April 27, 2017
| PENN STATE vs. IOWA | |
| Friday, Apr. 28 - 7:05 p.m. ET | |
| Saturday, Apr. 29 - 3:05 p.m. ET | |
| Sunday, Apr. 30 - 12:05 p.m. ET | |
Duane Banks Field | Iowa City, Iowa
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| Game 1: Live Stats | Live Audio | BTN Plus |
| Game 2: Live Stats | Live Audio |
| Game 3: Live Stats | Live Audio | BTN Plus |
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| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Iowa |
| Statistics: Penn State | Iowa |
IOWA CITY, IOWA - Penn State and Iowa will attempt to play a baseball doubleheader Friday night at Banks Field due to expected inclement weather the rest of the weekend.
The first game of the series, currently in progress, had its start delayed 50 minutes to 7:55 p.m. ET. The teams will then attempt to play a second game as soon as possible after, depending on the weather. The date and time of the third game will be determined weather permitting.
Essentials
Live Video: BTN Plus (Friday & Saturday)
Live Audio: GoPSUSports.com
Live Stats: HawkeyeSports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN 1450 AM
Iowa Series History: 39-30
Last Series: 2016, Home, Iowa, 2-1
Streak: W1
Friday Probables
PSU RHP Sal Biasi (4-4, 3.96 ERA)
IOWA RHP Nick Gallagher (5-1, 2.60 ERA)
Saturday Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (1-7, 4.55 ERA)
IOWA LHP Ryan Erickson (1-2, 3.23 ERA)
Sunday Probables
PSU RHP Eric Mock (0-3, 5.83 ERA)
IOWA LHP Elijah Wood (0-0, 3.48 ERA)
Biasi Leads Rotation
RHP Sal Biasi leads the Nittany Lions with a 3.96 ERA and a career-high 69 strikeouts.
His 69 strikeouts are the most by a Penn State pitcher since Johnny Walter (81) and Joe Kurrasch (78) in 2012.
Biasi's 69 strikeouts rank third in the Big Ten and 56th in the nation, while his 11.87 strikeouts per nine innings rank second in the league and 26th nationally.
Biasi is also among the leaders in WHIP (walks & hits per innings pitched), ranking third in the Big Ten at 1.09 (31 hits, 26 walks in 52.1 IP).
Hagenman Striking Out the Opposition
Saturday starting RHP Justin Hagenman has seen a sophomore surge in strikeouts.
During his Freshman All-America campaign last season, Hagenman struck out 39 in 82 innings, but this season he has struck out 57 in 59 1/3 innings so far.
Freshman Playing B1G, Especially on Sunday
Rookie outfielder Braxton Giavedoni has adapted well to Big Ten play so far, ranking second on the team with a .302 average through the first 12 conference games.
He has seen success in his last two Sunday Big Ten tilts, most recently hitting a walk-off base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning against Northwestern (4/23).
He homered twice in the Sunday finale at Maryland (4/16).
Giavedoni's .273 season batting average, .345 on-base percentage and .438 slugging percentage lead all healthy Nittany Lions.
His 13 extra base hits on the year lead the team.
Midweek Break Upcoming
Penn State will play six-straight Big Ten games, as there is no non-conference midweek game scheduled for next week due to exams.
Penn State will return to midweek action May 9 & 10, playing at West Virginia on Tuesday and then against West Virginia again Wednesday in PNC Park.
All-Time vs. Iowa
Penn State is 39-30 all time against Iowa. The Nittany Lions will play at Iowa for the first time since 2012, where they hold a 17-14 record and won two of three the last time they visited. The Nittany Lions concluded the 2016 season by hosting Iowa. The Hawkeyes claimed the first two games to bounce Penn State from contention for the final berth in the Big Ten Tournament.
Scouting Iowa
The Hawkeyes are 24-15 this season with a 6-6 mark in the Big Ten, owning 2-1 series wins over Purdue and Nebraska and 1-2 series losses to Northwestern and Rutgers. A strong defensive team with a .977 fielding percentage, Iowa is one of the most proficient teams in the NCAA in turning double plays, averaging 1.15 per game to rank third and lead the Big Ten. Offensively, Iowa brings power with a .432 slugging percentage that ranks second in the Big Ten. Jake Adams leads the Big Ten with 15 home runs, while Robert Neustrom and Mason McCoy are tied for the Big Ten lead in doubles with 13 each. Neustrom and Adams also both rank in the conference top-10 in batting with averages of .358 (3rd) and .344 (7th), respectively, and they sit two-three in RBIs as Adams has 48 and Neustrom has 40. RHP Nick Gallager leads the Hawkeyes on the mound with a 2.60 ERA.
Injury Bug Bites Offense
Five of Penn State's nine Opening Day starting position players have missed multiple games due to injury. The quintet has missed a combined 74 man-games.
Leading hitter and outfielder Jordan Bowersox has been out of the lineup since Apr. 15. Bowersox leads the team with a .333 batting average, .418 on-base percentage, .480 slugging percentage and nine stolen bases, and is tied for second on the team with three home runs and seven doubles, and is also second with 18 RBIs.
Freshman centerfielder Mason Nadeau was mostly out of action for over a month, but has been a big part of Penn State's offense since his return off the bench against Pitt (4/18). Nadeau has been the team's best hitter and best at getting on-base over the last five games, going 7-for-17 (.412) with a .545 on-base percentage. He also has his first career home run, three RBIs, four walks and a stolen base. For the year, Nadeau is batting .365 with 10 RBIs in 19 starts and 20 games.
Freshman shortstop Joe Weisenseel missed the Michigan series and has not played since the opening game of the Ohio State series (4/8). Weisenseel managed just four hits in his first 17 games, but was just starting to heat up with eight hits in his last six games, batting .500 (8-for-16).
Senior outfielder Nick Riotto played in just two games in the opening month of the season after running full speed into a wall in the season opener at TCU. He led Penn State with a .405 on base percentage in 2016 and batted .307.
Sophomore infielder Connor Klemann has been out since the end of February and will miss the remainder of the season. He batted .260 in 28 games in a freshman season that was also limited by injury.
Additionally, senior catcher Alex Malinsky missed the first month of the season recovering from an injury suffered in preseason training.
Power Bump
Penn State has already surpassed its 2016 season total for home runs with 21 for its most since the 2012 team hit 38.
18 of the 21 home runs hit this season have come on the road.
Its 10 home runs in the first 14 games of the season were its most since at least 2002.
New Power Sources
Nine different Nittany Lions, one more than last year, have combined for 20 home runs, already surpassing last season's total.
Five hit their first career home runs, including three sophomores - Conlin Hughes, Jordan Bowersox and Keith Leavitt - and two freshmen - Braxton Giavedoni and Mason Nadeau.
Christian Helsel hit a grand slam against Pacific (3/5) after going homer-less in 2016. He hit one home run in 2015 but has three this season.
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 has added two since.
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.
Burger is the team power leader with a career-high four home runs and 22 RBIs.
Youth Movement
The average Nittany Lion starter this season is a sophomore, as the average class year (Freshman = 1 ... Senior = 4) across all 10 positions through 40 games is 2.12. On the mound the Lions are averaging 2.18 years of experience as compared to 2.13 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.
Penn State only has three upperclassman position players on the roster.
A total of 11 Nittany Lions have made their debuts this season.
Walk-Off X2
After earning a 2-1 win in the bottom of the ninth against Northwestern (4/23), Penn State now has two walk-off wins on the season.
Freshman right fielder Braxton Giavedoni drove in the winning run over Northwestern with a base-hit to left field with the bases loaded.
The Nittany Lions previously walked-off Bucknell on Mar. 21, as an error allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Malinsky Leads Diamond Lions at Nittanys
Senior catcher Alex Malinsky collected multiple honors at "The Nittanys."
Malinsky was a recipient of the "True Grit" award for bouncing back after suffering a serious injury during this past winter's training season.
He was also recognized for his academic achievement of owning the team's highest GPA.
Cat Fight
The Nittany Lions hosted the Panthers (Pitt), Wildcats (Northwestern) and the Leopards (Lafayette) during their last homestand.
Penn State is 6-7 so far this season against its fellow big cat schools. The Nittany Lions have played the Pacific Tigers (2-1), Columbia Lions (2-2), Pitt Panthers (0-2),Northwestern Wildcats (1-2) and Lafayette Leopards (1-0).
Penn State also has a home game against the Villanova Wildcats upcoming (May 16).
All-Around the Infield
Christian Helsel has drawn starts at three infield positions this season.
He has started the last 10 games at second base after starting 31 at third base and eight at first base.
Helsel currently owns a career-best .965 fielding percentage.
Helsel Heats Up
Senior infielder Christian Helsel has five multi-hit games in the past month, including three three-hit games with the most recent coming against Northwestern (4/23).
His three home runs and 17 RBIs on the year are both career highs.
Penn State to Play at PNC Park
Penn State has rescheduled its previously postponed contest against West Virginia with a twist, as the game will now be played at PNC Park on Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m., the Pittsburgh Pirates announced.
The Pirates are hosting a make-up of the contest originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 that was to be played at Penn State's Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, but was postponed due to weather. However, the Nittany Lions will be yielding little in the way of home field advantage, as Medlar Field shares the same field dimensions as PNC Park.
It will be Penn State's first time playing at PNC Park and its first game in a Major League ballpark since May 5, 2012 when it played Minnesota at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins. The three-game series also included two games in the Twins' former home, the Metrodome.
The May 10 matchup at PNC Park will complete the two-game series between the Mountaineers and Nittany Lions. Game one is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday, May 9 at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, W.Va.