March 18, 2015
| PENN STATE VS. CANISIUS | |
| Wednesday, Mar. 18 - 5:30 p.m. ET | |
| Medlar Field | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
TV: ESPN2 -->| Live AudioBaseball Blog | Baseball VideosFollow Us: @PennStateBASE | Facebook | Instagram
Coverage: Listen live on ESPN Radio 1450 or online.
All-Time Series vs. Canisius: The Golden Griffins and Nittany Lions have met just four times since their first meeting in 2008. All four contests have taken place at Medlar Field with Canisius winning the inaugural meeting and Penn State sweeping a three-game series in 2012. PSU earned a convincing 15-5 win in the series opener, but the next two games were closely contested. The Lions won, 4-3, in the 11th inning in the second game and earned another 4-3 walk-off win in the finale, as then-freshman and current senior Aaron Novak was driven home for the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Canisius at a Glance: Canisius is 7-12 after dropping its last two contests, including a 12-8 loss to Big Ten member Rutgers Sunday. The Griffins have played their entire schedule away from home and will not open their home slate until Mar. 24. Connor Panos has been the Canisius' top hitter, batting .380 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. The Golden Griffins were tabbed to win the MAAC Championship this season after going 40-16 overall with a 20-4 league mark last season, good enough for the regular season title. Three out of Penn State's last four opponents were picked to win their conference championship this season (Western Carolina - Southern and Liberty - Big South).
Last Time Out: After eight consecutive scoreless innings in a 1-1 game, Penn State exploded for five runs in the 12th to defeat Pittsburgh, 6-1, in non-conference baseball action Tuesday evening on Charles L. Cost Field. Penn State left fielder Greg Guers drove in the deciding runs in the game, tying it in the third with an RBI-double, and then singling with runners on the corners in the 12th. The Nittany Lion pitchers did not yield an unearned run, as starter LHP Jordan Donmoyer enjoyed a career-best outing, yielding just the unearned run on a hit and two walks in five innings of work. RHP Jack Anderson (1-2) earned the win with 4 2/3 innings of relief, yielding just three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Home Sweet Home: Penn State returns to Medlar Field after opening its 2015 season with 15 consecutive games on the road. The Nittany Lions tallied just two wins, but were playing one of the tougher schedules in the country. Eight of the 13 losses were by three runs or less, including six out of the last seven. Texas A&M was barely a Top-25 team when the Lions played them in late February, but the Aggies remain undefeated and have vaulted into the top five of most rankings.
Young Arms: The Nittany Lions have relied upon first-year pitchers this season for just over half of the team's innings pitched. Nine different pitchers have made their debuts.
On Deck: Penn State continues with nine-straight home games, opening its Big Ten slate this weekend by hosting Indiana. First pitch Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. The Hoosiers are the defending Big Ten Champions.
Posterized: Penn State created four different schedule posters to commemorate the 2015 season, and the website "PosterSwag.com" recognized them as the best college baseball posters in the country this season! You can collect them all by attending each game of the Indiana series, as a different one will be give out each day, with two different ones being given away on Sunday.
Coach Speak: The Penn State baseball coaching staff is very active on Twitter. Follow Head Coach Rob Cooper @16RobCooper, Assistant Coach Brian Anderson @BA_PSUBaseball, Assistant Coach Ross Oeder @lifesarush3 and Assistant Coach Blake Beemer @BTBeem24.