April 4, 2008
Loren Crispell chats with Penn State closer D. O'Neil about breaking the Penn State saves record last weekend (mp3)
University Park, Pa. - The Nittany Lion baseball team will host its first Big Ten home series of the year this weekend when the preseason favorite Michigan comes to town for a four-game series. Game times are 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 2:05 p.m. for the Saturday doubleheader and 1:05 p.m. for the series finale on Sunday.
Michigan, which won the Big Ten regular season championship in each of the last two seasons and made it to an NCAA Super Regional last season, will be making its first appearance at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Wolverines last trip to Happy Valley was the last-ever series at Beaver Field back in May of 2006. Last year, Penn State was the only team in the Big Ten to win a series from the Wolverines as the Lions took three out of four games in Ann Arbor the second-to-last weekend of the regular season. Penn State followed that up by knocking Michigan out of the Big Ten Tournament on their home field with a 10-inning thriller won on Cory Wine's solo home run in the top of the tenth. Closer Drew O'Neil was the star of three of Penn State's four wins over the Wolverines last year as he picked up two wins and a save in three appearances, allowing just five hits and no earned runs over 7.1 innings against Michigan last year.
Penn State's bats also got going against Michigan last year as the Lions hit .353 against Michigan last year with five home runs and put up a .521 slugging percentage in its five games against the Wolverines.
This year, Penn State (8-14, 2-2 Big Ten) enters its series with the Wolverines winners of three of its last four games. Michigan (14-7, 4-0 Big Ten), meanwhile is coming off a midweek loss at Central Michigan but swept Iowa at home in its first Big Ten series of the year last weekend.
A couple of individuals from Penn State will be looking to creep closer to history this weekend. First baseman Cory Wine needs just 48 putouts to break the school record for career putouts. Outfielder Brian Ernst has 189 career hits and with just one more will move into the top 10 in career hits at Penn State. He also just needs 11 more hits to become just the seventh player in Penn State history with 200 career hits.