April 13, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State will look to finally begin its homestand on Wednesday evening at 6:05 p.m. when the Nittany Lion baseball team hosts intrastate rival Pittsburgh at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
After an inauspicious start to the homestand on Tuesday when rain wiped out Penn State's contest against Mount St. Mary's, the Lions (19-10) are hoping to get off on the right foot against Pittsburgh (19-11).
Long-standing rivals, Pitt and Penn State have been regular foes since first meeting in 1912. Approaching the 100th anniversary of their first contest, the two teams have faced off 121 times with the Lions holding an 80-40-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Keeping the rivalry fresh, the two teams split a pair of contests last season. Pitt captured the first game, 7-4, on March 24 before Penn State won the second game, 14-8, on April 13. During the latter contest, Pitt was ranked No. 24 in the country, which marked the first top-25 opponent defeated by Penn State since the 2009 season finale against No. 21 Minnesota.
Off to a strong start at home, Penn State enters the contest with a 5-3 record in Happy Valley. On the flip side, Pittsburgh comes into play with a 5-4 mark during road tilts in 2011.
Online coverage of Wednesday's action will be available through GoPSUSports.com. GameTracker will be live following the first pitch, and a radio broadcast can be heard through PSU All-Access as well as on ESPN Radio 1450.
Riding a nice wave of momentum after capturing seven of their last 10 ballgames, the Nittany Lions will look to continue their roll on Wednesday. Entering the contest, the team boasts a well-rounded collection of talent as Penn State leads the Big Ten in opponent batting average, double plays, and home runs.
Fixtures at the heart of the Lion lineup, Jordan Steranka and Mario Eramo have been a powerful duo in the batting order. Steranka currently leads the Big Ten with six home runs, while Eramo ranks just behind him with five long balls. Sean Deegan is also tied for third with four bombs while also ranking second with four triples.
Lion first baseman Joey DeBernardis has also been on a torrid pace lately, hitting .421 with 16 RBI and five doubles in his last 10 games. Overall, he leads the Big Ten with 16 doubles and ranks ninth nationally in that category.
Along with Penn State, Pittsburgh also enters Wednesday's action with a nice head of steam. The squad swept Villanova last weekend to cap off a 7-3 stretch dating back to the end of March.
Coming into play, Kevan Smith has been at the forefront of the Panther attack as the senior catcher leads the BIG EAST with a .418 batting average. In 28 games, he has knocked in 32 runs, scored 30 times, and gone nine-for-nine in stolen base attempts.
Casey Roche also comes in hitting .400 in 13 games this season, while David Chester leads the squad with seven home runs and 35 RBI. Zach Dugan and John Schultz have also been red hot at the plate, hitting .368 and .349 respectively.
On Friday, Penn State will continue its homestand when the squad kicks off a Big Ten series with Purdue at 6:35 p.m. As part of Blue-White Weekend, there will be fireworks after the game.
--PSU--