loss versus Northern Kentucky that dropped Indiana to 6-7, the Hoosiers are set to begin Big Ten play with a three-game series at Penn State (9-1) beginning at noon Friday. Penn State burst onto the scene and made a run at the conference tournament title in Omaha last May. The Nittany Lions returned most of their offensive firepower and entered this year with NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Leading the way for second-year head man Mike Gambino is a trio of returners from Penn State’s 2024 squad that took Nebraska down to the wire in the Big Ten Tournament as the lowest-seeded team in the field. Infielders Joe Jaconski (.823 OPS, 10 RBIs) and Bryce Molinaro (.816 OPS, 12 RBI, 3 SB) and catcher Matt Maloney (.775 OPS, 8 RBI) are just a few names to watch in a lineup that is among the conference’s best.
LSU transfer outfielder Paxton Kling leads the Nittany Lions with six home runs and 13 RBIs while Boston College transfer outfielder Cohl Mercado’s .440 batting average paces the team by nearly 100 points. Penn State is tied for third in the conference with 20 home runs and ranks second in the league with 30 stolen bases while being caught stealing just four times as a team. It has struck out just 74 times, second-best in the conference behind Rutgers (66). These numbers tell the story — Penn State’s offense can do damage in a variety of ways and makes defenses work to record every out.
Saint Joseph’s transfer lefty Ryan DeSanto (12.2 IP, 2.84 ERA) and right-hander Mason Horwat (16 IP, 2.25 ERA) lead Penn State’s pitching staff, which gave Indiana all it could handle when the teams met in Bloomington last April. The Nittany Lions won the series opener in wire-to-wire fashion and were poised to clinch the series in game two before Indiana staged a miraculous comeback, erasing an 8-0 deficit and winning 10-9 on a walk-off wild pitch.
The Hoosiers ran away with the rubber match, taking a 12-3 victory behind a seven-RBI day from designated hitter Joey Brenczewski, who has established himself this season as one of Indiana’s best bats. When the sides last met in State College in 2023, Indiana dropped the series opener before sweeping a Sunday doubleheader to lock up the series. It won the series finale 22-11 — fans can expect similar fireworks this weekend if history is any indication.
It seems likely that Horwat and DeSanto will toe the rubber this weekend for Penn State and that Cole Gilley (13.1 IP, 4.05 ERA) and Gavin Seebold (13 IP, 6.23 ERA) will do so for Indiana, but a schedule change may force both teams to alter their pitching plans. Indiana is in a particularly tough spot after stretching its bullpen extremely thin. It played four games in DeLand, Florida last weekend and used eight different pitchers in Tuesday’s loss to Northern Kentucky.
This weekend’s series will be played in unique fashion — due to impending weather, the teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon Friday and close the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All the action will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and the IU Sports Radio Network.
