May 20, 2008
Ann Arbor, Mich. - Closer and All-American candidate Drew O'Neil headlined a list of four Penn State players named to the All-Big Ten teams that were announced on Tuesday prior to the start of the Big Ten Tournament. O'Neil was named to the first team for the second straight year while teammates Mike Wanamaker, Joe Blackburn and Rob Yodice were also named All-Big Ten. Wanamaker was named to the second team while Blackburn and Yodice were each named to the third team.
O'Neil was named to the first team for the second straight year, the lone reliever on the team for the second straight year as well as only one relief pitcher is named to each team. O'Neil has managed to top even his highly impressive season from last year with the numbers he has put up so far this year. He is second in the Big Ten with 11 saves, tying his own school record from last year. He has allowed just 15 hits in 25.1 innings and just four runs, only two earned. He has a 0.71 ERA and has limited opposing hitters to a .174 batting average. His 25 appearances are the most in his career and is ranks him fourth in single season history at Penn State. He has not given up an extra-base hit this year and last weekend, yielded the first earned run of his career in Big Ten play and for his career has given up just two earned runs to Big Ten teams, both coming against Minnesota. O'Neil also set the school record for career saves earlier this year and is 22-for-23 in career save opportunities.
Joe Blackburn was named to the All-Big Ten third team for the second straight year. |
Wanamaker was named to the second team in this, his first year at Penn State. The junior college transfer from St. Petersburg College was the only starter on the team this year to start in all of his appearances, as he made 13 starts. He led the team and is ranked in the top ten in the Big Ten in innings pitched (78.0), strikeouts (55), wins (5) and ERA (3.69). Wanamaker also led the Lions in complete games with three and turned in 10 quality starts out of his 13. This marks the sixth straight year that a Nittany Lion starting pitcher has been named All-Big Ten.
Blackburn garners his second straight third team All-Big Ten selection. A member of the preseason watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, Blackburn turned in another solid season this year, his third year removed from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He it hitting a career high .341 in 53 games this year and is second on the team in hits (61), RBI (41), total bases (88) doubles (14), on-base percentage (.423) and stolen bases (10) and leads the team in triples (2) and slugging percentage (.492). He has also hit three home runs this season, including a memorable game-winning grand slam to beat Iowa two weekends ago in the final home series. The home runs were the first for him since his injury-shortened 2005 season.
Rob Yodice was named third team All-Big Ten. |
Yodice was named to the third team at the DH, as he was the primary DH on the Nittany Lions this year, playing 30 games at the DH and 16 as catcher. He ranks 10th in the Big Ten and first on the team in home runs with eight and also leads the team in RBI with 49, which ranks eighth in the Big Ten and also eighth on the Penn State single season RBI list. He also is fourth on the team hitting at .291 and tied for third in slugging percentage at .486. He has hit two home runs in a game twice this year and in both games has done so in consecutive at-bats. His eighth home runs are the most for a Nittany Lion since Matt Harter's nine in 2004 and his 49 RBI are the most since Eric Spadt's 49 in 2000. Chris Wright had 58 and Shawn Fagan also had 58 and 80 RBI, respectively in 2000. Yodice also leads the team with 12 multi-RBI games, including two four-RBI games and one six-RBI game.
Penn State's four All-Big Ten selections are the second-most since 2001, behind only the five selections from last year.