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A Moment For Penn State Baseball

There might be more moments like this. (Photo via Penn State Baseball Facebook)

A moment for Penn State baseball. 

You know, the often-forgotten team playing at the other corner of Curtin and Porter. 

The limelight is very rarely on Penn State’s baseball program – and for much of the last few decades – rightfully so based on performance. It hasn’t done much to make you think about it. And one can make the case that based on its lack of success, the athletic department in previous years wasn’t thinking about it much, either. 

It’s a program that’s collected more moments of pity than celebration over the better parts of the last two decades — if you’ve bothered to pay attention. 

But after three-straight wins, including one of the most improbable in school history, Penn State baseball is on the cusp of doing something it’s never done before: Winning a Big Ten Tournament Title.

This is the moment for Penn State baseball.  

When Rob Cooper left after last season, the hiring of Mike Gambino felt like at least a door opening at the right time. A relatively proven coach and what felt like at least an ounce of attention being paid to Penn State’s baseball program for the first time in some years coming together — all by a former Boston College head coach and a former Boston College athletic director. If the hire worked, it would be an easy win for Pat Kraft to show his hiring prowess and ability to reactivate a chance for moderate success – maybe the program’s high-water mark in college baseball’s modern era. 

That modern era, too, features the growth of the sport at the collegiate level. Now more than ever, more people are paying attention to college baseball. It has boomed across the country and a lot of that comes from the media contracts that make it easier than ever to watch. Last year’s Men’s College World Series was the most watched ever. It’s easier to find and follow games thanks to social media. Yet for a multitude of reasons, though, that attention flew by Happy Valley. 

And all of this is in the face of the fact that Pennsylvanians are rabid for baseball. Major league baseball. Minor league baseball. High school baseball. Youth baseball. But college baseball has never been included in that list.

The attention void has been met with a void that the Mid-Atlantic, where the weather isn’t always great for a sport relying on good weather, has never had a true powerhouse like the schools in Texas, California or southern states. 

In his introductory press conference, Gambino set the tone that he didn’t just want to win at Penn State, he wanted to make a College World Series. A trip to Omaha for the big dance is still depending on a few things, including a win in Omaha’s little dance on Sunday. But he’s at least making you think about Penn State baseball. 

There’s also now no reason why Penn State shouldn’t or couldn’t be the one to fill that attention void by building a Mid-Atlantic powerhouse. It’s there for the taking, and this weekend’s performance in Omaha is by no means the completion of that power battle. 

But it is a very positive step in the right direction. Even if Penn State doesn’t get the job done on Sunday, the standard has now been set that you can win in blue and white. This run is proof that Gambino can be the guy that gets that job done.

In year one, he assembled a roster – relying somewhat on the transfer portal – that exceeded last year’s win total. That’s no small feat in the first year of a head coaching job in any sport at any level. 

It didn’t get that much attention. 

There was the final stretch of regular season, which featured a dramatic sweep over Maryland to clinch the final spot in the Big Ten Tournament. That moment got a little bit of attention. 

Then on Friday, Bryce Molinaro hit a grand slam to truly gain your attention. 

And this tournament run, particularly if completed with a win on Sunday, would warrant the nation’s attention that the Nittany Lions can compete. 

It’s a big moment for Penn State baseball, indeed. 


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Darian Somers
Darian Somers is a 2016 graduate of Penn State and co-host of Stuff Somers Says with Steve. You can email Darian at darian@stuffsomerssays.com. Follow Darian on Twitter @StuffSomersSays.

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