Penn State has filed a civil lawsuit against the State College Spikes, alleging the team failed to properly renew its long-term operating agreement for Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and has continued occupying the ballpark without a valid lease.

The complaint, filed on March 3, 2026, in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas, argues that the Spikes’ lease expired on September 30, 2025, after the team “did not provide written notice… of its intent to exercise the second renewal option on or before April 3, 2025,” according to the filing.

Penn State says the Spikes have remained in the stadium “to this day” despite a posted Notice to Quit on October 1, 2025, and a Magisterial District Judge ruling in February granting the university possession of the property.

The Spikes appealed that ruling on February 11, triggering a new round of litigation.

Under the original 2006 operating agreement, the Spikes held two 10‑year renewal options. The team exercised the first renewal in 2015, late, but ultimately accepted by Penn State.

However, the university says that acceptance did not waive the requirement for timely notice in the future. The complaint cites the contract’s language that “time is of the essence” and that all deadlines “shall be strictly construed.”

Penn State argues the Spikes never submitted the required written notice for the second renewal, despite claiming they did. The university says it repeatedly asked the team to produce proof of timely notice, but “Spikes Baseball never produced any timely written notice exercising the second renewal option.”

Because of that, Penn State says the agreement expired automatically last September.

Beyond possession of the stadium, Penn State is seeking more than $1.7 million in “termination rent,” a contractual payment owed if the team failed to renew its lease. The filing states that the outstanding balance at the time of expiration was $1,724,486.53.

The university is also seeking: $9,746.11 per month in use-and-occupancy fees for the team’s continued presence at Medlar Field, as well as unpaid rent installments totaling $29,238.33, and shared expenses, including utilities, maintenance, taxes, and revenue allocations, for the time since the lease ended. Penn State is additionally requesting compensation for attorneys’ fees and damages above Centre County’s arbitration limits, meaning the case will be decided through formal court litigation rather than by arbitrators.

In a statement to the Centre Daily Times, Spikes chairman Chuck Greenberg said the team “fully complied with the renewal process” and intends to continue operating at Medlar Field while the appeal proceeds. The Spikes have not publicly released the alleged renewal notice Penn State says does not exist.

The team has played at Medlar Field since 2006 and currently competes in the MLB Draft League.

The case now moves forward to the Court of Common Pleas, where Penn State is asking for a declaratory judgment confirming the lease has expired and that the Spikes are “at most, a tenant at sufferance.”

Until the appeal is resolved, the Spikes can continue occupying the ballpark under a supersedeas triggered by their February appeal filing.

Penn State baseball is still scheduled to continue its home game season at Medlar Field.

Folks interested in reading the full civil filing can find it here.