May 18, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State junior catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) has moved up to No. 3 in the Rivals.com weekly college baseball power rankings. He jumped from sixth to third following a weekend which included his Penn State record-setting 18th home run of the season. With just one week remaining in the regular season, Heath only trails Miami's Yasmani Grandal and LSU's Micah Gibbs for the distinction of top catcher in the nation.
Rivals.com, powered by Yahoo, unveils weekly positional power rankings throughout the college baseball season. Heath had been ranked sixth the last two weeks before making the jump to No. 3.
Heath is batting a team-leading .372 with 18 home runs and 55 RBI, also tops on the squad. His on-base percentage has continued to rise, now standing at .453. He also has 15 doubles and a triple, good for a .750 slugging percentage and 1.203 OPS.
The highlight of last weekend came in his first at-bat inside the historic Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (see home run below), homering off Minnesota ace Seth Rosin to lead off the second inning. It marked Heath's second home run off a Big Ten ace as he also went deep against Purdue's Matt Bischoff. Rosin and Bischoff are also considered top prospects for this June's Major League Baseball Entry Draft.
For as good as Heath has been overall, he has been even better in Big Ten games, hitting .413 with an incredible 1.330 OPS (.505 on-base and .825 slugging) in 18 conference tilts.
A top candidate for numerous Big Ten and national honors, Heath looks to become Penn State's first All-American since Michael Campo in 2000. The semifinalists for the Johnny Bench Award will also be named on Wednesday, so check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued news and notes.
With one series remaining, the Nittany Lions could still finish among the top six in the Big Ten standings, which would qualify for the conference tournament. This weekend's series against the Wolverines features games on Thursday (6:35 p.m.), Friday (5:05) and Saturday (1:05). Jordan Steranka figurines will be given away on Thursday, Friday is Kid's Day, Dollar Hot Dog Night and Scoreboard Picture Frame giveaways while Saturday is Fan Appreciation Day. A ton more promotions are scheduled, so come out to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to cheer on the Lions. 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.