April 30, 2015
| PENN STATE vs. RUTGERS | |
| Friday, May 1 - 6:30 p.m. ET | |
| Saturday, May 2- 1:30 p.m. ET | |
| Sunday, May 3 - 1:00 p.m. ET | |
| Medlar Field at Lubrano Park | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| TV: BTN (5/2) |
| Game 1: | Live Audio | BTN2Go |
| Game 2: | Live Audio | BTN2Go |
| Game 3: | Live Audio |
| Baseball Blog | Baseball Videos |
| Follow Us: @PennStateBASE | Facebook | Instagram |
| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Rutgers |
| Statistics: Penn State | Rutgers |
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (14-26, 2-12 B1G)
vs. RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (15-28-1, 5-10 B1G)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State will play its final three home games this season against new Big Ten foe Rutgers, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and live on BTN Plus. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, while first pitch in the home finale Sunday is at 1 p.m.
COVERAGE
TV
Big Ten Network
Location: National
Dates: May 2
Talent: Andy Masur, Jerry Kindall
Radio
WQWK-AM/ESPN Radio 1450
Location: State College, Pa.
Dates: All
Talent: Brian Tripp, Greg Campbell, Tyler Feldman
Internet
Video: BTN Plus
Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Twitter: @PennStateBASE
Facebook: PennState Baseball
Instagram: @PennStateBASE
On the Mound:
FRI., May 1 - 6:30 p.m. ET
(RU) LHP Mark McCoy (2-6, 5.65) vs. (PSU) LHP Nick Hedge (1-6, 5.91)
SAT., May 2 - 1:30 p.m. ET
(RU) LHP Howie Brey (2-6, 4.99) vs. (PSU) LHP Taylor Lehman (1-4, 6.45)
SUN., May 3 - 1:00 p.m. ET
(RU) RHP Gaby Rosa (1-5, 6.81) vs. (PSU) RHP Dakota Forsyth (1-1, 5.46)
Senior Day: Following the home finale Sunday, Penn State will honor eight senior players: pitchers Geoff Boylston, Ryan Harper and Patton Taylor, and hitters Aaron Novak, Ryan Richter, Taylor Skerpon, Ryky Smith, and J.J. White. Entering the weekend, the group has appeared in a combined 636 games with 540 starts. Senior manager Matt Soden will also be recognized.
Promotions: Saturday - Gates open at 11 a.m. for State College Spikes Ticketfest, $1 hot dogs; Sunday - PSU baseball ice cream helmet giveaway (while supplies last), Senior Day celebration postgame.
Ain't Going In (Until the Car is Parked): Fans attending weekend Penn State baseball games at Medlar Field Friday-Saturday, May 1-2 are advised that traffic conditions and parking availability will be adjusted due to the series of Garth Brooks concerts at the Bryce Jordan Center. Fans are encouraged to plan for heavier than normal traffic. Fans are encouraged to park in the Porter North lot or the Jordan East lot (Lot 44). Game specific information is available on GoPSUsports.com.
Rotation Change: For the first time all season, the Lions are making a change to their weekend rotation. RHP Dakota Forsyth will pitch Sunday in lieu of RHP Nick Distasio. Distasio had started each weekend this season with the exception of the Indiana weekend when one game was lost to weather. For syth started once this season, pitching four innings at West Virginia (4/14) and yielding just one run.
All-Time Series vs. Rutgers: The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights have a unique history from the Atlantic 10 to the NCAA tournament. The series started in 1939 with a Penn State victory in Happy Valley, and the Lions returned the visit in 1940 and claimed another victory. The teams did not meet again until 1949, but played nearly annually from then on until 1991. Both teams were members together in the Atlantic 10 Conference from 1984 to 1991, as Penn State departed for the Big Ten in 1992. The two teams did not meet again until Rutgers hosted an NCAA Regional in 2000 in Yogi Berra Stadium in Upper Montclair, N.J. The Nittany Lions won the regional to advance to the Super Regional. The lone meeting since was a four-game series at Florida Atlantic in 2009. Accordingly, the last eight meetings have been at neutral sites. Neither team has visited the other's campus since Penn State visitied Piscataway in 1987. This is Rutgers first visit to Penn State since 1986. As non-conference foes, PSU has won three out of the last five games. The Knights won 12 out of 13 games from 1981 to 1991.
Rutgers at a Glance: Rutgers is 15-28-1 overall and 5-10 in the B1G, led by Tom Marcinczyk, who is batting .315 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. Rutgers has been swept in its last two B1G series by Indiana and Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights took two of three from Purdue to open their B1G slate, claimed one game from Ohio State and took two of three against Minnesota to open their conference slate. The Knights lost to Villanova Wednesday, a team PSU defeated earlier in the season.
Last Time Out: A perfectly executed hit-and-run in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Jim Haley from third base on an infield single by Ryky Smith, giving Penn State an 8-7 victory and the home-and-home series sweep over Pittsburgh. Penn State was one strike away from sealing a 7-5 victory in the top of the ninth, but Pitt's Eric Hess singled to right field to drive in two runs, tying the game at 7-7.
Single Non-Single: Penn State totaled 15 hits against Pitt, of which all were singles with the exception of Greg Guers' solo home run in the eighth inning. Ten of the 11 Nittany Lion batters used in the game recorded a hit, with the lone exception being catcher Nick Graham (Chambersburg, Pa,), who drew the Lions' only two walks on the night. Conversely, seven of Pitt's 13 hits on the night went for extra bases. However, four errors in the field proved costly in spotting PSU a pair of unearned runs.
Powering Up: Penn State hit just four home runs in its first 22 games, but with six home runs from Greg Guers, another from classmate Aaron Novak and Nick Riotto's first career dinger, PSU has totaled totaled eight in April. The Lions only sent five out of the park last season. Guers homered twice in 2014 and was the only Nittany Lion to go deep in spacious Medlar Field, doing so once. His four homers at home are the only PSU homers in Medlar this season.
It doesn't have to be pretty: RHP Jared Fagnano: Failed to get his first career save against Pitt (4/29), but ended up with his first career win. He yielded the game-tying runs in the top of the ninth, but PSU won in the bottom of the ninth.
Close Doesn't Count: The Lions' win over Pitt snapped a frustrating skid in close games. PSU was 0-6 this season in one-run games and 2-12 in two-run games before the first walk-off victory of the season.
Dominate the State: Penn State went 5-0 against in-state foes this season. PA-native Greg Guers was the hero in the first two, as he drove in the go-ahead runs in the eighth against Villanova, and the deciding runs at Pitt, tying it in the third with an RBI-double, and then singling with runners on the corners in the 12th. The Lions swept Bucknell in a two-games series, with RHP Tom Mullin earning the win in both, once in relief and once with the start. A walk-off infield single by Ryky Smith completed a series sweep of Pitt.
Midweek Success: Penn State went 8-3 in midweek games this season, winning its last five. Two of the losses were at a then-No. 7 ranked South Carolina.
Streaking: Greg Guers now owns the team's longest hitting streak of the season at 13 games. He is batting .333 with a double, triple, three home runs, 10 RBIs and five stolen bases. Aaron Novak had previously tallied the longest hitting streaks on the team. From Mar. 27-Apr. 12, he tallied hits in 11-straight games, going 17-for-46 (.370) with three doubles and five RBIs, a .420 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. From Feb. 14 (Game 2) at Elon to Mar. 11 at No. 7 South Carolina, Novak assembled a nine-game hitting streak, batting .548 (17-for-31) with three homers, three doubles and 10 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .611 and his slugging percentage was .935.
Kendall Heating Up: Tyler Kendall has made the most of his chance to start the past six games, tallying hits in each game and leading the team with a .417 (10-for-24) average over the last six contests.