The Penn State Nittany Lions have lost two consecutive series in Big Ten conference play, leaving them at 18-10 overall and 6-6 in conference play as they travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. These are the biggest storylines heading into a crucial weekend series for Mike Gambino's squad.
Penn State: Weingartner closing in on history
Junior shortstop Ryan Weingartner has been a force to be reckoned with on the base path this season, stealing 21 bases and being caught zero times in 28 games. He is currently on pace to break Penn State's single-season stolen bases record, which is held by Kyle Hannon who swiped 27 bags in 2023. In two seasons at Saint Joseph's before transferring to Penn State, Weingartner stole 35 bases, and he had 10 steals in 31 games in the Cape Cod League over the summer.
Penn State: Rough stretch characterized by disappointing finishes
The Nittany Lions are 4-6 in their last 10 games, their worst 10-game stretch this season. During this stretch, the Penn State bats have had a tough time bringing players home in the late stages of games, being held scoreless in their final frames in all but four contests. In the final two games against Michigan last weekend, the Nittany Lions failed to complete a six-run comeback on Saturday then proceeded to let up six unanswered runs and have no answer offensively in a 6 to 5 loss on Sunday.
Minnesota: New head coach, same culture
When head coach John Anderson retired after 43 seasons with the Golden Gophers, Minnesota hired from within, calling on pitching coach Ty McDevitt to lead the team heading into 2025.
McDevitt was a relief pitcher for Minnesota for five seasons from 2012 to 2016 then returned to Minneapolis a year later as a volunteer assistant for the Golden Gophers. From 2019 until last year, McDevitt was the pitching coach for Minnesota, showing that the best option for a program leader was in the backyard of Minneapolis all along.
Minnesota: Golden Gophers have been streaky all season
The Golden Gophers have had a roller coaster of a season so far with an 11-14 overall record and a 2-7 record in the Big Ten. Looking at the game-by-game results, however, tells a different story as it shows their 10-4 win over No. 7 Oregon State and a road series win over Arizona State. While they have been struggling in conference play, there is no doubt that the Golden Gophers can go toe-to-toe with any program in college baseball.
1. Friday Probable Starters
Penn State: LHP Ryan DeSanto (5-1, 4.02 ERA)
Minnesota: RHP Cole Selvig (2-3, 4.81 ERA)
2. Saturday Probable Starters
Penn State: RHP Mason Horwat (4-2, 6.83 ERA)
Minnesota: RHP Kyle Remington (0-5, 5.35 ERA)
3. Sunday Probable Starters
Penn State: LHP Logan Olson (0-1, 9.64 ERA)
Minnesota: LHP Justin Thorsteinson (1-2, 5.61 ERA)
Portney's Picks
With Tuesday's game against Bucknell postponed it could not serve as an indicator of whether or not this Penn State team is back on track or not. Regardless, they face a Golden Gopher team ready for another challenge, a team that is better than their record states. With that being said, poor run support from the Golden Gophers will lead them south in this series, and I see Penn State taking two of three from Minnesota.