Feb. 28, 2013
Weekend Notes / Live Stats / Live Stats-Friday
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Heading back out on the road for an eight-game stretch in Texas, the Penn State baseball team will compete against several teams this weekend in the University of Texas-San Antonio Collegiate Baseball Classic. The Nittany Lions (1-5) will open the tournament against Stephen F. Austin University () on Friday, March 1 at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a 7 p.m. ET night game against UTSA (6-3) on Saturday, March 2. The tournament will close for the Lions on Sunday, March 3 when they take on Nebraska-Omaha (0-0) at 1 p.m. ET.
All games can be followed via Live Stats.
Penn State will play its seventh away game of the season against Stephen F. Austin, after dropping a three-game series to Liberty this past weekend. In the opening 4-1 loss to the Flames, redshirt junior Steve Snyder (West Chester, Pa.) led the team with three hits, while sophomore J.J. White (Lansdowne, Va.) tallied the lone RBI in the contest. White came away from the series with four hits and three RBIs, and is amidst a four-game hitting streak where he has posted a .313 batting average. Sophomore J.C. Coban (Boca Raton, Fla.) continues to lead the Lions with five RBIs, as well as in runs with four, and he has hit the sole home run of the season. Freshman James Coates (Girard, Ohio) and Coban each sit with seven hits to lead the squad, while sophomore Taylor Skerpon (Sayre, Pa.) sits with a team-best batting average of .357.
Continuing as the Lions' Friday starter, redshirt senior Dave Walkling (Nanaimo, B.C.) is expected to take the mound against SFA. Walkling saw six innings of action in the opening contest of the Liberty series, holding the Flames to three hits and one earned run, while walking one and striking out three batters. The British Columbia native currently holds a 3.00 ERA. Making the start on Saturday for the third consecutive weekend, senior Steven Hill (Colleyville, Texas) returns to his home state against UTSA. In 5.1 innings against Liberty, Hill moved to a 7.15 ERA after allowing eight hits, five earned runs and striking out two batters.
Starting for the first time this season, sophomore Ryan Harper (Texas City, Texas) will appear in his third contest after pitching a combined 5.1 innings. In his first year as a Nittany Lion, Harper has allowed seven hits and two earned runs for a 3.38 ERA, while walking four and striking out three. The Texas native will take the mound on Sunday to face off with Nebraska-Omaha.
Scouting the Jacks: SFA is coming off of its first two wins of the season, topping Grambling State, 9-4, and Louisiana Tech, 10-5. Chase Greening is expected to make the start for the Jacks, with the senior holding a 6.23 ERA in two appearances and 4.1 innings of action. Greening has started in one previous game, and has struck out one while allowing six hits and three earned runs. Matt Mundkowsky and Cameron Gann prove to be assets in the bull pen, holding 0.00 and 2.16 ERAs, respectively. Zach Marberry leads the squad with a .571 batting average, while Ricardo Sanchez has posted nine hits in 20 at-bats and leads the team in doubles with three. Freddy Villalobos recently posted his third home run of the season against Louisiana Tech, and leads the Jacks with six runs and six RBIs.
Scouting the Roadrunners: After posting a 7-1 win over Texas-Pan America, UTSA will send Brock Hartson to the mound on Saturday. The rookie currently holds a 5.40 ERA in two appearances, allowing 14 hits and five earned runs in 8.1 innings, and has struck out three batters. The Roadrunners' pitching staff also boasts immense talent in Nolan Trabanino (3-0, 1.29), Wesley Cox (1-0, 1.74) and Matt Sims (0-0, 1.80). Daniel Rockett leads the team with a .514 batting average, and has posted 10 runs, five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 12 RBIs. Leading the team with 17 RBIs and three home runs, R.J. Perucki holds a .425 batting average with 17 hits in 40 at-bats. Additionally, Mike Warren has recorded 10 runs, six RBIs and four doubles, while Riley Good has tallied 14 runs, a triple and four RBIs.
Scouting the Mavericks: Playing for the first time this season, Nebraska-Omaha returns to action after going 12-36 last season. The Mavs return Cole Volkers (1-2, 3.16), Matt Tew (1-6, 5.60), Sam Raetz (1-0, 1.12), Derek Landis (1-3, 5.02) and Josh Bullock (0-4, 6.12) to the pitching staff, after losing Andrew Reck and Colby McCord. The squad also lost Brady Hohl and Mark Waldron, who along with McCord combined for 175 hits, 63 RBIs, 38 doubles and six home runs. However, they return Alex Mortensen, who posted a team-best 26 RBIs and four home runs, and Caleb Palensky, who scored 24 runs and recorded 17 RBIs. The Sunday starter for Nebraska-Omaha has yet to be announced.
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