Robbie Wine, a native Pennsylvanian, is now in his fourth season as the head coach of Penn State's oldest intercollegiate sport, baseball. Wine was named the school's 13th head coach on August 21, 2004 and currently oversees a program that is among the fastest growing and quickest rising programs in the country.

Wine guided the Nittany Lions to a record-breaking season last year in his third year at the helm and the program's first with Medlar Field at Lubrano Park as its home stadium. Penn State had one of the biggest improvements in the country last year, posting an overall record of 31-26, a full 10.5 game improvement from the previous season. The Nittany Lions also set a school record with 20 Big Ten wins and by finishing in a tie for second place, equaled its second-best Big Ten finish ever. Penn State also made Medlar Field at Lubrano Park both a fan-friendly and a record-friendly atmosphere for the home team as the Nittany Lions went 17-6 at their new home and set records for total and average home attendance as well as individual game home attendance.

Known and respected throughout both professional and collegiate baseball circles, Wine has used his connections throughout his first three years in Happy Valley to expand Penn State's recruiting reach. Traditionally known more as a regional program in terms of recruiting in the past, Wine has gradually made Penn State baseball into a nationally-known name in recruiting. Penn State will enter this season with players from Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina and Oklahoma and for next year has already signed players from Illinois and Georgia once again as well as Texas. Wine has also kept some of Pennsylvania's best prep talent close to home.

Not only are some of the best prep and junior college talent signing with Penn State, but they are also performing once they get there. Last year, Wine recruit Drew O'Neil became the highest drafted Penn State player since Nate Bump went in the first round in 1998 and just the second Penn Stater to be drafted in the top 10 rounds in the last 31 years. Overall, Penn State had five players drafted last year, tying a school record.

Wine has 26 years of playing and coaching experience at the college and professional levels. Prior to coming to Penn State, he was an assistant coach in charge of hitting and defense at his alma mater, Oklahoma State. During his tenure there as an assistant, the Cowboys won one Big 12 Tournament championship in 2004, qualified for five NCAA Regionals, one Super Regional, and a College World Series in 1999. He also oversaw talent evaluation, recruiting and office administration for the Cowboys.

His offenses have been known to hit for power and high averages. In his first as head coach, the Nittany Lion offense hit nearly 50 points higher on the year than it had in 2004. Penn State hit .302 as a team in Wine's first season compared to just .255 in 2004 and five different PSU players hit over .300 that year. Penn State also drove in over 70 more runs in 2005 than in 2004 (286-213), pounded out 92 more hits (546-454), and scored 81 more runs (318-237).

In 2006, Penn State hit .289 as a team, with four different Nittany Lions hitting over .300 while five different Penn State players had slugging percentages above .400.

Last year, four more Penn State players hit over .300, led by Joe Blackburn at .347 and 21st round draft pick Matt Cavagnaro at .335. As a team, Penn State hit .284, giving the team a four-year batting average of .291 under Wine.

In the aforementioned 2004 season, Wine's final year at Oklahoma State, the Cowboy offense hit .312 and smashed 48 home runs en route to its first Big 12 championship since the beginning of the Big 12 in the 1997 season. OSU finished with a 38-24 mark in 2004. Wine's offense led the Big 12 in home runs in 2003 with 77 while in 2000, the Cowboys were in the top three in the league in virtually every offensive category, including batting average, home runs, RBI, and runs scored.

In 1999, under Wine's tutelage, Oklahoma State finished third in the country in scoring at 10.39 runs per game and first in runs scored with 696 en route to the College World Series. OSU also finished third in the nation that year with 132 home runs and a .587 slugging percentage. In 1998, the Cowboys were 10th in the country in scoring with 9.52 runs per game. In 1997, his first year as an assistant coach in Stillwater, the Cowboys hit .333 as a team and tied for first in the country with a .620 slugging percentage. OSU also was second in the country with 149 home runs (2.29 per game), while averaging over 10 runs per game.

Prior to returning to Oklahoma State as a coach, Wine spent 15 years in the professional baseball ranks, eight as a player and six as a coach. He was the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the second-highest pick in Oklahoma State history. Wine saw Major League action for the Houston Astros in parts of the 1986 and 1987 seasons. After his playing days were over, he spent 1991 as a hitting coach, third base coach, and defensive coach for the Miami Miracle of the Class A Florida State League. He worked for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1993-96 as part of their Major League coaching staff and as a roving catching instructor.

While playing at Oklahoma State, Wine was a two-time All-American catcher. Playing for the legendary baseball coach Gary Ward, Wine's teams made three appearances in the College World Series, including a second-place finish in 1981. He was inducted into the Oklahoma State Hall of Fame in 1993.

"I think he's had great relationships with his student-athletes," said Wine's former boss at Oklahoma State, Frank Anderson. "I think it's an outstanding opportunity for both him and the school. It's a positive move for Penn State and for Robbie. Not only is he a good coach, but he's a good person and part of a great family."

Wine is currently one of just 12 NCAA Division I coaches out of nearly 300 programs, that is a Major League Baseball alum. He played for the Houston Astros in parts of the 1986 and 1987 seasons.

Born July 13, 1962 in Philadelphia, Wine, the son of former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Bobby Wine, graduated from Methacton High School in Fairview Village, Pa. HIs father, Bobby, has spent over 40 years in professional baseball and is currently an advanced scout for the Atlanta Braves.

While coaching at Oklahoma State following his professional career, Wine went back to school and earned his bachelor's degree in 2002. He resides in Boalsburg with his wife Shealynn, son Cory (21), who will be a junior on this year's team, and daughter Mackenzie (17).