Penn State signed Japanese pitcher Genei Sato on Monday, reaching agreement with a potential first-round pick in the 2027 Major League Baseball draft.

Sato, a 21-year-old right hander, is expected to enroll at Penn State next summer and will join the Nittany Lions in the fall in order to compete in the 2027 season.

Sato spent three years at Sendai University in Shibata, Japan. Before deciding to pursue a college path in the United States, Sato was considered a top prospect in the 2026 Nippon Professional Baseball Draft.

While at Sendai, Sato threw 170.1 innings while posting a 2.22 ERA. He averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing six hits per nine innings and 3.3 walks per nine innings.

His fastball has been clocked between 94 and 97 mph while topping out at 99. He also features a splitter (88-91 mph), slider (82-85) and curveball (71-74).

“When Genei’s camp reached out to explore a move to college baseball, our staff used their connections to gather reports and video,” Penn State coach Mike Gambino said. “It became clear to us that this is a premium arm.

“He’s in the conversation among the best arms in Japan and was considered a top draft prospect in the Nippon league and has the potential to be a top-round pick here.”

Sato competed for Japan in the US-Japan Collegiate All-Star Series last July. He served as the closer for the Japanese Collegiate National Team, recording 4.1 innings, allowing one run and striking out six.

“Through the process of learning about the program, the investments made into it and the Penn State community, Genei fell in love with it,” Gambino said. “To bring in a talent like Genei, it took a lot of work behind the scenes from academics, admissions, compliance and the Japanese department.

“We’re very grateful for the work from all of those individuals in this process.”

Sato is the 12th member of Penn State’s 2026 signing class, which includes the top prospect and three of the top nine prospects in Pennsylvania, according to Prep Baseball Report. It also includes two of the top seven prospects in New Jersey.

Penn State finished the 2025 season with a 33-23 record, posting its second-most wins in a season. The Lions reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2011.

Penn State won five Big Ten series in a season for the first time since 2012 and won three conference road series for the first time since 2012.