May 3, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a sensational all-around weekend, two Penn State baseball players were recognized on Monday with Big Ten weekly awards. Freshman outfielder Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.) was named Player of the Week after hitting .632 in four games while senior pitcher David Lutz (West Chester, Pa.) earned Pitcher of the Week accolades, going 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 11.0 innings. The Nittany Lions wrapped up a dominating sweep of the Spartans, outscoring them by a combined score of 49-13 to up their Big Ten winning streak to five games, their longest since 2007.
Snyder is Penn State's second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Week honoree after not having one in over three years. Lutz becomes the Lions' first Pitcher of the Week since Drew O'Neil on May 14, 2007.
Since being slotted second in the order, Snyder has been on fire, going 18-for-30 (.600) over six games to improve his season average by 76 points. The hot hitting continued last week when he went 12-for-19 in four games to up his average to .354. In total, Snyder scored six runs, drove in six, tripled and stole three bases in four games.
The true freshman has recorded multiple hits in each of his last six games with a total of 18 in that span. After going 2-for-4 on Tuesday against La Salle, he went 3-for-6 with three RBI and a run scored in Friday's series opener vs. Michigan State. Snyder followed with a career-high tying four hits (in five at-bats) with a walk, stolen base, triple, three RBI and career-high four runs scored. It was his second four-hit game in the span of a week after having four on Sunday, Apr. 25 at Ohio State. He finished the week with yet another multi-hit game and his third consecutive game of three or more hits.
Lutz has continued to shine on the mound, throwing 11.0 innings (all against Michigan State), allowing only one earned run while striking out six. He won both of his outings to up his record to 4-3. In the process, he also set a new school record for career appearances (78) while tying the program's single-season mark (29) in the same category.
On Friday, Lutz tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, earning the win after Penn State exploded for 16 late-inning runs in an 18-7 victory. He then made his first-career start on Sunday, going the full nine innings in a convincing 9-1 win to the clinch the series sweep over the Spartans. It also marked the Lions' first nine-inning complete game since 2008. Lutz's hot streak extends back into early April as he owns a dazzling 0.76 ERA over his last 23.2 innings. Overall, he leads the squad with a 3.04 ERA and 56.1 innings pitched.
The Nittany Lions' 49 runs were the most in a three-game Big Ten series in school history. They have scored 81 runs over their last five conference games (all wins), scoring 18, 14, 18, 22 then nine runs to turn a 2-8 hole into a tie for the sixth and final Big Ten Tournament slot, with only three conference series remaining.
Other notable performers last week were sophomore Joey DeBernardis (Lake Zurich, Ill.), who hit .563 while junior Michael Glantz (Marietta, Ga.) was at .533. Redshirt freshman Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa) and sophomore Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) both hit .474 while junior Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) came in at .429. Heath's on-base percentage for the week was .600 while his two home runs on Sunday gave him 17 for the season to tie the 32-year old Penn State season record.
Penn State returns to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday in the series opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the weekend action, along with Saturday (4 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.). 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.
Sunday: Penn State 9, Michigan State 1
Saturday: Penn State 22, Michigan State 5
Friday: Penn State 18, Michigan State 7