May 13, 2015
| PENN STATE at PURDUE | |
| Thursday, May 14 - 5:00 p.m. ET | |
| Friday, May 15 - 6:30 p.m. ET | |
| Saturday, May 16 - 1:00 p.m. ET | |
| Alexander Field | West Lafayette, Ind. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| 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 | Purdue |
| Statistics: Penn State | Purdue |
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (18-28, 6-14 B1G)
at PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (18-34, 4-17 B1G)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -Penn State's Big Ten Baseball tournament hopes are still alive, as the Nittany Lions will conclude the regular season with a three-game series at Purdue starting Thursday at 5 p.m. live on the Big Ten Network. Friday's 6:30 p.m. game will be broadcast on BTN Plus, and the series finale will start at 1 p.m. Saturday. Audio for all three games will air on State College's ESPN 1450 and GoPSUsports.com.
COVERAGE
TV
Big Ten Network
Location: National
Dates: May 14
Talent: Andy Masur, Jack Dahm
Radio
WQWK-AM/ESPN Radio 1450
Location: State College, Pa.
Dates: All
Talent: Brian Tripp
Internet
Video: BTN2Go (May 14-15)
Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Twitter: @PennStateBASE
Facebook: PennState Baseball
Instagram: @PennStateBASE
On the Mound:
THU., May 14 - 5:00 p.m. ET
(PU) RHP Shane Bryant (2-3, 5.01) vs. LHP Nick Hedge (3-6, 5.11)
FRI., May 15 - 6:30 p.m. ET
(PU) RHP Gavin Downs (5-4, 6.67) vs. LHP Taylor Lehman (1-4, 7.06)
SAT., May 16 - 1:00 p.m. ET
(PU)RHP Brett Haan (2-8, 7.13) vs. RHP Dakota Forsyth (1-2, 4.97)
The Road to Target Field: Barring any games being canceled, IF Penn State wins all three games over Purdue AND No. 2 Illinois extends it winning streak to 27 by defeating Nebraska three times AND Minnesota loses at least one game to Michigan State, the Lions will slip into the tournament by a half-game over Nebraska and Minnesota.
All-Time Series vs. Purdue: The Nittany Lions and Boilermakers have met 71 times on the diamond all-time, with Purdue holding a 42-29 advantage. Penn State won two out of three last season after winning just two of the previous 10 matchups. The Lions are 14-23 all-time in West Lafayette.
Purdue at a Glance: The Boilermakers are last in the Big Ten but took two-of-three from Nebraska over the weekend after winning just two of 18 league games prior this season. It was also their first B1G series win since 2013. The Nebraska series was pushed back a day, so Purdue ended up playing four games in four days when it traveled to Valparaiso Tuesday, but the Boilermakers won, 6-4, to extend their winning streak to three games. Kyle Wood and Kyle Johnson lead the team with .332 and .283 batting averages, while both have six home runs and 32 RBIs each.
Last Time Out: The Lions won the series opener over Michigan State Friday, but suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses Saturday and Sunday. LHP Nick Hedge went 6 1/3 innings, allowing just eight hits and three runs (one earned) in the Friday, 5-3 win. Late miscues were costly Saturday and Sunday though, as the Spartans rallied for a 5-4 walk-off win Saturday, and scored three runs in the seventh inning for a 3-1 win Sunday. RHP Dakota Forsyth worked a career-high 6 2/3 innings, allowing the three runs on six hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Forsyth would have escaped the seventh unscathed though if the Lions had successfully turned a routine double play. LHP Jeff Kinley (4-2) was stellar on the mound as well for Michigan State, allowing just one run on three hits and two walks in seven innings of work with five strikeouts
Blue and White Submarine: RHP Jack Anderson has established himself as Penn State's top pitcher, impacting games with strong innings out of the bullpen. His 2.38 ERA leads the team and ranks seventh in the Big Ten, while his 53 innings pitched rank second on the team. With 12 career saves, he is third in program history. Drew O'Neil (2007-08) is the record holder, while Clint Eury (2002-05) is second with 15.
Anderson Again: RHP Jack Anderson was called upon in six consecutive games from 4/29-5/9. He threw 14.0 IP, posted a 1.93 ERA and 1-1 record with three saves and struck out seven, while allowing eight hits, four runs, three earned runs, four walks and two hit batsmen. The unearned run resulted in his only loss.
Anderson Again, Part 2: With a career-high 27 appearances on the season entering the weekend, Jack Anderson ranks in a tie with Jeff Emerich (1995) for the fourth most in a Penn State single season. The record is 36, held by David Lutz (2010). Matt Ogrodnik (29, 2007; 28, 2006) owns both second and third on the list. Anderson has 67 career appearances, tying Greg Young (1987-90) for fifth all-time at Penn State. Greg Welsh (2011-14) is next on the list with 68 career apperances, then Ogrodnik (74, 2005-07), Emerich (76, 1993-96), and Lutz (85, 2007-10)
Streaking: Greg Guers saw his team-best 16-game hitting streak end at Michigan State (5/14). He hit .348 with two doubles, a triple, five home runs, 16 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 12 games. Although his 11-game hitting streak came to an end Sunday, Kendall has batted .354 with his first career home run, two doubles and six RBIs.
Powering Up: Penn State hit just four home runs in its first 22 games, but with eight home runs from Greg Guers, another from classmate Aaron Novak and first career home runs from Nick Riotto, Tyler Kendall and Christian Helsel, PSU has totaled totaled 12 since April began. 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.
Haley's Comets: Shortstop Jim Haley is Penn State's leading hitter in conference play, batting .346. He has raised his overall average from .265 to .305 over the last seven games, going 15-for-30 (.500) with six doubles a triple, three RBIs and 12 runs scored.
Super Novak: Aaron Novak has been Penn State's top hitter for the season, ranking 14th in the conference in batting (.339). Novak has two four hit games. At Charleston Southern (3/8), Novak became the fourth Nittany Lion to tally eight RBIs in a game (first since 1984), as he tallied two home runs and doubled as part of a 4-for-5 day at the plate. The totals were career highs, and his eight RBIs matched a team record. He also went 4-for-4 in the series opener with CCSU (3/27).
Rotation Change: RHP Dakota Forsyth pitched has pitched the past two Sundays 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. Forsyth has a 3.75 ERA in 12.0 innings pitched the past two weekends.
Rookies on the Mound: Penn State has used nine first-year pitchers so far this season, and they have combined to account for just under half of the innings pitched this season. Up until last week against Rutgers, the Lion rotation included two freshmen, Taylor Lehman and Nick Distasio. Distasio has since been moved into a relief role. Freshmen Sal Biasi and Marko Boricich are both tied for second on the team with 17 appearances out of the bullpen.
Sacrificing Senior: With 11 career sacrifice flies, Taylor Skerpon ranks in a tie for third all-time at PSU with Dave Hal (1990-94). Cory Wine (2006-09) and Mike DeRenzo (1999-03) hold the record with 13. Skerpon's 25 career sacrifice bunts rank in a three-way tie for third in school history.
Turn It!: Led by the stellar middle infield duo of SS Jim Haley and 2B Taylor Skerpon, the Nittany Lions are fourth in the nation with 1.13 double plays per game, turning a total of 52. They turned four in a 12-inning win at Pittsburgh (3/17).
300: With 299 Big Ten wins, Penn State is nearing its 300th in 24 seasons in the conference.