Penn State baseball’s 2021 season is right around the corner, folks.

The Nittany Lions come into this year fresh off a 10-5 record in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. When the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Penn State was tied for the best record in the conference alongside Iowa and Maryland.

Although it was early in the season and Big Ten play hadn’t started yet, Penn State showed promise after struggling mightily over the past few years.

This season, the team will be led by an impressive pitching staff and a lineup filled with impact players. With the start of Penn State’s conference-only schedule just a week away, it’s time to take a look at the 2021 team.

According to the official 2021 roster, each player will keep their eligibility level from last season.

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. CF Johnny Piacentino R/R
2. 2B Gavin Homer R/R
3. 3B Justin Wiliams R/R
4. RF Curtis Robison L/L
5. C Matt Wood L/R
6. DH Parker Hendershot R/R
7. LF Ryan Ford R/R
8. 1B Cole Bartels R/R
9. SS Kris Kremer R/R

Penn State had the third-highest batting average and second-highest on-base percentage (OBP) in the conference last season in the 15 games it played.

The Nittany Lions are returning all but one starter to their lineup in 2021. Last year’s starting shortstop, Mac Hippenhammer, transferred to Miami (Ohio) in the offseason and is likely to be replaced by Kris Kremer, a veteran with experience at the position.

Center fielder Johnny Piacentino absolutely burst onto the scene last season as a true freshman. In 10 starts, he batted an absurd .400, had a team-leading 1.197 OPS, and hit two home runs, which tied for the most on the team. By the end of the season, Piacentino was already the team’s leadoff hitter, an impressive feat for a true freshman.

Despite hitting toward the bottom of the lineup, senior Gavin Homer was arguably Penn State’s best hitter last season. He had a .400 batting average and led the team with 18 hits and 17 RBIs. We see Homer getting bumped up to the second spot in the order this year due to his elite play last season.

Catcher Matt Wood, like Piacentino, played well as a true freshman in 2020, batting .314 with a .407 OBP. Justin Williams is primed for a breakout season after back-to-back solid seasons at third base, while Curtis Robison (.952 OPS in 2020), Parker Hendershot, Ryan Ford, and Cole Bartels should continue to be impactful players in the lineup.

Rotation

1. RHP Bailey Dees
2. RHP Conor Larkin
3. RHP Kyle Virbitsky
4. LHP Hutch Gagnon

Penn State’s pitching staff had the best ERA in the Big Ten last season at 2.16, which was over a run better than Northwestern at 3.31. That all started with the starting rotation, as these guys consecutively started strong.

The ace of the staff, Bailey Dees, owned a sparkling 1.88 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over five starts last season, striking out 27 batters in 28.2 innings pitched. For the Nittany Lions to be competitive facing a conference-only schedule, they’ll need Dees to continue that dominance.

Conor Larkin stepped up as the clear No. 2 in the rotation in 2020, as he posted a 1.69 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched. Kyle Virbitsky struggled at times but managed to pitch to a 4.02 ERA in 15.2 innings.

Hutch Gagnon is a bit of a wildcard heading into this season. He made two starts but also had two relief appearances last year while pitching to a 3.21 ERA. With the lack of established lefthanders in the Nittany Lions’ bullpen, we could see Gagnon going back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen once again.

Important Bullpen Arms

• LHP Tyler Shingledecker
• RHP Mason Mellott
• RHP Jared Freilich
• RHP Ralph Gambino
• RHP Logan Evans
• RHP Steven Miller
• RHP Braden Halladay

There’s only one way to describe Tyler Shingledecker’s 2020 season: absolutely filthy.

Shingledecker owned a ridiculous 0.64 ERA, 0.36 WHIP, and .067 batting average while striking out 20 batters in 14 innings. If the Nittany Lions can get anywhere close to that production in 2021, the bullpen should shape up quite nicely.

Junior Mason Mellott is another top arm in Penn State’s bullpen. He’s put together back-to-back seasons with an ERA under 2.45, proving to be as reliable as they come. After a disastrous 2019 season, Jared Freilich bounced back with a sweet 1.42 ERA in five appearances last year.

Ralph Gambino, Logan Evans, Stephen Miller, and Braden Halladay are four other pitchers who will presumably factor into the Nittany Lions’ bullpen. Halladay, of course, is the son of the late, great MLB Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.