April 14, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team completes its six-game homestand this week with contests against intra-state rival Pittsburgh and Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The Nittany Lions take on the Panthers and Mountaineers after losing two of three to Purdue this weekend. First pitches for both games are set for 6:35 p.m. before the Nittany Lions take off for Bloomington, Ind. to take on the upstart Hoosiers squad.
Fans can follow the game via GameTracker at GoPSUsports.com. Loren Crispell, the voice of Penn State baseball, will be broadcasting the game on the official Penn State athletics Web site or on ESPN Radio 1450 AM in the State College area. Game updates will also be made available on twitter.com/psubaseball.
A Penn State Idol competition for National Anthem singers will take place before Tuesday's game against the Panthers, which was rescheduled because of inclement weather last week. Penn State faces Pittsburgh again on Tuesday, April 28 at Trees Field in the Steel City.
Pitching Matchup:
Pittsburgh: Matt Iannazzo (2-2, 6.82 ERA, 33 IP, 27 Ks) Penn State: Scott Kelley (4-4, 4.86 ERA, 37 IP, 25 Ks)
Series History vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh travels to University Park, Pa. for the first time in 24 years, despite their relatively short proximity to one another. Before the construction of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, the two schools often played neutral games before large crowds in Blair County. It will mark the 83rd time the two teams have faced off with the Nittany Lions holding a 59-22-1 lead. Penn State has won the past four games.
Scouting the Panthers
Pittsburgh owns a 17-13 record this season and is 4-1 against common opponents. The Panthers come in to the game batting at a .300 clip. Three regulars have posted batting averages above .340. Chris Sedon has been the power at the plate for Pittsburgh. Sedon has benefited from the short porch at Trees Field, powering 10 home runs and a .382 batting average. Joe Leonard has 25 RBIs, and Morgan Kielty has seen more action as of late with his .345 average.
Matt Iannazzo takes the hill for the Panthers. It is Iannazzo's fourth start of the year and he holds a .682 ERA.
Scouting the Mount
Mount St. Mary's comes to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park after losing four of its past five games. The Mountaineers hold a 13-14 record after making it to the NCAA Tournament last year. Mount St. Mary's is hitting .295 and has blasted 22 home runs so far. Shane Eyler and Kyle Kane herald the Mount with .372 and .356 averages, respectively. Eyler has the team-lead in home runs (eight) and RBIs (24). While the starting pitcher for Wednesday's game is currently to be announced, the Mount St. Mary's staff posts a 6.35 ERA and opponents are hitting .311 against them.