UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State baseball has received National Letters of Intent from nine future Nittany Lions, head coach Rob Cooper announced Tuesday. The class, ranked No. 49 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten by Perfect Game, will begin participation in the 2021-22 academic year.
Additional signees will be announced at a later date.
The initial members of the Class of 2025 include nine incoming freshmen from seven different states, including three from Pennsylvania.
“We are very excited about the 2021 recruiting class,” said Cooper. “Coach (Josh) Newman and Coach (Sean) Moore did a great job identifying competitive, winning players to represent our program. We believe these young men will make a positive impact.”
Penn State’s PA recruits span the state, including OF Noah Burke (Canon McMillan) from Pittsburgh, Tommy Molsky (Northern York County) from the Capital Region and Chase Renner (Brandywine Heights) from the Lehigh Valley. From bordering states RHP/SS Ben DeMell (Gilmour Academy) hails from nearby northeast Ohio and LHP/1B Anthony Steele (Shelton) hails from Connecticut.
Traveling north will be RHP Seneca Gregory (Mountain View) from Virginia and LHP Tanner Folds from Georgia. From the Midwest is 1B/3B Connor Throneberry (Marquette Senior) out of St. Louis, and from the West Coast is RHP Patrick DeMarco (Maranatha) out of Los Angeles.
Position-wise, the class breaks down to four right-handed pitchers, two two-way players, one left-handed pitcher a corner infielder and an outfielder.
The Nittany Lions will announce additional members of the Class of 2025 later in the academic year. Below are Penn State’s nine early decision signees:
Noah Burke
OF | L/R | 6-0/192 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Canon McMillan | Keystone War Eagles
Highlights: Three-year letterwinner playing baseball at Canon McMillan under head coach Tim Bruzdewicz…Two-year team captain…Helped lead team to 2018 state championship…Led team in batting average and on-base percentage in 2019…Perfect Game Top 1000 National Rank…Played travel ball for the Keystone War Eagles…High honor roll student.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State not only because it felt like home away from home, it was a great school with great connections after school.”
From the Coaches: “A homegrown PA kid that plays the game hard. A middle of the order type left-handed hitter. He has balance and rhythm and his hands work quick to contact with gap to gap power. Very excited about his potential and what he could possibly add to the middle of our lineup.”
Patrick DeMarco
RHP | R/R | 6-1/200 | Los Angeles, Calif. | Maranatha | Quakes Baseball
Highlights: Four-year letterwinner Maranatha High School under head coach Matthew Shupper…Team captain Named All-Olympic League…Perfect Game Underclass All-American…Perfect Game Top 1000 National Rank…Played travel ball for Quakes Baseball.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State early in my recruiting process because it offered me everything I was looking for — big time D1 baseball program, excellent academics, amazing coaches and the best college environment in the country. I’m excited and proud to be a part of the Nittany Lion family. We Are!”
From the Coaches: “Perfect Game All-American. A power-arm coming out of the state of California. Shows ability to land three pitches for strikes and has a solid feel for pitchability. His curve ball has depth and is a swing and miss pitch. True competitor off the mound.”
Ben DeMell
RHP/SS | L/R | 6-5/205 | Concord, Ohio | Gilmour Academy | Spiders Baseball
Highlights: Four-year letterwinner at Gilmour Academy under head coach Jay Fowler…News Herald Northeast Ohio Player of the Year … Prep Baseball Report first-team All-Ohio and Co-Pitcher of the Year (Div. 2) … PBR Elite 25 (Ohio) … Prep Baseball Report first-team All- Ohio, PBR Co-Pitcher of the year Div 2, PBR Elite 25 in Ohio, PBR All state tournament team (pitcher) and Max Prep Ohio Player of the week.Set school records for wins (11), strikeouts (105), ERA (0.28), batting average against (.113), triples (8), and runs (45)…Two-time team MVP…Ranked as the No. 5 right-handed pitcher and No. 16 player overall in Ohio by Prep Baseball Report…Ranked No. 133 among right-handed pitchers and No. 379 overall nationally by Perfect Game …Ranked as the No. 1 right-handed pitcher and No. 5 overall player in Ohio by Perfect Game…Played travel ball for Spiders Baseball…Played basketball as a center for three years.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State because I wanted to be different. I want to be part of something special, I want to be part of Penn State Baseball history and win championships. The coaches, facilities, campus, education and alumni only make it that more special! We are!”
From the Coaches: “Tremendous multi-sport athlete out of the state of Ohio. He is rated as one of the top two-way prospects in his class. Shows a physical bat from the left-side. The ball explodes off his bat, creating backspin to both fields. Off the mound he shows the ability to pitch in low 90’s. He repeats his delivery well from a high slot. Good frame that gets downhill easily off the slope.”
Tanner Folds
LHP | R/L | 6-1/195 | Calhoun, Georgia | Sonoraville | Orlando Scorpions Founders Club
Highlights: Three-year letterwinner at Sonoraville High School under head coach Deron Walraven…Two-year team captain…Ranked No. 128 among left-handed pitchers nationally and No. 12 in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game…Perfect Game Top 500 National Rank…Played travel ball for the Orlando Scorpions Founders Club…Also played football.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State because of the world-class education that they provide and the best coaching staff in college baseball to develop me into a dominant pitcher at the next level. The atmosphere in Happy Valley is unmatched and naturally draws me in. Penn State was the best decision for me and my family all the way around.
From the Coaches: “Rated as one of the top 500 LHP’s in the country by Perfect Game. The southpaw comes to us from Sonoraville HS in Georgia. A multi-sport athlete. Tanner uses a solid three-pitch mix with total command of the strike zone. Our staff loves the passion of which he plays the game with.”
Seneca Gregory
RHP | R/R | 6-4/225 | Stafford, Va. | Mountain View | Pinnacle Baseball
Highlights: Four-year letterwinner at Mountain View High School under head coach Craig Lopez…Named a Virginia Commonwealth Games All-Star as a junior…USSSA All-American…Went 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 23 strikeouts in fall 2019…Perfect Game Top 1000 National Ranking…Played travel ball for Pinnacle Baseball…National Honor Society inductee.
On Choosing Penn State: “From the moment I stepped on campus, I felt like I was home. I chose Penn State because of the incredible coaching staff, the fantastic academics and the great competition in the Big Ten.”
From the Coaches: “Seneca is a blue collar, highly competitive RHP out of VA. He has a tall, physical frame with a lot of projection left. He will pitch from a three-quarters arm slot with a short, loose quick arm action and easy effort. The ball explodes out of his hand.”
Tommy Molsky
RHP | R/R | 6-1/155 | Dillsburg, Pa. | Northern York County | Keystone Baseball Club
Highlights: Three-year letterwinner at Northern York High School under head Jake Warner…Team captain…Ranked as the No. 162 right-handed pitcher and No. 469 overall nationally by Perfect Game…Ranked as the No. 6 right handed-pitcher and No. 12 overall in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game…Ranked as the No. 6 right handed-pitcher and No. 11 overall in Pennsylvania by Prep Baseball Report…Played travel ball for Keystone Baseball Club…Also wrestled and played football.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State because it is an amazing school that has an outstanding academics side to it. PSU baseball also gives me a great opportunity to prove myself, become more knowledgeable of the game and to become a better person. Mom and Dad get to watch me play as well, as we live a small distance from the school.”
From the Coaches: “Tommy has electric stuff. He can pitch in the low 90’s with an absolute wipeout slider in the low to mid 80’s. He has a wiry frame and loves to compete. Another PA kid that our staff is thrilled to add to our family. He will be an immediate impact arm. One of top HS arms in our state, and in the entire country.”
Chase Renner
RHP | R/R | 6-4/190 | Alburtis, Pa. | Brandywine Heights | Holman Hurricanes
Highlights: Four-year letterwinner at Brandywine Heights under head coach Chris Cole…Team Captain as a junior…Named to all-division team as a sophomore…Ranks as the No. 8 right-handed pitcher and No. 14 player overall in Pennsylvania by Prep Baseball Report…Ranks as the No. 15 right-handed pitcher and No. 24 player overall in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game…Perfect Game Top 500 National Ranking…Played travel ball for Holman Hurricanes.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State because everything just felt right. Not only will I be getting a world-class education, but I will also be playing baseball in the Big Ten Conference, and at the highest level in collegiate sports. I love the coaching staff at Penn State and I believe that they have the knowledge and tools to develop a winning team, as well as the individual player. All of this, and it’s only two and a half hours away, it was a no brainer. I cannot wait to be part of this program!”
From the Coaches: “Chase has a very fast arm with ability to pitch in the low 90’s with his fastball. He shows a swing and miss 12-6 curve ball with high spin rate. He is one of the top recruits in the state of PA by Prep Baseball Report and Perfect Game.”
Anthony Steele
LHP/1B | L/L | 6-4/225 | Shelton, Conn. | Shelton | Boys of Summer/DBI
Highlights: Three-year team member and one-year letter winner at Shelton High School under head coach Scott Gura…Team captain…Named to the Southern Connecticut All-Academic Team, Academic All-Star Team and All-League Team as a sophomore…Threw a no-hitter as a sophomore…Ranks as the No. 1 first baseman and No. 17 player overall in New England by Prep Baseball Report…Ranked the No. 2 left-handed pitcher and No. 12 player in Connecticut and No. 119 left-handed pitcher nationally by Perfect Game…Perfect Game Top 500 National Rank…Played travel ball for Boys of Summer and DBI.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State due to the amazing atmosphere and coaching staff. It felt like a home away from home as soon as I stepped onto campus. Another reason is that Penn State has one of the best exercise science/kinesiology programs in the country, which is my desired major. All in all, I knew with the great coaching staff and academics that Penn State was the place for me.”
From the Coaches: “Another two-way talented prospect coming to us from the state of Connecticut. A highly-touted recruit that is ranked as one of the top 150 LHP’s in the country by Perfect Game. Shows power from the left-side offensively with an easy effortless swing. Our staff is extremely excited about this kid’s potential.”
Connor Throneberry
1B/3B | R/R | 6-6/230 | St Louis, Mo. | Marquette Senior | 615 Baseball Club(Nashville)/Midsouth Prospects(Arkansas)/Tri-State Arsenal (New Jersey)
Highlights: Four-year letterwinner at Marquette Senior High School under head coach John Meyer…Named all-district and all-conference…Named academic all-state…Ranked as the No. 1 first baseman and No. 11 player overall in Missouri, and the No. 31 first baseman nationally by Perfect Game…Perfect Game Top 500 National Ranking…Ranked as the No. 3 first baseman and No. 32 player overall in Missouri by Prep Baseball Report…Played travel ball for 615 Baseball Club (Nashville), Midsouth Prospects(Arkansas) and Tri-State Arsenal (New Jersey)…Also played football.
On Choosing Penn State: “I chose Penn State because of its excellent reputation in both academics and athletics. I am excited about the opportunity to play in the Big Ten for great coaches with a commitment to excellence.”
From the Coaches: “Connor is a corner INF with a strong, physical frame from St. Louis. One of the top recruits in the entire country by Perfect Game at his position (31st). Has the ability to leave the yard at any point. A multi-sport athlete that projects as a middle of the order bat right away. The ball just sounds different coming off the bat when this kid hits.”
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