Penn State is coming to PNC Field.
On April 22, the Nittany Lions’ baseball team will face Lafayette in Moosic as part of the RailRiders University Community Series, the RailRiders announced Monday.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
It will be Penn State’s first appearance at PNC Field, and it marks the culmination of a years-long attempt to bring a major-college baseball game to Montage Mountain. Each spring, the RailRiders host local college, high school and special-needs teams to showcase their talents. This year, the stadium will host 14 games featuring local high school programs between April 2 and May 10, the second-annual RailRiders University Junior High tournament starting May 15, and the PIAA District 2 tournament over Memorial Day weekend.
The RailRiders also will host the Bill Howerton Strike Out Cancer Weekend, with Holy Cross facing Holy Redeemer and Honesdale battling North Pocono in a twinbill April 18, and Scranton High School taking on Western Wayne on April 19.
Lafayette originally had been scheduled to host Penn State on April 22, but it will now host the game at PNC Field.
The Nittany Lions are off to their best start in four decades after sweeping Princeton in a four-game set last weekend in Cary, North Carolina. Led by senior infielder Gavin Homer’s 13 RBIs and 6-foot-8 junior right-hander Bailey Dees’ 1.02 ERA, Penn State is 9-2, its best start since 1980.
2020 RailRiders Community Series Schedule
- April 2, Scranton High School vs. West Scranton High School- 4:30 PM
- April 3, Valley View High School vs. Honesdale High School- 4:30 PM
- April 4, Mountain View High School vs. Lackawanna Trail High School- 1:30 PM; Riverside High School vs. Mid Valley High School- 3:30 PM
- April 17, Nanticoke Area High School vs. Dallas Area High School- 4:30 PM
- April 18, Holy Cross High School vs. Holy Redeemer High School- 1:30 PM; Honesdale High School vs. North Pocono High School- 3:30 PM (Bill Howerton Strike Out Cancer Weekend)
- April 19, Scranton High School vs. Western Wayne High School- 2:00 PM
- April 22, Penn State University (Main Campus) vs. Lafayette University- 6:30 PM
- April 26, Hanover Area High School vs. Holy Redeemer High School- Immediately after RailRiders game
- April 27, Western Wayne High School vs. Honesdale High School- 4:30 PM
- May 2, Abington Heights High School vs. Hazleton Area High School- 3:00 PM
- May 3, Abington Heights High School vs. West Scranton High School- 4:00 PM
- May 4, Pocono Mountain East High School vs. Pocono Mountain West High School- 4:30 PM
- May 10, State College High School vs. Hazleton Area High School- Immediately after RailRiders game
- May 15-17, 2nd Annual RailRiders University Junior High Tournament- Times TBA
- May 24-27, PIAA District 2 Tournament- Times TBA
- July 20-24, RailRiders University Summer Camp #1
- Aug. 3-6, RailRiders University Summer Camp #2
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT