July 9, 2008
University Park, Pa. - Penn State baseball coach Robbie Wine today announed that right-handed junior college pitcher Andrew Palen has signed a national letter of intent to attend Penn State and play baseball. Palen will enroll at Penn State this fall and will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2009 season.
Palen will come to Penn State from the same junior college, Scottsdale Community College in Scottsdale, Ariz., as current Nittany Lion pitcher T.J. Macy. This past year, Palen led his team with seven saves while pitching in 30 games, throwing 58 innings, and allowing just 14 earned runs (22 runs overall) for a 2.17 ERA. He also struck out 70 and walked just 24 while allowing 38 hits. He also had a 4-2 record.
During the 2007 season, in which he was teammates with Macy, He appeared in 23 games while throwing 41.2 innings and also had seven saves. He had a 1.51 ERA, allowing just 10 runs, seven earned and 25 hits. He struck out 37 and walked just 14 while compiling a 5-0 record. He helped lead the team to a Region I Division II championship, a Southwest District championship and a third place finish at the NJCAA Division II World Series.
A native of Scottsdale, Palen is a graduate of Pinnacle High School.