March 23, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team will travel 788 miles in two days as it takes on Kent State and Temple on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, before beginning its first Big Ten home stand this coming weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m in both games.
Due to technical difficulties at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium and Skip Wilson Field, there will be no radio broadcast performed by Loren Crispell, the voice of Penn State baseball. Fans, however, can follow live stats and GameTracker links found at GoPSUsports.com or listen to a free radio broadcast made available by KentStateSports.com. Fans can also get updates from both games at twitter.com/psubaseball.
The Nittany Lions come into the back-to-back set with a record of 11-8, following a three-game sweep of New York Tech, and is riding a four-game winning streak. Kent State, a projected pre-season Regionals participant by many college baseball media outlets, stands at 13-4 and won its past five games since being swept by Kennesaw State. Temple (7-10) hasn't lost in three games as it swept Duquesne in a three-game series in Ambler, Pa.
Series History vs. Kent State, Temple
Penn State and Kent State battled only once in the history of the two programs; the lone game took place at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in 2007 when the Nittany Lions overcame the Golden Flashes, 9-3. Cory Wine and Mike Deese each had three hits and two RBIs. Wine reached four times, while the Penn State bullpen shut down the Kent State offense for the final four innings played.
The two intrastate teams have a storied history that dates back to 1929. Penn State holds a 51-29-1 edge on the Owls. After a one-year hiatus, the two schools resume their rivalry. Penn State last defeated Temple, 14-8, on April 11, 2007 in a game that featured nine errors. Only three current members of head coach Robbie Wine's squad, two of whom registered base hits, played in the midweek game. Scott Kelley, now an outfielder turned starting pitcher, and Landon Nakata both had two RBIs.
Last Time Out
Penn State swept New York Tech in a three-game series. Nittany Lions starting pitchers - T.J. Macy, Scott Kelley and Calvin Grumley - combined to allow two earned runs over 20 innings pitched. While Penn State hitters batted relatively on par with its season average, walks benefited them, as the Bears issued 19 free passes. Penn State, labored by fielding errors during its trips to Florida and Texas, committed just one error during the game to raise its fielding percentage to a respectable .964.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Cory Wine, who sports a .449 batting average that is second in the Big Ten, reels off the Penn State offense. Currently on an 11-game hitting streak, Blake Lynd trails Wine at third, owning a .439 clip. Lynd does, however, lead the Big Ten in on-base percentage, reaching safely 52.9 percent the time. Wine and Deese lead the Penn State offense in RBIs, sending 26 and 20 runners home, respectively.
T.J. Macy is among the league leaders in a majority of the pitching categories. Macy has a 1.41 ERA and owns a 2-1 record. He has 38 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched and holds batters to a .208 batting average. Scott Kelley leads the team with three wins with a 3.60 ERA.
Mike Lorentson and Paul Cianciolo will be taking the mound for Penn State.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
Kent State is batting similarly to Penn State with both teams batting in the low .300s. The Golden Flashes are led by Greg Rohan, whose cranked five homers on the year and has 22 RBIs to go along with a .380 average. Brad Winter, Ben Klafczynski and Jason Patton have each hit in the .356-.360 range for Kent State.
Kent State's strong suit has been its pitching. The Golden Flashes
Scouting the Owls
Temple has played three similar opponents as Penn State in the early portion of the season. The Owls, like Penn State, took Florida Gulf Coast into extra innings, topping the Eagles, 5-3, in the 11th. Rutgers and Temple also went the distance and then some as the Scarlet Knights came out ahead, 11-8, in 10 innings. Temple has also defeated Lehigh, edging the Mountain Hawks, 10-5, in Bethlehem, Pa.
Similarly, Temple has also hit the ball well at a .306 clip; however, pitching has troubled the Owls - a 6.19 ERA has propelled them to a 7-10 record.
The Owls will be throwing junior right-hand pitcher Mike Click on Wednesday. It will be Click's first start of the year. He has surrendered six earned runs in 9.1 innings, and opponents are hitting .306 off him.