Last year was one of the best seasons in Penn State Abington baseball history. The Nittany Lions posted a 20-6 overall record (14-2 in conference), was ranked first in the region at one point for the first time in school history and received votes in the national top 25 poll for the first time as well. They reached the then-North Eastern Atlantic Conference (NEAC) championship where they fell to rival Penn State Harrisburg and did not secure an at-large berth to the COVID-shortened NCAA Division III playoff field.

Penn State Abington wants to leave nothing to chance as it wants to reclaim the conference (now known as the United East) championship for the second time in the last three years of  league competition (no season in 2020) and return to the NCAAs.

The Nittany Lions will have a new leader at the helm of the program as former Major League Baseball and La Salle University head coach David Miller assumed the head coach role in the winter. He has a number of key returners to work with, including five all-conference honorees from last season.

Top Returners:
Leading that group is senior infielder/pitcher Ryan McCarty. McCarty earned first team all-conference honors for the third time in '21 as he batted .436 with 15 doubles, four triples, four home runs, 35 runs scored and 33 RBIs in 26 games. He had at least one hit in all but three games and added nine multiple-RBI efforts. A former conference pitcher of the year, McCarty saw limited time on the mound and went 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA.

Fellow senior infielder/pitcher Jaden Himmelreich returns as well. He was a first-team all-conference honoree as well after hitting .314 with six doubles, 18 runs scored and 18 RBIs. On the mound, Himmelreich won five of six decisions with 32 strikeouts and a 3.65 ERA.

Sophomore catcher/outfielder Justin Fogel was the conference Rookie of the Year and a first-team selection in 2021. He trailed only McCarty in batting with a .412 average while producing six doubles, three home runs, 10 stolen bases, 25 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Behind the plate, he gave up just one stolen base in 12 attempts.

Senior Zach Morales and junior Sean Doherty round out the returning all-conference honorees as they were each named to the second team. Morales, an infielder, batted .394 with seven doubles, three home runs, 25 runs scored and 26 RBIs while starting all 26 contests.

Doherty, an infielder/outfielder, notched a .364 average with six doubles and a triple. He scored 26 runs and knocked in 21.

Coach's Season Outlook:
"I'm excited to watch these players enter the 2022 season. Having just been hired, I am learning more about them every day and seeing how hungry they are to learn and grow as baseball players. They work hard and have the will to put Penn State Abington on the map."

Schedule:
Penn State Abington opens its season with a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to take on Guilford College in back-to-back games on February 19 and 20. The squad opens United East play with a championship rematch as it travels to Penn State Harrisburg for a three-game series on March 18 and 19. The Nittany Lions' home opener is March 23 against York College (Pa).