May 8, 2009
IOWA CITY - Last season, the Penn State baseball team jumpstarted its campaign to a No. 3 spot in the Big Ten Tournament when, after dropping three to Michigan State, it swept Iowa at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Nittany Lions aim to have similar fortunes against the Hawkeyes this weekend as it heads to Iowa City for a three-game set that could determine its fate of whether it clinches one of three remaining spots in the Big Ten Tournament.
Robbie Wine's squad currently sits eighth in the Big Ten standings after dropping its past eight conference games. The Nittany Lions are 2.5 games out of the sixth and final spot, currently held by Purdue. To make the tournament, Penn State will have to perform well in its next two series against Iowa and Minnesota and get help from its Big Ten counterparts. Sixth place Purdue takes on Michigan State, which swept the Nittany Lions last week in East Lansing, Mich., while Michigan, which stands in seventh and a half-game behind the Boilermakers, faces second-place Minnesota.
Penn State visits the Hawkeye State with an even record of 22-22 and a conference record of 5-13. Iowa is last in the Big Ten at 15-30 overall and 3-14 in conference play.
First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Central) at Duane Banks Field. The latter two games of the series are scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Fans can listen to an audio broadcast presented by Loren Crispell, the voice of Penn State baseball, on GoPSUsports.com. A radio broadcast will be made available for State College residents on ESPN Radio 1450 AM. The second round of the National Hockey League showdown between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals may preempt the Nittany Lions-Hawkeyes.
Having lost eight of its past nine games, the Nittany Lions have seen their batting average dip below .300 for the first time since the Texas series. Penn State currently sits at a .299 clip and sports an ERA of 5.85. In conference play, Penn State is batting a paltry .273 while opponents are hitting .336 against its npitching staff. The Nittany Lions look to lessen their conference-worst 7.62 ERA against a Hawkeye team that is hitting .282 in Big Ten play.
Penn State is led by freshman Jordan Steranka, who has a team-best batting average of .386 that leads all Big Ten freshmen and third basemen. Steranka has 39 RBIs in 40 starts and has an OPS rating of .956 for the season. With two more hits, Steranka, who has 64 base knocks this year, will establish himself as the all-time hits leader for a Penn State freshman.
The Nittany Lions will likely see the return of Mike Deese, who has been sidelined with a rib injury since the Penn State's last conference win in the first game of the Indiana series. Deese is hitting .309 on the season and has 33 RBIs in 34 games.
Grant Youngblood showed promise in the past two games, filling in at centerfield and making several outstanding defensive plays. Youngblood is at a .300 clip and has scored 20 runs.
Iowa is led by a pair of hitters with batting averages above .350. Mike McQuillan, who was not a starter in the beginning of the season, has molded himself into one of the team's top players at the plate with a .356 average and a .964 OPS. Iowa has three players with more than 10 stolen bases on the year and should try testing the arm of Ben Heath, who threw out three Michigan State runners in Sunday's game. Wes Freie is the Hawkeyes' leading home run hitter and RBI manufacturer. Freie has driven in 38 and posted six home runs with a .276 average.
Taking the hill for the Nittany Lions in the first game is T.J. Macy, who is 25th in the nation with 82 strikeouts - an average of 10.81 per nine innings pitched. Macy faces Phil Schreiber, who is 2-2 and has an opposing batting average of .336. Schreiber commands great control, allowing just six walks in 34 1/3 innings of work and does not strike out many batters (13). Teammate Jarred Hippen (2-4) takes on Mike Lorentson in the second game of the series. Due to injuries to the Hawkeye staff, Iowa's starter for Sunday's match is unknown. Scott Kelley, who was impressive in a no-decision against Michigan State, will be the Lions' starter.