MORE SPORTS

Penn State lacrosse advances to NCAA Tournament quarterfinals following comeback win

The Nittany Lions will play for the right to go to the Final Four next weekend.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 16, 2023

April 21, 2023. Kevin Winkoff (48) and TJ Malone (7) celebrate after scoring a goal in Penn State's regular season finale against Rutgers. Credit: Grace Carella // Basic Blues Nation.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —The last time Penn State lacrosse made the NCAA Tournament, it came to a heartbreaking end at the hands of an Ivy League school. That is the exact fate the Nittany Lions tried to avoid on Sunday, facing the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA Tournament’s first round. Penn State is awfully familiar with the ins and outs of Ivy League lacrosse, facing three Ivy opponents this season, and beating them all. Princeton, however, is a school the Lions have struggled with, having never beaten the Tigers. After facing an early deficit, Penn State roared back to beat Princeton 13-12, and will face Army in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals next weekend for the right to go to the Final Four.

Sluggish start for State

Penn State has been no stranger to slow starts this season. The Lions have often been able to rally for epic comebacks, but falling behind in the NCAA Tournament is not a recipe for success. Alas, Penn State had another one of its patented sluggish starts. Princeton netted two goals on their first possessions to take a 2-0 lead within the game’s first five minutes.

Sophomore goaltender Jack Fracyon would make an impressive save on Princeton’s next possession, giving Penn State a spark. The Lions would draw a penalty, and sophomore midfielder Ethan Long scored on the man-up to cut the Tiger lead to 2-1. But the spark wouldn’t last long as sloppy play led to turnovers, resulting in two Princeton goals to extend the Tiger lead to 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.

Lions claw back

The second quarter didn’t start much better for Penn State, with Princeton scoring on their first shot, making it a 5-1 game in favor of the Tigers. Princeton added two more goals en route to a commanding 7-1 lead.

Penn State finally snapped its scoring drought when Long potted another to give Penn State a faint glimmer of hope. Then the Lions got a stop that allowed them to open up their transition offense, where junior midfielder Mark Sickler ripped one home. Shortly thereafter, senior attacker T.J. Malone scored and brought the Nittany Lions back within three.

Princeton responded with an impressive crease dive goal to make it an 8-4 game. But Ethan Long didn’t take long to get it right back to a three-goal deficit with his third of the night, a hat trick. Senior attacker Jack Traynor finally got on the board to make the game 8-6 and get Panzer Stadium rocking. Princeton quelled the momentum with a goal of its own with just a minute left to reclaim a three-goal advantage, which the Tigers took into the halftime locker room.

Penn State lacrosse explodes in the third

The second half started with both teams playing at a sluggish pace. Both sides had a few turnovers, and each goalie easily handled anything thrown their way. Penn State got the first break of the quarter when it drew a slashing penalty, and senior attacker Kevin Winkoff scored on the manpower advantage, allowing the Nittany Lions to pull the game within two.

A faceoff violation gave Penn State another possession. Ethan Long wasted no time scoring his fourth goal of the night, which cut the deficit to 9-8. This was the first time the game was within one goal since the score was 2-1. Penn State’s offense stayed hot, and sophomore midfielder Matt Traynor got the game back to even for Penn State.

Then Long, who only had 11 goals in the regular season, decided he wasn’t done yet. He added a fifth tally to give Penn State its first lead of the night at 10-9. Malone added his 100th career goal around 30 seconds later to grow the Nittany Lion lead to two. The quarter ended, mercifully so for Princeton. The Tigers failed to record a goal in the third quarter, while Penn State added five of their own, ending the quarter with an 11-9 advantage.

Penn State hangs on

Penn State picked up right where they left off in the third. Jeb Brenfleck, who only found the net five times in the regular season, fired one home to give Penn State a 12-9 lead. But then Princeton found the back of the net for the first time in 24 minutes of game time and crawled back within two.

It didn’t take nearly as long for them to find another one, scoring again just 23 seconds later. The Tigers used that momentum to tie the game at 12 just moments later. The rollercoaster affair rolled on when Winkoff added a goal to give Penn State the lead back. Ultimately, that was the game’s final goal, as Penn State made some massive stops to ice it down the stretch, winning by a score of 13-12.

The Lions march on in the NCAA Tournament

The win allowed Penn State to advance to their second NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearance ever. The Nittany Lions will take on this year’s Cinderella team, Army, who stunned No.4-seeded Maryland last weekend. The game will take place in Annapolis, MD, next Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!

Up Next

Spiral continues for Penn State baseball with another embarrassing loss

Don't Miss

Penn State softball falls in B1G Tournament, awaits College World Series fate

Click to comment

MORE SPORTS

Penn State baseball loses season finale against No. 20 Maryland

The Nittany Lions will look to pick up the pieces and rebuild for 2024.

Published

1 week ago

May 21, 2023

Surya Maddali

Jun 7, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Maryland Terrapins outfielder Anthony Papio (13) and shortstop Blake Schmit (1) celebrate a run against the Virginia Cavaliers at Davenport Field. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

In a series that was also the source of significant news for the program, Penn State baseball returned home for a season-ending three-game series against the nationally-ranked Maryland Terrapins. The weekend saw a few close efforts and an impressive upset win, but the Nittany Lions ultimately ended the season with another series defeat.

Offensive explosion in game one

On Thursday, game one saw pure offense from both teams. The Terrapins scored three runs in the second inning, but then the Lions responded with seven runs in their half of the inning. Such was the story of the game, with both squads exchanging runs back and forth.

Maryland scored three runs in the fourth to cut the Penn State lead down to a single run. But Penn State again answered right back by scoring six runs across the fifth and sixth innings. This scoring outburst featured a triple from Grant Norris that scored Johnny Piacentino and Thomas Bramley. After six innings, the score was 13-6 Nittany Lions.

In the seventh, Maryland scored six runs to cut the Penn State lead to a single run. However, after adding two additional runs as a cushion, the Nittany Lions surrendered five runs in the ninth inning to lose 17-15.

Penn State baseball pulls upset in game two

Mere hours after news broke of head coach Rob Copper’s resignation on Friday, Penn State put together an inspired performance that culminated in the upset of the 20th-ranked Terrapins.

The Nittany Lions took a quick 2-0 lead in the second inning after an RBI double from Thomas Bramley that plated CJ Pittaro and Jay Harry. Maryland finally responded in the fifth, taking a 3-2 lead. But that lead didn’t last long, as Penn State quickly reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning following a two-run single from Jay Harry.

CJ Pittaro added an insurance run in the eighth inning, and the Lions won by a score of 5-3. The win marked Penn State’s second victory against a ranked opponent this year, with the first coming against Miami to open the season.

Lions’ season ends in disappointment

Despite a valiant effort, Penn State’s season finale ended in disappointment.

The Lions took a 1-0 lead after an RBI triple from CJ Pittaro in the second. However, Maryland answered in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-1 advantage.

After a three-run fourth inning, Penn State retook the lead 4-2. However, the Lions were unable to score any more runs on the day. A home run and a pair of singles gave Maryland a 7-4 victory and, ultimately, the series win. Due to Saturday’s win, the Terrapins also won the Big Ten regular season title.

Looking forward to 2024

With this series, the Nittany Lions’ 2023 campaign came to a disappointing end. In what was head coach Rob Cooper’s last season, Penn State baseball finished at .500, the second time in two seasons it did so. The Lions were not stellar in conference play, finishing at 7-16 and missing the conference tournament as a result.

With a few changes coming to the program by next season, it will be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions regroup and move ahead in the spring of 2024.

MORE SPORTS

National search begins after Penn State baseball coach Rob Cooper resigns

Penn State will be looking for a new baseball coach to start the 2024 season.

Published

1 week ago

May 20, 2023

Surya Maddali

Credit: Basic Blues Nation, 2023.

After a disappointing season, Penn State baseball has to find a new path forward. And next year, the program will have to find that path with a new face at the helm. On Friday, Penn State baseball coach Rob Cooper announced that he will not return to the team next season.

Penn State baseball coach Rob Cooper resigns

Hours before Friday’s game against Maryland, Penn State released a statement from Cooper announcing his resignation from the program. Cooper’s resignation is effective following the Nittany Lions’ final game on Saturday.

“I am beyond grateful for my time as the head baseball coach at Penn State. This is a special place, because of the special people who make it up. My family and I love Penn State. While I am disappointed I wasn’t able to get the baseball program the success it deserves, I am excited about the vision Dr. [Pat] Kraft has for Penn State Athletics, the student-athletes, and the baseball program,” Cooper’s statement said in part.

Cooper led the Nittany Lions for a decade, winning 197 games. Despite a disappointing 25-24 record so far this year, Penn State has experienced success recently. In 2022, Cooper led the Lions to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2012. Penn State upset No. 3 Iowa before being eliminated.

In addition, 12 players were drafted during Cooper’s tenure, while 13 total players signed professional contracts. The most successful has been Matt Wood, who was the highest-selected pick in program history. He was recently promoted to the High-A level in the Brewers organization.

Congratulations to @Mattwood_59 on his promotion to High-A Wisconsin! 👏👏👏

In 25 games with the Mudcats Wood hit .293/.468/.488 and 20 RBI's❗️ pic.twitter.com/XpAbYYKDeh

— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) May 15, 2023

A national search begins

In the statement released by Penn State, athletic director Pat Kraft thanked Cooper for his years of service to the university. “We appreciate Rob Cooper for all he has done for the Penn State community these last 10 seasons,” Kraft said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rob for not only the commitment he made to our baseball program, but also the way he represented Penn State University with class. I want to thank Rob, and wish him, his wife, Maureen, and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

The university’s statement ended by saying that Penn State would immediately begin a national search to find Cooper’s replacement.

Seeming to rally behind their head coach, the Nittany Lions upset No. 20 Maryland Friday night, 5-3. Cooper’s final game as Penn State head coach will be on Saturday, with first pitch coming at noon at Medlar Field.

MORE SPORTS

Penn State releases plans for Medlar Field renovations

The home of Penn State baseball will soon be getting some upgrades.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 17, 2023

Surya Maddali

April 11, 2023. Medlar Field during Penn State's 11-6 victory over West Virginia. Credit: Basic Blues Nation, 2023.

Over the last few years, Penn State has shown its commitment to the university’s athletic programs through facility upgrades. The Penn State football program recently finished a significant upgrade to the weight room in the Lasch Building, and the Penn State Board of Trustees recently approved $70 million to begin renovations of Beaver Stadium. Across the street, the Penn State baseball program will also be getting an upgrade, as plans for Medlar Field renovations were also recently released.

Penn State plans Medlar Field renovations

It was recently revealed that Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the home of Penn State baseball since 2006, is getting renovations after the end of the State College Spikes’ season this summer. The upgrades include completely changing the playing field and lighting systems.

Essentially, through a two-part process, the entire playing field will get an upgrade. The field is currently made of natural grass. While the renovations will not change the surface type, Penn State does play to completely change the grass in Medlar Field. In addition, the university plans to upgrade the field’s lights to all LED, which will brighten the area during night events at the field, such as Dollar Dog Night games.

Will these changes improve the gameday experience for baseball fans?

As someone who covered games from the press box this season, I gained perspective on the fan experience at Medlar Field. Overall, replanting a natural grass field is never harmful. It helps keep it fresh for the players and can prevent injuries that would otherwise be caused by aged grass.

The lighting seems to be the most meaningful change, as it will significantly improve the lumination level for night events. I think the existing lighting is underwhelming at times, and it has not been bright enough for the night games. This renovation is a welcomed one for me, and will benefit players, fans, and the media alike.

The Nittany Lion baseball team will close out its season at the 5,400-seat stadium this week when the Nittany Lions take on Maryland in the regular season finale.