Penn State Baseball Sweeps Opponents In Fall Games
Penn State baseball previewed its 2026 season by participating in six fall games this October. The Nittany Lions swept these games, showing off their hitting and pitching talent throughout.
This upcoming season marks the first in blue and white for 21 players, including 12 freshmen and nine transfer players. In addition, 18 members from last season’s squad, Bryce Molinaro, Jesse Jaconski, and Jack Porter, return for another season with the Nittany Lions.
Villanova
In game one, Penn State came out swinging. In the second inning, a single from Spencer Barnett, as well as walks by Michael Anderson and Nate Voss, loaded the bases, allowing Justin Turcovski’s sacrifice fly to center field to score Barnett.
Once the bases were reloaded, Cohl Mercado’s single scored Anderson, and Voss scored on a throwing error to put the Nittany Lions up 3-0.
In the fourth inning, Villanova fought back, scoring on a bases-loaded walk. A two-run single by Jojo Montgomery brought home two, before a sacrifice fly allowed the team to tie the game at four runs.
While Villanova led in the fifth inning, Penn State came back with a run-scoring triple from Mercado, and RBI singles from Molinaro and Maddox McDonald. The Nittany Lions won the first game 7-5.
In game two, Penn State scored the first two runs of the game in the second inning. Preston Yaucher led off the inning with a triple and scored on a groundout. Anderson worked a walk and scored on a double.
In the third, Villanova took the lead after Patrick Illitch scored on a fielder’s choice, and a double by Mark Gialluisi drove in two. In the fourth inning, Villanova extended their lead after an RBI groundout.
Penn State, however, came back to take the lead in the sixth inning. Jack Messina started off the inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly. Jack Porter worked a walk and scored on a double by Yaucher.
The Nittany Lions took the lead after Yaucher made moves on the base paths, stealing third and ultimately scoring on a balk. Penn State won the second game 5-4.
Ontario
Series two was anything but close for Penn State. While the games against Villanova were back-and-forth, the Nittany Lions easily took game one by a score of 18-0.
Penn State had 18 hits, including seven total extra-base hits. By the third inning, they already had a 13-run lead, and only extended it as the game went on. Jayden Davis, Jaconski, and Molinaro each drove in three runs. Pitching-wise, the blue and white totaled 16 strikeouts, including three from Colin Fitzgerald in his start.
Game two was another high-scoring affair for the Nittany Lions. Avery Smith was the star of this game, with a three-run home run. The team totaled 14 runs on 11 hits, winning the game by a score of 14-0.
Penn State struck out 15 in game two, totaling 31 for the day against Team Ontario.
Bucknell
In the last fall series, Penn State took on the Bucknell Bison. In game one, the Nittany Lions narrowly won by a score of 7-5. In the second game, they were able to beat Bucknell by six runs, ending with a score of 12-6.
Game 2 to conclude our Fall ball matchups
— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) October 18, 2025
Final score: PSU: 12 Bucknell: 6#WeAre pic.twitter.com/Nr3qisBB33
Going forward, head coach Mike Gambino intends to continue developing stars in Happy Valley. Gambino preaches that their goal this season is “to be elite at player development and have an elite culture. If we can do those two things really well, the winning should hopefully take care of itself.”
The Nittany Lions will officially begin their 2026 campaign in Happy Valley on Friday, March 13, against Iowa. Gambino’s squad will look to improve after reaching the 30-win mark for the first time since 2011 and posting the second-most wins in a season in program history.
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