The Penn State Nittany Lions continue their April home stretch as they take on the Purdue Boilermakers. The Nittany Lions are seeing their tournament hopes slip away as the Boilermakers have continued to struggle in Big Ten play. Here are the biggest storylines for this must-win upcoming series.
Purdue: Stumbling after starting off hot
The Boilermakers' start to the season had them projected in the NCAA Field of 64 for several weeks. During the first 20 games, Purdue was red-hot, going 18-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play and winning the first 10 contests of the year. It quickly went downhill, however, as the Boilermakers dropped their home series to Michigan and got swept by No. 10 UCLA. After getting swept by Washington, Purdue got back on track with a home series win over Rutgers.
Purdue: Cooking on the mound
Redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Avery Cook has been the go-to player out of the bullpen for the Boilermakers this year, leading the team with 19 appearances. As the Purdue closer, Cook is third in the Big Ten in saves with seven, trailing behind USC's Ethan Hedges and Nebraska's Luke Broderick, who both have eight. He has made his presence known as an experienced hurler, as his 3.28 earned run average is second on the team.
Penn State: Struggling to put it together
The Nittany Lions have also had quite the up-and-down season so far, as they hold a 10-8 conference record but have lost three series this year. After dropping series to Michigan State at home and Michigan on the road, taking only one of three from USC in Happy Valley seemed disappointing. At home, Penn State has a 7-8 record, and as a team their average is .224 with the best hitter being left fielder Jesse Jaconski, who has a .298 batting average.
Penn State: Search for reliable bullpen arms continues
The home woes have made their way to the mound for the Nittany Lion arms as they have struggled to find consistent bullpen arms. Even mainstay left-handed pitcher Anthony Steele has had his share of hard times at Medlar Field this season, with a 5.19 earned run average at home, which is almost three runs higher than his standard ERA. As for the rest of the bullpen, only three pitchers who have nine appearances or more have an ERA of five or under.
1. Friday Probable Starters
Purdue: RHP Carter Doorn (4-3, 3.95 ERA)
Penn State: LHP Ryan DeSanto (6-1, 3.25 ERA)
2. Saturday Probable Starters
Purdue: RHP Cole Van Assen (3-2, 4.40 ERA)
Penn State; RHP Mason Horwat (4-3, 6.63 ERA)
3. Sunday Probable Starters
Purdue: To be announced.
Penn State: LHP Logan Olson (0-2, 7.84 ERA)
Portney's Picks
The Nittany Lions have only lost one Friday matchup all year, and that was when they were facing an All-American on the mound in Michigan State's Joseph Dzierwa. Something has got to give for either team holding onto what Field of 64 bubble chances they have left. Purdue has been picking up some momentum, and I see them taking two of three in Happy Valley this weekend.
Penn State Baseball 2025 Schedule