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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 21, 2014 - The Nittany Lions take on intrastate rival Bucknell in a four-game series over the span of two days. Penn State will host the Bison for a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon. The first game will be a nine inning contest with the second being a shortened seven inning game. The same format will be used on Sunday with the games being played at Bucknell.
Promotions: The Penn State baseball program will be giving away free 2014 schedule magnets on Saturday for the weekend doubleheader against Bucknell. Schedule magnets 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. Bucknell: The Bison are Penn State's oldest active rivals, as the two teams first meeting came in 1882, with the Nittany Lions recording a win. The two sides have met a combined 150 times and Penn State leads the all-time series 121-28-1. Currently the Blue and White are on a 19-game winning streak against the Bison. The last time Bucknell defeated the Lions was on March 31, 1998 in a 3-2 game. The last 10 meetings have all been played in Happy Valley, where Penn State has an overall record of 65-10-1 against BU. When playing in Lewisburg against Bucknell the Nittany Lions have went 40-11 over the course of the series.
Scouting the Bison: Bucknell comes into the weekend with a record of 7-8-1, winners of two of its last three games. After dropping the first four games of 2014, the Bison have rebounded going 7-4-1 in their last 12 contests. Bucknell is 0-4 in true road games and Sunday's doubleheader will be its first home game of the season.
Bucknell's Corey Furman has been on fire at the plate this season. The senior comes into the series with a batting average of .488, picking up 20 hits in 41 at bats, including 11 extra base hits. The lefty batter has hit two home runs and sports a slugging percentage of .976.
Thus far this season, Bucknell's best performers on the mound have come out of the bullpen. Tom Hrabchak is 1-0 in six relief appearances and has a sub-ERA of 0.93 in 9.2 innings pitched. Mike Castellani has also come in out of the pen to post a 2.38 ERA in 11.1 IP.
Last Time Out: The Nittany Lions picked up two midweek wins to open Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the 2014 campaign. The Blue and White won the home opener by a final of 7-3 on Tuesday and followed it up with an impressive 8-0 win on Wednesday to take both games in the series. The Nittany Lions did much of their damage over the two games on the bases, stealing 15 bags in the series.
Break out the Brooms: By winning both games in the two-game series against NYIT, the Nittany Lions recorded their first sweep of 2014 and the first in nearly two seasons, with the last coming against Illinois in May of 2012. Before the sweep of NYIT the last sweep of a non-conference team came earlier in 2012 against Coppin State at the end of March.
Lions Running Wild: Penn State ran rampant on the base paths againts NYIT, swiping 15 bases in the two game series. The Nittany Lions stole seven bases in game one and then eight in game two on Wednesday as an encore. The eight steals in the 8-0 win are the most Penn State has recorded in 2014. The Blue and White's 31 steals are just seven steals shy of matching its entire total from the 2013 season, when they swiped 38 bases. Leading the way for Penn State are Taylor Skerpon with seven steals and Steve Snyder and Zach Ell with six each.
Allowing the Bear Minimum: With the 8-0 shutout victory over the NYIT Bears on Wednesday, the Nittany Lions recorded their first shutout of the 2014 season. Five Penn State pitchers combined in the effort, with Taylor Hedge throwing three innings, Dakota Forsyth tossing three and Tim Dunn, Ryan Harper and Tom Mullin each chipping in three in the scoreless effort. The shutout was the first since the May 17, 2013 win over Michigan State, which PSU won 9-0.
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 91 walks through 19 games to lead the conference in the category. The next closest team to the Blue and White is Iowa, who has drawn 79 free passes this season. Leading the way for Penn State is sophomore James Coates, who has reached base 17 times via the base on balls. The sophomore's 17 walks lead the Big Ten in the category. Steve Snyder is another Nittany Lion in the top 10 in the league, ranking tied for seventh with 11 free passes.
Snyder's Sensational Start: Senior outfielder Steve Snyder is off to a great start to the 2014 season. Snyder is hitting .380 on the season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten. The senior's 27 hits tie Snyder for the most of any player in the conference and his on base percentage of .465 is the third-highest mark in the league. Snyder is a perfect 6-for-6 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.