April 26, 2010
Penn State 14, Ohio State 6 | Penn State 18, Ohio State 10
WOUNDED WARRIOR BENEFIT GAME THIS SATURDAY VS. MICHIGAN STATE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State junior catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday following a strong week highlighted by the Lions' first-ever series win at Ohio State. Overall, Heath hit .429 in five games with three home runs and eight RBI, his second straight three-homer week. He is in the midst of one of the best seasons in school history, only two homers from tying the single-season school record while hitting .379 with a .441 on-base percentage and .765 slugging percentage.
The honor is Heath's first and Penn State's first since Matt Cavagnaro on Feb. 20, 2007.
The three long balls upped Heath's season total to 15, only two away from tying the school record held by Dave Simononis in 1978. He's averaged a home run every 10.2 at-bats with 11 of those long balls coming over the past 25 games. He also has 47 RBI and 117 total bases, already tied for fifth in school history while his OPS (on-base plus slugging) is at 1.206, the highest it's been all season.
After reaching base three times against Duquesne on Tuesday, he went on to double the following day vs. Mount St. Mary's.
Facing one of the nation's best pitchers in Ohio State's Alex Wimmers on Friday, Heath reached base twice in four plate appearances. He hit a clutch single with two outs in the ninth to extend the game and bring the tying run to the plate.
The following day, Heath set a career-high with four hits (in six at-bats) while belting a home run in consecutive at-bats in the eighth and ninth innings, his fourth-career two-homer game and third this season. He also tied a career-high with four runs scored while driving in four as well.
Heath followed up that effort on Sunday by going 2-for-5 to lead Penn State to its historic series win. One of his hits was a home run, his 15th of the season to tie for third in single-season school history. It came in the seventh inning with Penn State up by only one and served as a sparkplug for a seven-run inning.
The junior backstop could end the season near the top of Penn State's single-season list in a number of categories - home runs, RBI, runs scored, doubles, slugging percentage, walks and total bases.
Heath had a 19-game hitting streak earlier this season, which stands fourth in school history, while he has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games. In 12 Big Ten games, he is hitting .429 with a .479 on-base percentage and .857 slugging percentage.
The Nittany Lions return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a midweek contest against La Salle on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. They remain home to conclude a seven-game homestand with consecutive weekend series against Michigan State and Iowa. Purchase your tickets today!
Season and individual game tickets are now available can be purchased online or over the phone. Please call 1-877-997-7453 or (814) 272-1711, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. for more information. Fans can also direct any additional questions or comments via phone, or by email (psubaseball@athletics.psu.edu).
Baseball camp information is now available. Call the Sports Camp Office at (814) 865-0561 or email them at SportCampInfo@outreach.psu.edu for more information.
Follow Penn State baseball on Twitter: www.twitter.com/psubaseball.