April 14, 2015
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Ask Greg Guers and Aaron Novak how much the other has changed since they began college and the two can't help but laugh.
High school teammates who have been reunited at Penn State, the two have spent more time together than any other pair on the Nittany Lions, and both say any transformations by the other are pretty sparse.
"Well, he was super skinny, he's definitely put on some weight," Novak said of the 205-pound Guers. "I think he's the same type of person, fun guy to be around."
"He's maybe got a little more facial hair now, cares about his hair more," Guers said of Novak with a smile. "Actually, he cared about it in high school too. He's the same kid, more fun to be around, but we have a lot of fun here."
When speaking to them, it's clear the duo enjoys hanging out together. This season, however, they've both done a pretty good job bringing that fun onto the baseball field as well.
Now starting outfielders in their fourth seasons, Guers and Novak have provided Penn State with a lethal power combo. Hitting in the two-hole, Guers has slugged four home runs and leads the team in RBIs (23) and doubles (10). Novak, primarily the No. 3 hitter, has been a total revelation his senior year, leading the team in average (.364), on-base-percentage (.440) and hits (40), while also slugging four homers and driving in 21 RBIs.
The Nittany Lions co-leaders in home runs, the pair's performance has evoked memories of their high school days, when they starred for Germantown Academy in Philadelphia. It was there that both players were twice selected to play in the Carpenter Cup, a tournament sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies to recognize the top high school players in the Delaware Valley.
"It kind of reminds us of high school," Novak said. "Before this year I hadn't hit many home runs so it's kind nice to be hitting them again. I know we're happy for each other and I think we're pushing each other to do well."
Still, it is not as simple a story as it sounds. While they're teammates again now, they weren't initially upon graduating from high school, as Novak accepted a scholarship to Penn State while Guers decided to go to the University of South Carolina Upstate.
It didn't take long for either player to make an impact with their new school, as Novak started 41 games and hit two home runs as a freshman while Guers had no trouble with the pitching in Atlantic Sun Conference, batting .309 with four home runs and 36 RBIs in 46 games.
Despite his success, Guers missed playing in his home state, and he wanted the challenge of playing in a major conference. That made Penn State an obvious choice, and even though transferring meant sitting out a year, Guers decided to join his old friend in University Park.
"[Aaron] just happened to be there," Guers said. "I wanted to go to a big school closer to home so Penn State kind of just fit that mold there. I just gave Aaron a call to see what the situation was looking like over here."
The next two years presented both of them with a number of challenges. In 2013, Guers redshirted while Novak received nine less starts than he did as a freshman. When Rob Cooper arrived as the new coach the following season, Guers showed some pop in the middle of the order (two home runs, 27 RBIs), but Novak saw his playing time drop once again to just 13 starts.
Through it all, both players had each other's support. From Guers sitting out to Novak fighting for at-bats, there was always someone to lean on when things got tough.
"Aaron made everything a lot easier," Guers said. "He made knowing the guys a lot better. I wasn't nervous transferring here at all because I knew I had him here waiting."
While there were high expectations for Guers going into 2015, it was uncertain how big a role Novak would have. While his first start didn't come until the fourth game of the season, he immediately produced, going 2 for 3 with two RBIs against Texas A&M.
Since then, there's been no looking back for the senior, who is currently third in the Big Ten in batting average. According to the 6-foot outfielder, finding a comfortable batting stance has been the key to his success.
"Over the past couple of years, I've always changed my swing, I never really stuck with something," Novak said. "The minute I wasn't feeling good I would change my stance. This offseason, I found a stance and a swing I stuck with and my swing just became more consistent."
Guers has enjoyed watching his high school teammate tear the cover off the ball, especially knowing that it is his final season. Though they are currently tied in homers, the 6-foot-3 slugger said there is no competition between the two.
"I mean, he always beat me in high school at hitting home runs so I guess I gotta try a little bit harder now," Guers said with a laugh. "No, it's fun. We just like hitting and if the ball goes over the wall it goes over the wall."
The camaraderie between the two has been noticed by Cooper, who said he took note of the fact that both players came from the same high school as soon as he took the job at Penn State.
An avid Boston Red Sox fan, Cooper likes to engage in friendly arguments with his power hitters, who both root for the Phillies. At the same time, the second-year coach said both guys have been a pleasure to be around since day one.
"They got this like Philly slang that they like to talk to each other with," Cooper said with a smile. "Look at them. They even walk the same way. But you can tell they know each other really well and they're good guys. To me that's a neat thing. I love guys that play together for a long time, that bond they have, the camaraderie they have but also to pick each other up when another guy is struggling."
As much as Guers and Novak have enjoyed being in the same lineup again, their time together will soon end, as Novak is graduating while Guers has one more year of eligibility. Though they will miss playing together, both are thankful to have gotten the chance to continue the friendship they started years ago.
"It's been a lot of fun because initially he didn't start out here," Novak said. "Once he told me he was looking to transfer, I gave a good word to our coaches and he was able to come here and it's been awesome to get the relationship back. We were best friends in high school so it's been awesome."