March 17, 2017
| PENN STATE at DELAWARE | |
| Saturday, Mar. 18 - Noon (DH) | |
| Sunday, Mar. 19 - 1:00 p.m. | |
Bob Hannah Stadium | Newark, Del.
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| Game 1: Live Stats | Live Audio |
| Game 2: |
| Game 3: Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video |
| Baseball Blog | Baseball Videos |
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| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Delaware |
| Statistics: Penn State | Delaware |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State baseball will return to the road to play three games in two days at Delaware starting Saturday at noon with a doubleheader and concluding Sunday starting at 1 p.m. Penn State and Delaware were originally scheduled to play a four-game home-and-home series starting with two games in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Thursday and Friday and then two games at Delaware, but winter weather forced the cancellation of the games in Happy Valley. One of the games will be made up as part of Saturday's doubleheader at Delaware.
Essentials
Live Video: BlueHens.com (Sunday only)
Live Audio: WVUD The Basement
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
TV: N/A
Radio: N/A
Series History: 18-14
Last Series: 2005 (Penn State 3-0 at Delaware)
Streak: W3
Saturday Game 1 Probables
PSU RHP Sal Biasi (2-1, 5.09 ERA)
DEL LHP Brandon Walter (1-3, 2.62 ERA)
Saturday Game 2 Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (1-2, 7.32 ERA)
DEL RHP Nick Spadafino (1-0, 5.60 ERA)
Sunday Probables
PSU RHP Cole Bartels (0-0, 5.00 ERA)
DEL LHP Kevin Milley (1-0, 3.86 ERA)
On the Road Again, But Not For Long
Penn State is now opening the 2017 season with 17 consecutive games away from home (13 road, 4 neutral.) It's their most since also playing 17 away from home to start 2014. The Nittany Lions are then scheduled to have their longest homestand of the season with eight consecutive home games from Mar. 21-29.
Dense Schedule
With no weekday games this week, the Nittany Lions will have five days without an official game, but with two midweek games scheduled for next week and two consecutive Saturdays with doubleheaders, the Lions are scheduled to play nine games in nine days from Mar.18 to Mar. 26.
Strong Start
With six wins in its first 14 games, Penn State is off to its best start since 2011 (9-5). The Nittany Lions are also coming off their first winning spring break trip since the same year after posting a 4-3 record in seven games in eight days in California.
Youth Movement
The average Nittany Lion starter this season is not quite a sophomore, as the average class year (Freshman = 1 ... Senior = 4) across all 10 positions through 14 games is 1.98. On the mound the Lions are averaging 2.29 years of experience as compared to 1.94 at the plate. For the 2016 season, the Lions averaged 2.25 years in the starting lineup with a youthful 1.96 on the mound and a deceptive 2.49 at the dish as the Lions started two to five freshmen per game.
The Nittany Lions have used underclassmen exclusively up the middle this season. Sophomores Ryan Sloniger and Willie Burger have platooned at catcher, with freshman Brett Davis also drawing two starts. Sophomore Conlin Hughes has started every game at second base, and freshmen Joe Weisenseel and Mason Nadeau have started every game at shortstop and centerfield, respectively. Freshman Braxton Giavedoni has drawn eight of 11 starts in left field.
Penn State only has three upperclassman position players on the roster, and one, Alex Malinsky has not played yet this season due to injury.
Hot Hitting Quintet
Jordan Bowersox, Mason Nadeau, Willie Burger, Braxton Giavedoni and Conlin Hughes are currently leading the Nittany Lions offensively.
Bowersox is the team leader in average (.393), hits (22), doubles (5), total bases (30) and on-base percentage (.433), and he shares the team lead for extra base hits (5 2B, 1 HR) with Giavedoni (4 2B, 1 3B, 1HR) with six. He is also second on the team with nine RBIs and tied for second with four stolen bases
Nadeau is second to Bowersox in batting (.364) and on-base percentage (.429).
Burger is the power leader with a career-high three home runs, a .543 slugging percentage and 15 RBIs. He is also batting .304 and getting on base at a .347 clip.
Giavedoni's six extra base hits give him the team's third-best slugging percentage at .512. He is also tied for the team lead with six walks and boasts a .293 batting average and .388 on-base percentage.
Hughes leads the team with 12 runs and is batting .293 with a .361 on-base percentage to go along with two home runs and seven RBIs. He owns the team's longest hitting streak at 10 games and is currently on a 13-game reached base streak.
Power Bump
Year-over-year, Penn State has almost double the extra base hits it had at the same point last year. Totaling 39 this season after totaling just 24 through 14 games last season.
Doubles have almost doubled, going from 15 in 2016 to 39 in 2017.
Home runs have doubled going from five to 10. Penn State hit 16 home runs in all of 2016.
Penn State's 10 home runs in the first 14 games is its most since at least 2002.
The Lions also opened 2016 with a 5-9 record. They went on to post their best record since 2012 at 28-27.
New Power Sources
Seven different Nittany Lions have combined for 10 home runs in the first 14 games.
Four hit their first career home runs, including three sophomores - Conlin Hughes, Jordan Bowersox and Keith Leavitt - and one freshman - Braxton Giavedoni.
Christian Helsel hit a grand slam against Pacific (3/5) after going homer-less in 2016. He hit one home run in 2015.
Willie Burger hit just one home run as a freshman, but hit two in the third game of the season at No. 1 TCU (2/19) and added another at Sacramento State (3/11).
Nick Riotto has one home run after hitting two last season. He is the only Nittany Lion returning with multiple home runs hit the season prior.
Seven Lions hit home runs last season.
Decisions for Distasio
RHP Nick Distasio has earned decisions in each of his last four appearances, totaling three saves and a win.
Distasio earned the final two outs vs. Xavier (2/24) for his first career save and then pitched 3 1/3 innings in the series finale (2/26) to earn the win.
Including the Xavier win, each of his last three appearances have been for 3 1/3 innings. He earned 3 1/3 inning saves at Pacific (3/4) in an 11-4 victory and at Sacramento State (3/9) in a 4-2 victory.
With three saves through 14 team games, Distasio has as many as RHP Jack Anderson had before going on to set a single-season record with 13 last season.
Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Sophomore catcher Ryan Sloniger was named to the 2017 Johnny Bench Award Watch List presented by BaseballSavings.com, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced.
The Johnny Bench Award is given annually to the top catcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Sloniger is one of eighty-five catchers who was nominated for the award by their coach.
Sloniger has started eight of 12 games behind the plate for Penn State this season and led the team in starts behind the dish last season as a freshman with 32. Sloniger also led the team with three four-RBI games and was the freshman team leader for home runs (2) and doubles (6).
The list will be updated to include other candidates until May 1, 2017. The watch list will then be narrowed down to the semifinalists, whom will be announced May 17, 2017.
Last Time Out At Sacramento State (3/9-11)
Lions Find Ways to Score Against Tough Pitching, Get Tough Pitching
Sacramento State RHP Justin Dillon had thrown a no-hitter and limited No. 11 Washington to a hit and walk in his previous two outings before facing the Nittany Lions (3/9), and he ranked second in the nation with a 0.18 WHIP entering the game with just two hits, two walks and a run allowed in 22.0 innings to go along with 25 strikeouts. However, Nick Riotto and Jordan Bowersox both managed home runs as Dillon surrendered three hits -- all for extra bases -- a walk and three runs to the Nittany Lions over seven innings.
RHP Sal Biasi and RHP Nick Distasio combined to hold Sacramento State to four hits, as Penn State earned a 4-2 victory in the series opener.
In a season-high 5 2/3 innings pitched, Biasi struck out a career-high nine, surrendering two runs on three hits and three walks
Distasio pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for his third save of the season. He struck out three and allowed just one hit and one walk.
Burger Factors in on Five Runs
Sophomore Willie Burger factored in on five of the six runs scored by Penn State in the series finale victory over Sacramento State (3/11).
Burger went 3-for-5, a triple shy of the cycle, with a three-run home run helping him total four RBIs and two runs on the day.
Burger drove in the first run in the top of the first inning, hit a three-run home run in the third, and doubled and scored in the ninth.
Bartels Impressive in First Start
Freshman RHP Cole Bartels pitched 3 2/3 innings in his first career start Sunday (3/11) after pitching 1 2/3 innings Wednesday.
He allowed just one unearned run on two hits and two walks.
Bartels faced the minimum through the first three innings before a single, walk and error, all with two outs, allowed Sacramento State to score their first and only run.
Two Two-Hitters
Penn State pitching has combined to earn two two-hit or less games in the same season for the first time since 2007.
In 2007, the Lions limited Central Connecticut State to two hits on Mar. 23 and Northwestern to one hit on Apr. 21.
This season, the Lions have held No. 1 TCU (2/17) and Sacramento State (3/11) to two hits each.
Most recently, RHP Cole Bartels surrendered two hits in the first 3 2/3 innings against Sac State, but the bullpen held the Hornets hitless over the final 5 1/3 innings.
RHP Dakota Forsyth was able to induce a pop-up to get out of the fourth, and then he pitched the next two innings. RHP Eric Mock allowed just a walk over 1 2/3 innings and LHP Taylor Lehman was perfect in getting the final four outs.
The two hits allowed at TCU were the fewest allowed by the Lions since Mar. 29, 2015 against Central Connecticut State (two hits), and the fewest allowed on the road since Apr. 5, 2014 at Purdue (one hit).