Penn State Baseball - Tyler Mantz/PSU Collegian
Penn State has announced the addition of two new players to the Nittany Lions baseball team. The announcement comes from the team’s X account. Yesterday, August 15th, it was announced that the team acquired Joe Jaconski. Before 11 AM Eastern on Wednesday, August 16th, the university named two new players. Here is a look at the newest additions to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Penn State Announces Matt Maloney
The first announcement came early Wednesday morning that the team acquired Matt Maloney. Maloney is a catcher who is joining from the University of Dayton. The Nittany Lions highlighted some of Maloney’s top accolades in the post. Maloney has been a part of 91 games at Dayton, starting in 72. This is a good sign for the future Nittany Lion.
He has also had 72 hits, 30 RBI, and 48 runs in his career. As for 2023, Maloney batted .297 with 16 RBI, 43 hits, and 34 runs in 20223. Maloney spent two years at Dayton, according to Baseball Reference. The Big Ten will be a step up from the conference he is originally from. Entering his third year of college baseball, Penn State fans can be excited.
Kevin Michaels Set to Join Nittany Lions
The second player that Penn State baseball has announced officially is Kevin Michaels. Michaels is an infielder from St. John’s, who has started quite often for his former school. According to the post, Michaels has been a part of 88 games, starting in 84 in two years. This is not bad at all for the newest Nittany Lion.
Originally coming from the Big East, Penn State fans should be excited. Michaels was named All-Big East first team in 2022. In his career, he has had 92 hits, 23 second base hits, eight home runs, and 56 RBI, according to Penn State. He has also had two third-base hits, according to Baseball Reference. Michaels could end up bringing a solid amount of aggression to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State baseball is building something special. Of course, everything will need to be proven once the season comes, but fans can be excited. They had done well acquiring players this offseason, and with a new coach, expectations are much higher.
