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Japanse pitching superstar Genei Sato is one of the top prospects in the 2027 MLB Draft, and it’s easy to see why when you watch him take the mound.
The 6-foot, 180-pound right-handed pitcher has an absolutely devastating fastball that tops out at 99 miles per hour and he’s already shown his mettle against U.S. hitters.
Sato served as the closer for the Japanese Collegiate National Team this summer, and he threw 4.1 innings, allowed just one run, and struck out six against the USA Collegiate National Team. That included four strikeouts against top-20 prospects in the 2026 class, according to Baseball America.
So when Sato announced his intent to come to U.S. and play college ball in 2027, it was obviously a big deal.
Unsurprisingly, all of the biggest programs in the country pursued him, including a number of SEC and ACC powerhouses. However, he spurned those advances and instead landed with a wildly unlikely program on Monday.
Genei Sato Commits To Play College Baseball At Penn State
Despite advances from programs such as Vanderbilt, UCLA, Stanford, and many more, Sato chose instead to commit to the Penn State Nittany Lions and head coach Mike Gambino.
Welcome to Happy Valley, Genei Sato!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/BlGNx3Yykg
— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) December 22, 2025
Now, Penn State is no stranger to athletic success. The Nittany Lions have 56 NCAA team national championships all-time, ranking fifth behind Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Texas. But when it comes to baseball, the Nittany Lions are far from the top of the heap.
Penn State had played baseball continuously since 1893. However, it has never won a College World Series. Its best finish is as a runner-up all the back in 1957, and the Nittany Lions haven’t made the College World Series since 2000.
Penn State hasn’t produced a first-round pick since Nate Bump in 1998 and hasn’t had a player selected within the first three rounds this century.
So, why in the world would Sato choose PSU?
“He is believed to have a personal connection to someone who is somewhat local to Penn State, a factor that could help stabilize a daunting transition for an international player arriving with immediate expectations,” Baseball America reports.
Either way, Sato represents a huge pickup for the Nittany Lions and immediately puts the program on the map in the Big Ten, and perhaps nationally.