2023 SCHEDULE

Home Games | * Big Ten game

1 - USA Baseball Complex (Cary, N.C.)

2 - Charles Schwab Field (Omaha, Neb.)

3 - PNC Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

All Times Eastern Time - Subject to Change

Quick Facts

16

Rob Cooper

Ninth Year

MIAMI (FLA.), 1994 Head Coach

The 2023 baseball season is Rob Cooper’s 10th as head coach of the Nittany Lion baseball program. Cooper was selected as the 14th head baseball coach in Penn State history on August 9, 2013. Not shy about stating his ultimate goal of returning Penn State to Omaha in June, the Lions have made significant strides under his leadership.

Under his tutelage, 12 players have been drafted and 13 total have signed with MLB teams in the last five seasons with a full draft. However, his strong belief in the first part of the term “student-athlete” is perhaps the top reason he has proven to be an excellent fit at Penn State. Even with state-of-the-art facilities, the chance to take on elite competition and a program history that includes five trips to the College World Series, Cooper cites the value of a Penn State degree as one of the top reasons to play baseball at Penn State.

In 2022, Cooper led the Nittany Lions to their first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2012. Penn State finished the season with a 26-29 record, including an 11-13 mark in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, picking up a 5-2 win over No. 3 seed Iowa to open the tournament.

The Nittany Lions won Big Ten series against Purdue, Minnesota and Michigan State, sweeping the Spartans. Penn State also earned a win in each series against Rutgers, No. 23 Maryland, Northwestern and Ohio State.

In non-conference action, the Nittany Lions’ wins included an 8-4 win at West Virginia and a 19-6 win over Pitt in PNC Park, highlighted by a 14-run top of the ninth.

Penn State had two All-Big Ten selections, led by first team selection Matt Wood. The junior catcher won the Big Ten batting average title in the regular season (.395) and led the Nittany Lions in average (.379), hits (75), runs (55), homers (12), RBI (53), total bases (132), slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.480) and walks (36). Wood’s incredible season included a 26-game hit streak and a 36-game reached-base streak. Wood was PSU’s first All-Big Ten first-team selection since Jordan Steranka in 2012) and Penn State’s 16th first team selection in program history and the third catcher to earn first team honors.

Wood finished the season ranking fourth at PSU in runs (55), sixth in total bases (132), tied seventh in walks (36), tied eighth in hits (75) and RBI (53) and ninth in homers (12) and slugging percentage (.667).

Wood was selected in the fourth round (132nd overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2022 MLB Draft. Wood is the highest-selected position player in program history. The previous highest was catcher Ben Heath (fifth round, 153rd overall) by the Houston Astros.

Josh Spiegel was named All-Big Ten second team, batting .300 with a team-best 17 doubles. He had 10 homers and 43 RBI to go with 34 runs. Anthony Steele was selected to the All-Big Ten freshman team.

In 24 Big Ten regular season games, Penn State collected 83 extra-base hits, including 43 doubles, 11 triples and 29 homers. Penn State set a program record with 19 triples in 2022, bettering the previous record of 18 in 1986, 2007 and 2010.

On the mound, the Nittany Lions’ pitching staff set a program record with 503 strikeouts. Penn State tallied 21 games with 10+ strikeouts and 16 games allowing three or less earned runs. Six pitchers recorded at least 40 strikeouts, led by Travis Luensmann (78), Jordan Morales (60), Tyler Shingledecker (60) and Jaden Henline (56). Shingledecker paced PSU with seven wins, while Morales led the staff with 26 appearances. In 49 of 55 games, Penn State’s starting pitcher was a Pennsylvania native.

In the classroom, Wood was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American.

The Nittany Lions finished the 2021 season with an 18-24 record, playing against exclusively Big Ten opponents. The wins included a 3-2 victory over No. 18 Michigan on March 26 and a series sweep over Michigan State in which Penn State out-scored the Spartans, 39-13. The Nittany Lions also won two

Coaching Timeline

Spring 1994 & 1995: Cooper's first coaching job is as an assistant at the University of Miami, starting with the 1993 season. That Hurricanes team reached the NCAA Regionals before making back-to-back trips to the College World Series the next two seasons.

May 17, 1998: Following a regular-season Conference USA Championship in his first year on staff the previous season, Cooper helps guide Tulane to a Conference USA Tournament Championship and NCAA Regional berth.

1999-2003: Sacramento City College wins league championships in all five years Cooper serves as an assistant coach.

Spring 2004: Oral Roberts sets a program record for wins in a season with Cooper on staff as an assistant coach.

July 14, 2004: Wright State announces Cooper as the program’s fourth head coach.

May 28, 2006: Cooper’s Raiders defeat Butler in the Horizon League Championship game to earn a trip to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 1994.

April 15, 2008: Cooper wins his 100th career game in a 5-1 victory over Xavier.

May 24, 2009: Wright State defeats UIC in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game 6-2 to punch an NCAA Regional ticket to Fort Worth, Texas.

May 25, 2010: Cooper is selected as the Horizon League Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to their first regular-season championship since 1997.

March 26, 2011: Cooper records career win number 200 with an 8-2 victory over Youngstown State.

Spring 2011: The Raiders win their second-straight Horizon League regular-season title with a 16-7 record, claim the league tournament crown by winning three-straight games and advance to the NCAA Regionals in College Station, Texas.

August 9, 2013: Cooper accepts Penn State’s offer to become the 14th head coach in program history.

September 8, 2013: The 18U U.S. National Team, led by Cooper, wins the 2013 IBAF ‘AAA’/18U World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan with a 3-2 victory over Japan in the championship game.

October 29, 2013: Cooper is honored by USA Baseball as the Rod Dedeaux USA Baseball Coach of the Year.

November 21-29, 2015: Penn State tours Cuba and posts a 1-3 record against teams from Cuba’s top league, the National Series, becoming the first U.S. team to play multiple teams from the league and the first to earn a victory.

May 20, 2016: Cooper clinches his 350th career head coaching win when Penn State earns a 12-inning, walk-off win over Iowa in the season finale to clinch its first winning season since 2012.