May 1, 2009
East Lansing, Mich. - In the eyes of head coach Robbie Wine and the rest of the Nittany Lion baseball team, it does not matter than Penn State enters this weekend's Big Ten slate with Michigan State on a five-game in-conference losing streak.
A string of losses to Indiana and Illinois find the Nittany Lions on the outside looking in, sitting at eighth in the conference standings with three sets of three games remaining.
First up on the Penn State's tray is Michigan State which, at 8-7 in the Big Ten, is a surefire way for the blue-and-white to regain composure and include itself as one of the six teams that receive an opportunity to play in the Big Ten Tournament at Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers.
First pitch is slated on Friday for 3 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich. Loren Crispell, the voice of Penn State baseball, and Seb Saraceno were heralding the audio broadcast at GoPSUsports.com and ESPN Radio WMAJ 1450-AM in the State College, Pa. area. GameTracker will also be made available at GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions composed themselves well on Wednesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to end the five-game skid as Mike Franklin pitched a five-innings of no-hit ball that was subsequently carried into the seventh in a 9-3 victory over La Salle.
"Yeah, it's good," head coach Robbie Wine said. "It's always good. We've a winning streak now."
To extend the so-called 'winning streak,' Penn State must combat Michigan State's pitching staff, which is fourth in conference play with a 4.44 ERA -- exactly three runs lower than the Nittany Lions. Pitching coach Jason Bell is shaking up the pitching rotation for the second weekend in a row and will be utilizing Scott Kelley in the rotation. Paul Cianciolo and Calvin will be moved back into long-relief stature. The trio of T.J. Macy, Mike Lorentson and Kelley looks to benefit off of a Spartan lineup that is hitting just .277 this season.
Penn State, on the other hand, is led by freshman third baseman Jordan Steranka, who can very well push his way towards the hits record set for a freshman. The Big Ten leader for hits in conference play has 60 so far this season. Steranka is batting third in the conference at .390.
The Spartans have come on hot as of late. After winning its season opener at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, Michigan State lost its next 11 games of the season. Since their 2-14 start, it is 16-10.
Michigan State has four starters who are hitting above .300, as opposed to Penn State's five. Eric Roof leads the team with a .325 batting average and a resounding 11 doubles to go along with his 31 RBIs. Eli Boike is the team leader in home runs with seven.
On the base paths, the Spartans have a trio of players with 10 or more swipes. When they get on base, Jeff Holm (.331 OBP) and Brandon Eckerle (.320 OBP) have 14 and 10 stolen bases on the year. Boike (.436 OBP) has speed to go along with his power at the plate with 10 successful steals out of 14 tries.
Penn State will be making its first appearance at renovated Kobs Field at McLane Stadium, which will have its stadium dedication held over the weekend. Kobs is one of the shorter parks in the Big Ten with the deepest part measuring 400 feet and the shallowest down the right-field line at a mere 301 feet. With the Lions' top two home runs hitters -- Steranka and Cory Wine -- batting from the left side of the plate, Penn State is sure to benefit from the short porch.
The Land Grant Series, which dates back to 1920, gives Penn State a slight edge at 30-28. The Spartans took three of four against the Nittany Lions last season in spite of their 12-18 conference record and eighth place mark in the Big Ten.
Probable Rotation:
Friday, 3 p.m.:
RHP T.J. Macy (3-3, 3.96 ERA) vs. RHP Nolan Moody (5-4, 4.14 ERA)
Macy: The senior righthander has struck out 78 batters, an average of 11.02 per nine innings, this season -- the 18th highest total in Division I. Macy holds a 3-3 record with a 3.96 ERA but has four no-decisions this season. During his last appearance, he was perfect through four but was setback in the fifth when the Fightin' Illini pounded him for six earned runs in two innings. Prior to that, Macy puzzled opposing batters, punching out 21 hitters in two starts against Purdue and Indiana.
Moody: Michigan State's ace has been mediocre in Big Ten play with a 2-2 record and a 4.98 ERA. Opponents, however, are batting just .271 off him, and he averages just over .5 strikeouts per inning pitched. Moody earned a win in his last start, a 15-10 victory over Iowa. He let up 13 hits and seven earned runs in five strong.
Saturday, 1 p.m.:
LHP Mike Lorentson (1-6, 6.43 ERA) vs. RHP AJ Achter (2-3, 3.51 ERA)
Sunday, 1 p.m.:
RHP Scott Kelley (4-4, 5.04 ERA) vs. RHP Tony Bucciferro (4-1. 2.77 ERA)
Tidbits:
Penn State is sixth in the nation in double plays turned per game (1.28)...Michigan State played a total of 11 nonconference games against in-state schools (Eastern/Central/Western Michigan and Oakland)...The Spartans are 8-3 against those teams and, since their spring trips to warmer weather, has played just one away game away (Bowling Green) from the Wolverine State...Michigan State is eighth in the nation in sacrifice flies (29), and Jonathon Roof is second in the country with eight sac flies...Sunday's starter Tony Bucciferro allows a Greg Maddux-like 1.29 walks per nine innings pitched.