The Nittany Lions started their Virginia road trip by taking down the Longwood Lancers in each of the three games on Saturday and Sunday. Penn State scored 36 runs, their most in a three-game set since the weekend of April 30 to May 2, 2021 with 39 against Michigan State. Here are the biggest storylines from last weekend's series sweep.
Best start to the season since 2019
Penn State went 3-0 on the weekend and has started the first two weekends with a 5-1 overall record. This is their best record in this opening stretch of the season since 2019.
In 2019, the Nittany Lions went 6-0, claiming victories over Monmouth and Fairfield in the first two weekends of the season. They would not have much luck after that, however, going 22-27 overall and 4-18 in Big Ten play, their fifth-worst conference record since joining the Big Ten in 1992.
Kling makes yet another statement
Center fielder Paxton Kling hit four home runs over the weekend, adding to his total of five for the year, which ties for the second most in the nation. He also went 7-for-13 in at-bats in the series sweep, contributing to his .440 batting average that ranks behind only outfielder Cohl Mercado on the roster.
His statistical feats last weekend earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors, the first Nittany Lion to do so since catcher and designated hitter Matt Maloney during the weekend of February 16-18, 2024.
Horwat, DeSanto shut it down on the mound
The top two rotation pieces shoved yet again during their starts in the weekend sweep of Longwood. The duo combined for 10 innings and 13 strikeouts while allowing only one earned run.
Sophomore right-hander Mason Horwat had another career high, this time having his most pitches in a single outing with 89.
Nittany Lions extend series win streak to three
Penn State kept up their series win streak with the sweep of Longwood, adding to the two they had at the end of 2024 against Rutgers at home and Maryland on the road.
The Nittany Lions went 6-5 in weekend series last season, with their last series loss occuring during the weekend of April 26-28, taking one of three at home against Minnesota.