Okay so yesterday morning I’m scrolling through my phone with my coffee, half-asleep still, you know how it is. Then bam! Right there on my Penn State Baseball notifications feed: “2025 Schedule Released.” Hot damn! That woke me up faster than that first sip of coffee ever could. Time to get serious about my game days.
The Scramble Begins
First thing? Obviously, heading straight to the official athletics site. Hit that baseball section… boom, there it is. The whole list laid out clean. But let’s be real, I ain’t scrolling through all that on my tiny phone screen while my toast is burning. Grabbed my laptop instead. Coffee splashed a bit – priorities, people!
Sat down, pulled up the full PDF schedule they usually have. Downloading… waiting… come on, come on! Finally got it open. Standard format: dates, opponents, home vs away, times. Simple. Good.
Picking My Battles (And Seats)
Now, my brain started working. Weeknight games? Tough unless it’s a big rivalry. Can’t take too many days off work, gotta be smart. So, I started with the weekend home series. Penciled in all the Saturday games right away. My preferred slot – whole day dedicated to ballpark vibes.
Next up: Big Names. Scanned the list for any powerhouse teams coming to Medlar Field. Noticed we got [Big Ten Rival] here in April. Circled that date HARD. Definitely planning the full tailgate experience for that one. Gonna need the big cooler.
Then I thought about opening weekend. February baseball in State College? Brrr. But it’s tradition! Gotta be there, even if I’m bundled up like the Michelin Man. Marked it down, mentally noting to dig out my thermal underwear.
Also checked for any midweek ranked opponents. Sometimes you get a sneaky good matchup on a Tuesday afternoon. Found one against [Another Notable School]. Thought about playing hooky… briefly. Ended up marking it as a “maybe, see how work is.”
Logistics & Locking It In
Okay, dates flagged. Time for the less fun part: making it happen.
- Hotel Check: Looked at the dates I picked, especially that big April series. Knew hotels downtown get booked FAST. Jumped on those booking sites, just to scope prices. Saw a couple decent options still available near the campus bus routes. Didn’t book yet, but bookmarked them good. Those prices will shoot up later, no doubt.
- Ticket Stalk: Single-game tickets won’t be up for ages, I know that game. Annoying. But season tickets? Got the email about renewal. Need to call the ticket office later this week, figure out if renewing my usual seats makes sense compared to snagging single games later. Hate waiting for singles though – stress I don’t need.
- Personal Calendar Invasion: Opened my personal calendar (the one my wife actually sees). Started slotting the definite game dates in: “PSU Baseball vs [Team] – Tailgate!” and “PSU Baseball OPENING DAY!!!!”. Gotta keep the spouse in the loop… and secure clearance!
- Weather Check: Yeah, I went there. Looked up long-range averages for State College on the Opening Day date. Confirmed: probably freezing. Noted: Pack ALL the layers.
- Budget Peek: Roughly counted how many definite games I had marked. Six? Seven? Added up rough costs in my head: gas, maybe hotel for one weekend, tickets (hopefully season ticket cost per game), plus food/drink at the park. Oof. Gotta start setting aside some cash each month. Hot dogs ain’t cheap anymore!
End Game
Phew. Felt like I ran a marathon just sitting at my laptop! Took about an hour all in, coffee long gone cold. But you know what? Feels damn good. Got my targets picked out. Know what dates I’m fighting for. Know I need to hustle on hotels and ticketing soon.
Now it’s all about waiting – patiently, impatiently, whatever – for those single-game sales and jumping on those hotel holds when I commit. Might annoy the wife talking about it constantly for the next few months too. Sorry honey, baseball season planning waits for nobody! The countdown is officially ON. Can practically smell the grass and hear the ping of the bat already. Let’s Go State!