A general view of 2025 MLB Draft signage on the stage at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Penn State Baseball Ties Program Record With 5 MLB Draft Picks

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 3:08 PM ET

Penn State baseball tied a program record in the 2025 MLB Draft, with five Nittany Lions getting selected. That included seventh-round pick Paxton Kling, who had a superb season with Penn State after transferring from LSU.

Penn State's five draft picks tied the program record set in 2005 and was a team-high for a 20-round draft. The Nittany Lions also tied Oregon for the most draft picks among Big Ten schools in the 2025 draft. Here's a look at Penn State's five picks.

Outfielder Paxton Kling

Team: Texas Rangers

Round: Seventh, 205th pick overall

About Kling: The outfielder was Penn State's first All-Big Ten first-team selection since Matt Wood in 2022 and also was named to the all-conference defensive team. Kling led Penn State with a .358 batting average and an OPS of 1.100. He also paced the team in hits (76), runs (63) and doubles (15) and tied for the team lead in home runs (13).

@PaxtonKling

Season highlights of the newest member of the @Rangers organization!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/IQGSJFEKZG
— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) July 15, 2025

Shortstop Ryan Weingartner

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Round: Eighth, 240th pick overall

About Weingartner: He started all 56 games for Penn State at shortstop, finishing with 11 home runs and 40 RBI. Weingartner set a single-season school record, and led the Big Ten, with 30 stolen bases.

Pitcher Ryan DeSanto

Team: Cleveland Guardians

Round: 12th, 372nd pick overall

About DeSanto: The left-handed pitcher participated in the MLB Draft Combine after going 8-2 with a 3.96 ERA in 15 starts for the Nittany Lions. DeSanto limited opponents to 54 hits and a .202 batting average. He was fifth in the Big Ten in hits allowed per game and eighth in WHIP (1.13).

Pitcher Chase Renner

Team: Miami Marlins

Round: 13th, 378th overall

About Renner: The redshirt junior made 17 appearances on the mound for Penn State, finishing with four saves and a 2.91 ERA. Renner recorded 30 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched.

Third baseman Bryce Molinaro

Team: Washington Nationals

Round: 17th, 501st pick overall

About Molinaro: The redshirt sophomore tied Kling with 13 home runs and drove in a team-high 61 runs. He recorded an OPS of .875 and scored 46 runs.

Penn State went 33-23 under second-year head coach Mike Gambino, recording the second-most wins in program history. In just its second 30-win season since 2011, Penn State reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, falling to Nebraska.

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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