Former West Virginia Pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk Commits to Penn State

This story by Brandon Walker initially appeared on our brother site Nittany Sports Now. 

Former West Virginia relief pitcher Daniel Ouderkirk announced Tuesday that he’ll be transferring to Penn State. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.

Excited to announce that I will be continuing my baseball and academic career at Penn State University! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/qNCEsrBmcR

— Daniel Ouderkirk (@d_ouderkirk) July 12, 2022

Ouderkirk is a towering 6-foot-9, 255-pound power pitcher who also pitches for Strasburg Express in the Valley Baseball League.

Ouderkirk attended Spotswood High School in Penn Laird, Virginia, where he received underclassmen third-team All-America honors in 2017 and was a Rawlings-Perfect Game All-American honorable mention.

He was the number three right-handed pitcher in the Class of 2018, as well as the number five player in Virginia. He redshirted in his freshman season in 2019 and didn’t play in 2020 due to the college baseball season being canceled because of COVID-19.

He made his debut in 2021 for West Virginia, where he made 14 appearances with one start, pitching 17 innings, recording 23 strikeouts while having an earned run average of 7.94. Last season, he appeared in nine games, recorded 15 strikeouts and posted a 6.75 ERA.

Strasburg made seven appearances in 2021, recording 37 strikeouts to 16 walks while having a 5.55 ERA. 

Ouderkirk gives Penn State a veteran pitcher that can throw 95-98 miles per hour out of the bullpen, which is something that’s welcome in any program.