Penn State baseball had a record-tying draft on Day Two of the 2025 MLB Draft. Five Nittany Lions were selected, tying the program's record with the 2007 MLB Draft.
Outfielder Paxton Kling, shortstop Ryan Weingartner, pitcher Ryan DeSanto, pitcher Chase Renner, and third baseman Bryce Molinaro had their names called on July 14.
Texas Rangers select Paxton Kling 205th overall in the seventh round
Kling was a seventh-rounder in the MLB Draft and went to the Texas Rangers.
In his junior year at Penn State, the outfielder was selected to the first-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team, and Big Ten All-Tournament Team. He started all 56 games for the Nittany Lions and had 76 hits, 63 runs, 15 doubles, and 134 total bases. Kling also hit 13 home runs and had a .358 batting average.
St. Louis Cardinals select Ryan Weingartner 240th overall in the eighth round
Weingartner followed Kling in the next round and landed with the St. Louis Cardinals as the 240th overall selection.
The junior shortstop set a program record with 30 steals. Weingartner also started all 56 games in 2025, recording 56 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and 52 total runs on top of his steals. He had a .990 fielding percentage as well.
Cleveland Guardians select Ryan DeSanto 372nd overall in the 12th round
The Guardians had the 372nd overall selection, drafting DeSanto in the 12th round.
DeSanto had 15 starts as a junior in 2025, going 8-2 with a 3.96 ERA. He also tallied 72 strikeouts and allowed only 54 hits for a .202 average. The pitcher went 5-2 in Big Ten contests, starting in 10 of the conference matches and posted 48 strikeouts.
Miami Marlins select Chase Renner 378th overall in the 13th round
Renner went in the proceeding round to the Miami Marlins and was the 378th overall pick.
The redshirt junior had 17 games under his belt in 2025, posting a 2.91 ERA, 30 strikeouts in 21.2 innings, and four saves. In the Big Ten, Renner made eight appearances and recorded 17 strikeouts and one save.
Washington Nationals select Bryce Molinaro 501st overall in the 17th round
Capping off Day Two for Penn State, the Washington Nationals selected Molinaro 501st overall in then17th round.
Molinaro started all 56 games his redshirt sophomore season as a third baseman. He had 60 hits, eight doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBI, 46 runs, 34 walks, and eight steals in 2025. The baseman also had a .502 slugging percentage.
The Nittany Lions now have 84 MLB Draft selectees in program history. At the call of Molinaro's name, he became the 19th Penn State player to be drafted since 2016.
Oregon and Penn State tied for most selections from the Big Ten on Monday. The Ducks had Mason Neville, Jason Reitz, Grayson Grinsell, Jacob Walsh, and Anson Aroz selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. As for program history, the 2007 and 2025 drafts featured the most Penn State selections. Drew O’Neil, Scott Gaffney, Craig Clark, Matt Cavagnaro, and Gary Amato were drafted almost a decade ago.