Medlar Field at Lubrano Park is getting a new spark this spring, and it’s coming directly from Penn State students. Meet Section 814, a newly-formed student section dedicated to producing energy, excitement, and a true home-field experience for the Penn State baseball team. 

Section 814, founded by junior Phillip Latinski, will officially launch just in time for baseball season, and it is already gaining traction before Penn State’s first game. 

The idea for Section 814 originated from a simple observation at Penn State baseball games. 

“I’ve been going to baseball games since freshman year, and everybody just kind of sits wherever,” said Latinski. “So I thought, why not have an organized area where people sit like all the other student sections on campus?”

Unlike Beaver Stadium or the Bryce Jordan Center, Medlar Field lacks a consistent student section presence. While students showed up for events like the famous Dollar Dog Nights, there wasn’t any specific section dedicated to creating the energy and noise during each inning. 

The name itself is a nod to Happy Valley, as 814 is the area code for State College. 

The process of creating the student section came together fairly easily. After talking with friends and peers in other student sections, Latinski reached out to Penn State baseball student manager Patrick Duryea. From there, the concept went full steam ahead. 

Duryea reached out to Penn State baseball’s marketing director, Emily Sashko, who eagerly jumped on board and now serves as Section 814’s faculty advisor. The group officially created a club constitution and finished the student organization registration process in just two months. 

“I didn’t realize how much went into starting a student section and how quickly we could get it up and running,” said Latinski. “It’s definitely been a rewarding learning experience.”

Section 814 now has a 10-person executive board ranging from the president to the social media team. Many of the founding members are also involved in other Penn State student sections, which help bring the same excitement and expertise home to Medlar Field. 

Interestingly, this isn’t the first attempt at creating a student section at Penn State baseball games. Back in 2014, “Cooperstown” was named the official baseball student section in honor of former Penn State baseball coach Rob Cooper.

Although Cooperstown once had a small but mighty group of fans, Penn State baseball’s student section completely vanished by 2020 when COVID hit.

“There’s a lot more outreach and excitement surrounding Penn State baseball now,” said Latinski. “It felt like the perfect time to restart something that could really stick, especially with head coach Mike Gambino injecting new energy back into the program.”

The main goal for Section 814 is simple: be electric. Located behind the third base dugout, the student section will be in a prime spot to be seen by, and more importantly, heard by the Nittany Lions’ opponents. 

“I want it to be a place where people don’t have to contain themselves,” said Latinski. “You can let it all out and just join in the fun with everyone.”

The group plans to work closely with the Penn State Athletics marketing department to introduce chants and even possibly a drum to keep spirits high. While traditions are being developed, the main focus will be on fun, organized entertainment that gives the Nittany Lions a real home-field advantage.

“We want to get into the heads of opponents and bring a real fun baseball atmosphere to Happy Valley as we so often see in other conferences like the SEC,” said Latinski.

Despite not yet hosting a single game, Section 814 has already achieved early success. The student sections’ GroupMe has already attracted over 50 members, and interest continues to grow.

Personally, for Latinski, watching his idea come to life has been the most rewarding part of all.

“For a student section that hasn’t hosted anything yet to see this much early success, whether it’s praise from the athletes and Gambino or fans and student media reaching out, it’s truly so awesome to see it all unfold,” said Latinski.

Looking ahead, Section 814 is set up for longevity. While the executive board positions will remain consistent year to year, five board roles will change annually, allowing new members to work their way up to various leadership positions. 

“The idea is that someone could join today and eventually become president if they wanted,” said Latinski.

Once opening day arrives at Medlar Field on Tuesday, March 3, against St. John’s, Section 814 will be filled with fans ready to cheer on their favorite baseball team. 

Students can follow the Section 814 group on Instagram and join the GroupMe to stay up to date on games, events, and other opportunities to get involved.