June 26, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Penn State first baseman Jordan Steranka (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has been named to the 2012 ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region First Team. Steranka is coming off a stellar 2012 senior campaign and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st round of the MLB Draft.
Steranka, who finished his career just three hits shy of the Penn State all-time hits record, is first in program history in at-bats and total bases and doubles as well as second in RBI, third in triples and fourth in home runs. The senior had a monster season as he was second in the conference in batting average (.363), first in slugging percentage (.615), fifth in hits (82), first in doubles (20), third in home runs (11) and first in total bases (139). Steranka was named a first team All-Big Ten selection in 2012 and was also named a second team All-American by College Sports Madness.
During his junior campaign, Steranka had another excellent season and helped anchor the potent Penn State attack. He led the team and finished third in the Big Ten with 57 RBI while posting a .323 batting average. A consummate power threat, he also placed fifth in the conference with a .544 slugging percentage while blasting eight home runs and five triples. His sophomore year, he continued to shine at the plate, launching seven home runs with 44 RBI. He also roped 16 doubles and scored 45 times. Uniquely consistent, he posted exactly 70 hits in each of his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions.
Over the last four years, Steranka established himself as one of the top hitters in the Big Ten. During his freshman campaign, he hit .365 with six home runs and 42 RBI. For his efforts, he was selected to the third-team All-Conference squad as well as the Big Ten All-Rookie team.
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