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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 6, 2014 - The Nittany Lions host the NYIT Bears in Penn State's home opener at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and then play the Bears again on Wednesday at home at 5 p.m.
Promotions: The Penn State baseball program will be giving away free 2014 schedule posters on Tuesday for the home opener against NYIT. Posters can be picked up at the marketing table, which is located on the main concourse right after you walk into the stadium.
All-Time Series vs. NYIT: This week's two games will be the 10th and 11th meetings between the Bears and Nittany Lions. Thus far in the all-time matchup, the Blue and White holds a 7-2 advantage in the series and has recorded six straight wins. Penn State has played eight of the nine contests in Happy Valley and hold a record of 7-1 in those meetings. The Nittany Lions have scored at least 10 runs in four of the last six meetings and has won five of the last six by at least seven runs. The last time the two sides met was in March of 2009, when Penn State recorded a three-game sweep of NYIT.
Scouting the Bears: NYIT has had a tough start to the 2014 campaign, as the Bears come to Penn State with a record of 0-11. On the season, NYIT has scored an average of 3.6 runs per game and has allowed 11.3 runs per game. As a team the Bears are batting .227. All of NYIT's games have been played on the road, as the Bears are 0-10 in true road games and 0-1 in a neutral site game against Manhattan. At the plate, NYIT has two main offensive threats this season in Robert Fiato and Joe Daru. Fiato leads the team in batting average with a mark of .409 and has hit the team's only home run of the season. Daru is the Bears' top run producer, driving in eight runs on the season off 13 hits.
Last Time Out: The Nittany Lions are coming off an eight-game California trip, where the team played eight games in nine days during Penn State's spring break. The Blue and White played three games against Saint Mary's, two versus Fresno State and then wrapped up the trip with a three game set at Santa Clara. The team went 2-6 over the stretch, winning one game against Saint Mary's and one game versus Santa Clara.
Snyder's Sensational Start: Senior outfielder Steve Snyder is off to a great start to the 2014 season. Snyder is hitting .387 on the season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. The senior's 24 hits tie Snyder for sixth in the conference in the category and his on base percentage of .474 is the third-highest mark in the league, just .005 points away from the top spot. Snyder is a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts and has recorded a hitting streak of 11-straight games already this season, matching his previous career high for consecutive hits.
Coates Cruising Along: Dating back to the 2013 season, James Coates has reached base safely in 28 consecutive games. The sophomore has recorded hits in 24 of the 28 games during the streak, seven of which have been multi-hit performances. The sophomore's improved patience at the plate has aided his current streak, as Coates has drawn 15 walks in 16 games played in 2014, equaling the amount of hits he has recorded.
Walk This Way: Since Rob Cooper has taken over the Penn State baseball program the team's plate discipline has greatly improved. The Nittany Lions have drawn 79 walks through 17 games to lead the conference in the category. The next closest team to the Blue and White is Iowa, who has drawn 72 free passes this season. Leading the way for Penn State is sophomore James Coates, who has reached base 15 times via the base on balls. The sophomore's 15 walks ties him for first in the Big Ten in the category with Michigan's Jacob Cronenworth. Steve Snyder is another Nittany Lion in the top 10 in the league, ranking tied for sixth with 10 free passes.
Triple Play by the Bay: The Nittany Lions pulled off a rare feat in Sunday, March 15th's game at Santa Clara, turning a triple play in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Broncos led off with two-straight singles to put runners on first and second with no outs. The next batter lined out to Jim Haley at shortstop on a hit-and-run play. Haley then flipped the ball to Taylor Skerpon at second, who threw to J.J. White at first to complete the triple play to end the inning.
J.J.'s Jolt of Power: Junior J.J. White recorded two three-run home runs in California, one at Fresno State and one at Santa Clara. The two bombs, were the first of his Penn State career and the first two by a Nittany Lion all season. White turned on both pitches and recorded two towering shots over the left field walls. With the two blasts, White is tied for fourth in the Big Ten for the category.
Anderson for the Win: Sophomore Jack Anderson is tied for the Big Ten lead in games won this season with four victories in eight appearances. Anderson has remarkably recorded all four victories out of the bullpen. The sophomore sports the second lowest ERA in the conference with a mark of just 1.06 and is tied for the lead of earned runs allowed with two. The sophomore is tied for the conference's best in walks allowed with just five on the year. Impressively, three of the five free passes came as intentional walks.