Penn State baseball preparing for 2016 season with Holuba Hall practices

Flurries of snow don’t really signify the beginning of baseball season in the same way that the smell of sun-soaked leather and fresh-cut grass do, but upon entering Holuba Hall on Friday afternoon, the pinging of bats and popping of gloves ushered in the sport of spring and summer all the same.

“Yeah, it’s 70 degrees and sunny here in Holuba Hall,” said Penn State baseball head coach Rob Cooper, drily. “We’re excited, first day. Everybody in Division I is out practicing today, three weeks away from our first game.”

Penn State went 18-30 last season, winning just six Big Ten matchups and posting a 5-22 record on the road.

But this season, Cooper thinks new energy will help the team figure out an identity — he just doesn’t know what that is yet.

“You know what, I think we have a chance to do some exciting things,” he said. “What those are yet, I don’t know. We got 11 true freshmen, we got six sophomores, so we got a really young team. But those guys are working really hard and I think they’re committed to the process.

“I think right now the expectation is to see them really take care of each day and go from there...How that’s going to translate into wins and losses, we’re going to wait and see on that one. But I like the direction we’re going.”

Cooper said that there are a few players he’s looking forward to watching develop this season, including senior outfielder Greg Guers and junior infielder Jim Haley.

“It’s just good to be together with the guys again,” said Guers, a native of Langhorne, Pa. who is returning after hitting eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 13 doubles and stealing 14 bases on 15 attempts while posting a .495 slugging percentage. He said he’s most looking forward to getting reps in with live pitching over the next few weeks.

“They had good years last year and have a chance to make an impact again,” said Cooper. “I think some of the guys we have returning this year are actually better leaders than some of the seniors (we lost last year).”

Before Penn State’s first game three weeks from now, a Feb. 19 matchup against Monmouth as a part of the USA Baseball Complex Tournament, Cooper and his squad have a few wrinkles to work out.

First and foremost, the head coach said all positions are open to competition and change.

“I’ll be totally, 100 percent honest with you, and this isn’t ‘coach-speak,’ but every position is wide open right now,” said Cooper. “I’m definitely not ready to say that somebody’s won a job or not. And I think that one of the things that you’ve seen with us having time to bring in 11 freshmen, you’re seeing more talent and more competition in practice and it’s elevating the overall level of play.”

Second, the team has to come out of the gate playing hard.

“(We just have to) execute in game situations,” said junior Christian Helson. “I think that’s really what we’re going to work on here in our spring scrimmages, just executing bunts, steals, making routine plays. If we do that, we’re going to be fine during the season.”

Penn State is also staying fresh after an historic trip to play ball in Cuba, against some of the country’s best teams. This season, they’ll see a few of their own country’s best collegiate teams in TCU and South Carolina. The Nittany Lions have a ways to go before they host the Horned Frogs for a three-game series in early May, but will see the Gamecocks for a three-game road series from Feb. 26-28.

“I think it’s good for our sport when you can have cross-sectional teams like that from big Power 5 conferences play each other,” said Cooper. “I think it’s great for Penn State to get to and to play, and if we get to an NCAA tournament, that’s who we’re going to play. Our ultimate goal is to play in the College World Series, and so you gotta play the best in order to do that.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Penn State baseball preparing for 2016 season with Holuba Hall practices."