Penn State plays its first home series of the 2023 season starting on Friday. This will be the first time that the Nittany Lions will play at Medlar Field since May 21, 2022, when they were swept by Illinois in a three-game series.

The blue and white are coming off a four-game road series against Brown. Penn State was able to grab the first two games before losing game three before the fourth game was canceled.

In the series against Brown, the Nittany Lions sent the ball over the fence five times throughout their first win. In game two, the blue and white found themselves down 3-0 early before scoring four straight runs and winning in a back-and-forth game, 7-6.

Penn State was down 4-0 in the third and just like game two they would storm on back but unlike game two, the Nittany Lions were able to come back.

Since the cancellation of the final game of the series, Penn State would walk away with a 9-5 record with eight of those wins coming from neutral cities. The Nittany Lions would host Navy in the season debut before Pennsylvania weather ripped up Medlar Field and the game would be canceled.

Penn State’s official home debut will now come against the Georgetown Hoyas on Friday at 5 p.m. Georgetown defeated the Nittany Lions 9-0 in their last meeting in 2020 in its first and only matchup.

Travis Luensmann comes into the series 3-0 with 20 strikeouts and seven runs given up in 19 innings. Daniel Ouderkirk has faced 74 batters and has allowed a .189 batting average against anyone coming up to the plate.

Penn State’s pitching core will be taking on guys like Michael Eze and Jake Hyde who both have 20 hits or more on the season. Eze leads the team in home runs with five and has 14 RBIs and 16 runs on the season.

Jay Harry leads the Penn State team in hits with 18 and is tied first in home runs with three. Jay has a .310 batting average on the season and has generated 13 RBIs with 12 runs.

The Nittany Lions lineup with be facing Jake Bloss who has a 1.69 ERA and .80 WHIP on the season. Bloss leads the team with 25 strikeouts and has a 2-1 record on the year.

Georgetown’s pitching core is one of the best in the nation and with some great performances coming from the top of its lineup, Penn State will have its hands full throughout this one.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park will be having a poster giveaway on Friday, postgame autographs and trading card giveaway on Saturday then a postgame kids run the bases event at the end of the game on Sunday.

Micheal Bolger is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpb6233@psu.edu.