Penn State baseball opened its fall ball slate on Friday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park against St. Bonaventure, winning both seven-inning games by scores of 14-5 and 3-1.

You can’t take much away from games used as a de facto preseason to get a feel for a new roster, but this was our first chance to see over a dozen new Nittany Lions in action, so a good first impression is hard to fault.

How It Happened

Game One

Genei Sato toed the rubber for his first start as a Nittany Lion and immediately got to work, striking out the first two hitters he faced.

A two-out walk from Markus Brehm and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Avery Smith put a runner on third, but Sato struck out Nicky Moretto to end the threat.

Shanley Wall ripped the first pitch he saw for a double down the right-field line off St. Bonaventure right-handed starter James Capellupo and got to third on an immediate wild pitch. Ryan McKay worked a five-pitch walk and swiped second, drawing an errant throw from JJ Hand to bring home the game’s first run.

While small ball got the first run, two loud doubles off Capellupo drove in two more. Jake Kucharczyk blasted a 399-foot double off the wall, and Spencer Barnett followed him with a 108 mph scorcher to right, but was thrown out at second.

The circus on the mound kept going for the Bonnies: TJ Schmalzle walked, Logan Aguilar singled, and Avery Smith drove in a run with a single of his own, then scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 after one.

Sato had to sit for what felt like an hour after that first, but looked sharp in the second as he pitched around a leadoff single to throw a scoreless frame. He finished his day with two shutout innings and five strikeouts on 35 pitches.

Pennsylvania native Austin Allen took the ball in the second for the Bonnies and didn’t fare much better. Two walks and two wild pitches put two runners in scoring position with nobody out, but he only gave up one on a Kucharczyk sacrifice fly to take a 6-0 lead.

Ben Hudson got the third for the Nittany Lions and was very shaky. He notched a pair of strikeouts, but allowed a two-run double to Brehm, committed a brutal E1 to allow a run to score, and allowed an infield single to make it 6-4. Dom Ruggiero entered in relief after that and got out of the jam.

Allen stayed out for the third, but struggled after getting a quick first out. An infield single by Aguilar, a rocket double off the wall by Smith, and a two-run double by Cohl Mercado got the lead back to four.

After two walks and a wild pitch, the Nittany Lions went back-to-back to extend their lead to 13-4. Kucharczyk blasted a three-run homer to dead center, and Spencer Barnett followed, matching him to right-center field.

The game settled down from there. Ruggiero struck out two in the fourth, Chihiro Sato pitched a scoreless fourth for the Bonnies, and freshman Ryan Fuller tossed a scoreless fifth for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State got another run in the bottom of the fifth on a bunt single by Kucharczyk, a wild pitch, a balk, and a sac fly by Schmalzle to go up 14-4.

Ethan Bauerschmidt got the sixth for Penn State, giving up a run on two hits and two walks, with two strikeouts.

After getting the last out of the fifth, Eamon Giblin got the sixth for the Bonnies and had the game’s quickest half inning.

Tasked with getting the last three outs of Game One was Luke Calveric. He allowed a single and plunked two batters, but a force-out and two strikeouts ended a seven-inning marathon.

Game Two

Freshman Nolan Stefniak got the ball to start Game Two. He walked Brehm with two outs, then froze Nicky Moretto for strike three to end the inning.

Kevin Hill started for St. Bonaventure and got two quick outs, but poor defense cost him a run. A stumble by the left fielder allowed a hard liner from Kucharczyk to drop for a single before the wind caught a pop-fly that dropped next to Brehm for an RBI “double” to give Penn State an early 1-0 lead.

Hill’s unorthodox ability to change speeds threw off the Nittany Lions early, getting a pair of strikeouts swinging in the second before Cullen Riel lifted him, K’d Mason Campagna to end the inning, and pitched a scoreless third.

Stefniak tossed two more scoreless innings, including a four-pitch third, to finish a strong debut.

Dartmouth transfer Mac Burke got the fourth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning. Mihretu Rupertus matched him in the bottom half.

It was more of the same for Burke in the fifth, but Rupertus walked a pair to start his half of the inning and was lifted for Evan Stranko.

The righty immediately plunked the pinch-hitting Mason Wilson, struck out Kucharczyk, and plunked Anthony Grippo on the hand to force in a run. Schmalzle drove in a run with an RBI forceout to make it 3-0, but Aguilar stranded the bases loaded.

Hunter Brown entered for his Penn State debut and got in immediate trouble. A dropped third strike by Sam Miller put the leadoff hitter on, followed by a single and a ridiculous wild pitch that scored a run as both runners advanced two bases.

Just as things looked bleak for the freshman, he struck out Brehm and got an 8-2 double play as Wall gunned down Logan Norman at the plate to end the inning, still leading 3-1.

Jack Kelly got the bottom of the sixth for the Bonnies. Campagna led off with a bullet single, was bunted to second by Wall, and caught the catcher sleeping in a delayed steal of third. Despite getting second and third with one out, Kelly stranded the two Nittany Lions.

Brown was tasked with getting the final three outs. He struck out two, but the latter reached on a dropped third strike. A one-out walk put the tying run on base, but he induced a flyout from Ashton Pinedo and a groundout from Sean Spitaleri to finally end this long day at the ballpark.

What We Saw

RHP Genei Sato: The prodigal son has arrived in Happy Valley and looked the part in his tremendous two innings. He sat 96 mph on his fastball and sinker, touching 97, and kept hitters off balance with a splitter/changeup around 90 mph. He didn’t show the eephus that’s been rumored, so keep an eye on that.

Sato struck out three in his first inning of work and is sitting 97.

He blows 96 past Logan Norman for his second strikeout. https://t.co/GTR5iM9naw pic.twitter.com/YVU00aReqQ

— Michael Zeno (@MichaelZeno24) October 9, 2026

LHP Dom Ruggiero: A sophomore transfer from Richmond, Virginia, Ruggiero was sitting 94-95 on his heater with a lot of life from the left side. He struck out three of the four batters he faced and could be the team’s big lefty neutralizer in the spring.

RHP Ryan Fuller: It’s hard to tell what his role might be as an incoming freshman, but he routinely hit 94 and 95 mph with his sinker in a scoreless inning of work. Also has a mid-80s sweeper-ish pitch.

RHP Nolan Stefniak: By far the most impressive of the freshmen pitchers, Stefniak was extremely efficient in three shutout innings with a diverse arsenal. He got up to 95 mph on his four-seamer, 93 in his sinker, and leaned heavily on a high-70s 12-6 curveball.

RHP Hunter Brown: One of the highly touted pitchers in this freshman class, Brown touched 94 with great life on his fastball and complemented it with a curveball. However, Brown seemed out of sync with catcher Anthony Grippo, resulting in four wild pitches/passed balls.

OF Shanley Wall (East Stroudsburg transfer): Wall drew four walks in the two games and displayed his speed all game with a stolen base and a perfect sacrifice bunt. His arm in the outfield was a constant deterrent. He hosed a runner at the plate from center field late in Game Two.

OF Jake Kucharczyk (Kellogg CC transfer): The most impressive hitter by far, Kucharczyk had four batted balls above 98 mph and two monstrous extra-base hits. Could this be the next Michael Anderson?

1B/3B Spencer Barnett: One of the few holdovers offensively, Barnett played both ends of the twin bill and crushed a pair of balls 400 feet, including a homer and a 108 mph single.

1B/3B Logan Aguilar (Grossman College transfer): Aguilar had a busy day with a pair of singles, a stolen base, and some defensive challenges at third base. He looked a lot better at first base in the nightcap.

C Avery Smith: After platooning as a freshman, expect to see Smith play a lot this year at catcher. His defense remains a work in progress, but he is one of the team’s best pure hitters, blasting a 394-foot double to left. He also stole a bag.

SS Preston Yaucher: After a strong summer in the Northwoods League, Yaucher drew a few walks and stole a base in a quieter day. He remains a special defender at shortstop.

C Mason Campagna: The backup catcher battle is wide open, but Campagna stood out in Game Two. He made a solid throw on a first-inning stolen base on a ball that looked like he had no chance, but his 112 mph single to left field was the hardest-hit ball of the day for either team.

General Notes

• The scoreboard will look a bit different this year. The scoreboard will show the number of ABS and replay challenges for both teams. After any batted ball, the scoreboard will also show the launch angle and exit velocity.
• Speaking of ABS, it’s here in college baseball! Both teams struggled with it, but Penn State did better. Andrew Cross had a successful challenge in Game Two.
• Penn State broke the program record in stolen bases in 2025, but took a massive step back in 2026. They were running wild in these two games, stealing 13 bases and being aggressive at every possible point

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions play two fall ball games shortly at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. They face Team Ontario at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 16, before welcoming Delaware to town at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 17.