April 25, 2013
Ohio State Series Notes / / Listen Live / Watch
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State baseball team will return to Big Ten play on Friday, taking on Ohio State for a weekend conference series. The Nittany Lions (11-25, 2-10 Big Ten) will face off with the Buckeyes (25-13, 9-6 Big Ten) on Friday, April 26 at 6:35 p.m. to kick off the three-game set. Saturday's first pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m., while Sunday's contest will begin at 1:05 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.
Links: All contests will be available via and Listen Live at GoPSUsports.com, as well as updated at the @PennStateBASE Twitter account.
Last Time Out: The Lions recently hosted La Salle at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, topping the Explorers 7-4 for their fourth win in five games. Junior Alex Farkes (Boston, Mass.) and sophomore J.J. White (Lansdowne, Va.) led Penn State at the plate, batting in four runs in the bottom of the eighth to break a 3-3 stalemate and take the lead. The duo each earned two RBIs, with Farkes going 2-for-3 with a run scored and White going 2-for-4 with a run scored, as well. Farkes and sophomore J.C. Coban (Boca Raton, Fla.) each extended their hitting streak to six games against the Explorers, with Coban scoring twice for the seventh time in his career. Redshirt senior Elliot Searer (Lewistown, Pa.) earned his 13th RBI of the season in the contest, while freshman Tyler Kendall (Boynton Beach, Fla.) earned his fifth and went 2-for-4.
Lion Rotation: Penn State's weekend rotation remains solid, with redshirt sophomore T.J. Jann (Westford, Mass.) taking the mound on Friday with a current ERA of 4.38 and a 1-4 record. Jann has allowed 33 hits and 19 earned runs in 39.0 innings while striking out 12. Senior Steven Hill (Colleyville, Texas) will make his 10th start of the season on Saturday, boasting a team-best 41 strikeouts after 61.2 innings of action. The Penn State veteran, who currently sits with a 3.65 ERA and an opposing batting average of .295, has allowed 72 hits and 25 earned runs. Closing out the weekend on Sunday, junior Greg Welsh (Holland, Pa.) holds a 2-3 record with a 3.13 ERA after six appearances and five starts. Welsh has fired 31.2 innings, allowing 33 hits and just 11 earned runs while striking out 29. The Lions' bullpen continues to deliver, with senior Neal Herring (West Chester, Pa.) picking up a win and a save in his last two appearances. Redshirt senior Cody Lewis (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) now holds a team-best ERA of 2.31 after 15 appearances, as well as an opposing batting average of .195. Lewis has pitched 23.1 innings this season, allowing just 15 hits and six earned runs while striking out 26.
Scouting the Buckeyes: Ohio State has gone 6-4 in its last 10 contests, most recently winning a Big Ten series against Illinois, 2-1. The Buckeyes first lost 9-2 to the Fighting Illini before rallying to win 7-6 and 7-3 for the series victory. Senior Kirby Pellant leads his squad with a .364 batting average, while sophomore Patrick Porter holds a team-best 31 runs and 45 hits. Four individual Buckeyes have tallied at least 20 RBIs, including redshirt senior Brad Hallberg with 27 and freshman Jacob Bosiokovic with 25. The foursome has combined for 147 hits, 89 runs and 84 RBIs, with Porter and Bosiokovic each posting three home runs.
OSU Rotation: Redshirt senior Brad Goldberg will face off against Jann on Friday, currently holding a 3.10 ERA and a 5-0 record. Goldberg has fired 52.1 innings in 10 starts, allowing 44 hits and 18 earned runs while striking out a team-best 46. After pitching a team-high 68.1 innings this season, senior Brian King has allowed 54 hits with just 19 earned runs, and has walked only 10 and struck out 38. King, who will make the start on Saturday, currently holds a 2.50 ERA and a 6-4 record. Junior Jaron Long will take the mound on Sunday for his 12th appearance and 11th start of the season. Long holds a 4.20 ERA and a 4-4 record, and has allowed 78 hits and 30 earned runs in 64.1 innings. The Buckeyes' bullpen is led by sophomore Trace Dempsy, who currently sits with a 0.36 ERA after 21 appearances and 25.1 innings of action. Dempsy has allowed 12 hits and only one earned run while striking out 21. Redshirt junior Tyler Giannonatti holds a 1.83 ERA in 12 appearances, firing 19.2 innings with 20 hits and four earned runs allowed.
All-Time Series: Friday's contest will mark the 90th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Ohio State holding a 55-34 advantage. Last season, the Lions took the Big Ten series, 2-1, before falling to the Buckeyes 12-5 in the 2012 Big Ten Tournament.
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