A week removed from hosting the Waste Management Open, the Greater Phoenix area will welcome six collegiate teams for the MLB Desert Invitational. For the first time, Penn State baseball is among the six opening their season at the highly commemorated invitational.

“The reputation of this weekend around the country is so good,” Penn State baseball head coach Mike Gambino said. “After I took the job here, one of the things Pat Kraft said to me early on was, ‘Hey, can you get us a roster that can compete in the MLB Invitational?'”

Simply put, playing there this weekend signifies a major improvement in the program. Friday’s game against Air Force begins year three with Gambino at the helm. The head coach has led Penn State baseball’s turnaround, posting a 62-47 record in Happy Valley.

Continuing the program’s upward trend, this year’s squad exudes depth and is poised to take the next step beyond Big Ten Tournament finishes.

“I think our depth in general is the best we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Gambino said.

Penn State’s roster featured turnover in major departments — pitching, power, and basepath threat.

The Nittany Lions lost Ryan DeSanto to the MLB Draft. DeSanto pitched to an 8-2 record for the Nittany Lions last year, and shut down the Washington Huskies through 5 ⅔ innings in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Not only will his dominance be missed, but his volume as well. DeSanto tossed nearly 73 innings, which is 22 innings more than the arm below him.

In the offensive department, Penn State saw a few departures, but none as disruptive as Paxton Kling and Ryan Weingartner.

Kling led Penn State in nearly every counting stat — hits, doubles, runs, home runs, and even hit by pitches. In any stat he didn’t lead, he was second.

Weingartner electrified the Nittany Lions last year with 30 stolen bases, topping the Big Ten charts. He was a catcher’s worst nightmare.

Recreating DeSanto In The Aggregate

“We were able to fill holes with some guys that maybe are not as high profile [as last year’s transfers],” Gambino said. “But we think they have a chance to be really good for us.”

Filling the holes are Colin Fitzgerald and Ben Hudson.

Fitzgerald, a Pennsylvania native transferring from Maine University, will need to improve upon his 5.68 earned-run average (ERA) to fill DeSanto’s shoes as a true ace. However, his inning count over the last two seasons — 75.2 in 2024 and 88.2 in 2025 — provides him with a solid floor.

Hudson couples well with Fitzgerald’s volume. The West Virginia transfer fit into a reliever role for the Mountaineers last season, with only a single start through 18 appearances and 27.1 innings. At Penn State, he’ll build his innings up as a starter.

Fitzgerald will get the nod for Friday night, and Hudson for Saturday.

The Power Within

The loss of Kling created a need for power in the outfield, and ten rounds after he was selected in the draft, Bryce Molinaro was picked by the Washington Nationals. Thankfully for Penn State, Molinaro did not sign with the Nationals and will play his final season in Happy Valley.

With Molinaro’s devastating power returning to the infield, Gambino targeted different-caliber hitters in the portal. Infielders Jayden Davis from Vanderbilt, Kevin Karstetter from Tampa, and Spencer Barnett from West Virginia have never slugged over .500 in their collegiate careers, but they have found success in other facets, such as batting average.

These guys weren’t brought on to fill the hole that Kling left behind; that solution will come from within. Penn State retained three of its top four sluggers from last season — Jesse Jaconski, Jack Porter, and Molinaro — and it’s up to them to bridge the gap.

“Jaconski and Porter did a really good job last year offensively,” Gambino prefaced before listing other depth options for the outfield, such as transfers Mike Anderson and Maddox McDonald. “It’s going to be a challenge, in a good way, to get all these guys at bats.”

Per Gambino, Porter and Jaconski will be in the lineup on Friday, likely manning the corner outfield positions. Additionally, Molinaro will mix in at shortstop, Karstetter and Barnett will split time at first, with Barnett also seeing time at the opposite corner, and Davis will slot in at second for the weekend.

Baserunning Remains A Focus

Thirty stolen bases is not something to blink at; Weingartner’s baserunning ability was terrifying to opposing teams, and galvanizing for Penn State. It created an identity, with baserunning central to it, and it will be difficult to carry that into a fresh season in the absence of their former shortstop.

“Taking Weingartner out, it obviously hurts,” Gambino said. “But I think our lineup is going to have guys, top to bottom, that can steal a base.”

Gambino also mentioned that effectively running the bases was, and will continue to be, tremendously important for the program.

“[Assistant Coach] Nick Puccio is as good as there is with the run game; developing guys and getting guys the ability to steal bases,” Gambino said.

Penn State’s ability to carry over its former identity into this season, as well as Gambino’s depth-building, will be tested this weekend against high-level programs.