In many ways, 2025 can be seen as a step in the right direction for baseball in Happy Valley.
The way the team went out at the end was a disappointment for Penn State, especially following last year’s Cinderella run to the Big Ten Tournament championship. Nonetheless, this year’s squad held their own in an expanded conference, with the arrival of four schools from the West Coast.
In coach Mike Gambino’s second season, the Nittany Lions posted a regular season record of 31-22, a noticeable improvement from last year’s 26-23 record. Shockingly, the blue and white generally fared better on the road this year, with a 15-9 record on the road as opposed to its 14-12 home record.
The 2025 campaign started off hot for the Nittany Lions. They posted a 9-1 record before conference play that can be attributed to the blue and white’s dominant offense out the gate — in its first ten games, Penn State averaged 10.4 runs and had a +57 run differential.
A huge piece of Penn State’s offensive attack this season came in the form of LSU transfer Paxton Kling. The junior outfielder from Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, had a .358 batting average, an 1.102 OPS and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Kling was a dangerous piece near the top of Penn State’s lineup, consistently driving in runs with 54 RBIs.
Outfielder Paxton Kling (28) swings at the ball during the Penn State baseball game against Lafayette at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Leopards beat the Nittany Lions 5-3.
Matthew Kemper
To kick off Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions won their first two weekend series against Indiana and Northwestern, putting them at 4-2 in conference play. The team then went cold to end the month of March, dropping back-to-back series to Michigan State and Michigan.
One of Penn State’s strongest qualities this year was its ability to respond to stretches of cold play and bounce back. To open up April, the blue and white rattled off five straight wins, including a series sweep of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Losing a home series to Big Ten newcomers USC and losing to Delaware in seven innings via mercy rule stung — especially in the heart of the Big Ten schedule. But the blue and white rebounded with a series victory against Purdue in which it scored a combined 31 runs across the three-game series.
At this point in the year, the Nittany Lions were sitting at a 12-9 conference record and 24-14 overall. A spot in the Big Ten Tournament was right in their grasp, and a decent end to the schedule was all they needed to secure a spot.
A 3-2 win against then-No. 17 West Virginia was a great start, but was followed by a sweep at the hands of eventual Big Ten Tournament finalists, UCLA.
Another series loss to Maryland put the blue and white in a too-close-for-comfort spot in the conference standings, but a series win against Rutgers was enough to secure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
Infielder Cole Bartels (3) makes a hit to the outfield and is safe at 1st during Penn State baseball’s second game in their series against Maryland on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at Medlar Field in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Terrapins 6-5.
Chloe Trieff
The Nittany Lions finished their regular season with a 15-15 conference record, an identical winning percentage to 2024, where the team went 12-12 in conference play. Nonetheless, the blue and white locked up the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament.
Due to their ninth place finish, the Nittany Lions were drawn into Pool D with fourth-seeded USC and fifth-seeded Washington, making both games in pool play must-wins.
Despite being the lower seed, the blue and white put up a great performance in its first tournament game against Washington, winning 5-3 on the back of a great outing from ace Ryan DeSanto.
The win over the Huskies set the blue and white up for a must-win pool game versus USC, which it won 2-1. The Nittany Lions bullpen shut down the Trojans offense, with catcher Nate Voss hitting a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth.
Penn State was primed to make it back to the Big Ten championship. In its way was a foe that ended its season last year — Nebraska.
Just like last year, the blue and white fell at the hands of the Cornhuskers, this time in the semifinals.
It wasn’t the ending the team wanted, and certainly not the ending Gambino wanted either. However, 2025 brought many great moments for the Nittany Lions, and showed they can continue to rise as one of the premier baseball programs in the Big Ten.
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After one year in Happy Valley a Nittany Lion will look for greener pastures.
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