Feb. 26, 2015
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Heading into the 2015 season, Penn State head baseball coach Rob Cooper knew it was going to be a process for his young team to develop into a contending club.
Now six games in, the Nittany Lions have yet to get into the win column. Still, that doesn't mean they haven't been making progress, especially offensively.
So far, Penn State is third in the Big Ten in batting with a .260 avg. and has five players with double-digit at-bats hitting better than .300. While he is pleased with the performance of his hitters, Cooper knows there is room for improvement.
"Our offense has done a good job but we can improve," Cooper said. "We can have more consistent at-bats. You're playing a team like Texas A&M, you've got to find a way to win against those guys offensively. But I've been happy with some of our at-bats so far."
With six returning position players that started at least 30 games last season, Penn State has benefited from the experience of their hitters. Leading the charge has been a pair of sophomores in shortstop Jim Haley and outfielder/designated hitter Nick Riotto, two players that Cooper believes made big strides in the offseason.
Haley, a starter for the second straight season, is leading the Lions in hits (eights) and RBIs (seven), to go along with a .320 avg. Riotto, who started just 15 games and hit .164 as a freshman, has been in the lineup every day so far and is hitting .304.
The Lions have also gotten strong games from junior outfielder Greg Guers (.273 AVG, .429 OBP) and junior infielder Tyler Kendall (.400 AVG, .438 OBP). With a pitching staff that has already gotten multiple starts from two freshmen, Cooper is glad the offense has been carrying its weight.
"Are we farther ahead offensively than we are pitching, sure," Cooper said. "One thing you have to look at, we threw four true freshman this weekend. They're learning on the fly. Then you look at us on offense, [James] Coates has played a lot for us in his career, [Ryan] Richter, Guers, J.J. [White], [Taylor] Skerpon. These guys have experience. I expect them to be a little bit farther ahead because they know the speed of the game. We've just got to keep moving forward."
Two players who have really made an impact, however, are ones that weren't mainstays in Penn State's lineup last season, third baseman Christian Helsel and outfielder Aaron Novak.
Although Novak isn't new to the Penn State program, he is in the middle of arguably the hottest stretch of his career. Having registered 12 at-bats in five games this season, the senior is hitting a ridiculous .583, the second highest average in the Big Ten among qualifying hitters.
A career .241 hitter entering 2015, Novak says he hasn't changed his swing much, but that he was motivated during the offseason to make a big impact in his final year after starting just 13 games as a junior.
"I think I'm just trying to be aggressive up there, I'm not trying to take too many pitches," Novak said. "I think I can help the team out so I definitely want to be the starter. It was only [five games] and I did well. I'm looking to play more and make more of a case to be an everyday starter."
Helsel, on the other hand, is the new guy in Penn State's lineup, having sat out last season after transferring from Mississippi. In his first six games with the Lions, the third baseman is hitting .300 and has two multi-hit games.
Apart from his production, the Altoona native has injected plenty of energy into the Lions' lineup with his determination and positive attitude. After missing last season, Helsel came into 2015 stoked to represent Penn State.
"He played a year of Division I baseball and he bleeds blue and white," Cooper said. "This is where he wanted to be. He's really driven and he a good player and has experience, it doesn't surprise me that he's doing that. More importantly, he's playing good defense for us."
"I'm seeing the ball well and my swing feels good I just need to do a little more to help us win," Helsel added. "I grew up 40 minutes down the road so I grew up loving Penn State. There was a little pressure but we've got a great group of guys here so they take a lot of pressure off the individual."
Although their hitting has been strong, the Lions are still just six games into a long season. With another test on Friday against North Carolina State. Penn State will look to continue its process of improvement, while hopefully getting into the win column.
"I'd like to improve and win at the same time, that'd be the best thing," Cooper said. "I hate losing and our guys hate losing. We can't fall victim to short term satisfaction. We've got to make sure we're building this thing right."