| PENN STATE at PITT | |
| Tuesday, Apr. 4 - 6:00 p.m. | |
Charles L. Cost Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| | Live Audio | Live Video |
| Baseball Blog | Baseball Videos |
| Follow Us: @PennStateBASE | Facebook | Instagram |
| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Pitt |
| Statistics: Penn State | Pitt |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.. - Penn State will put a pair of winning streaks on the line when it travels to Pitt Tuesday for a midweek baseball game set to start at 6 p.m. in Charles L. Cost Field.
Essentials
Live Video: ACC Network
Live Audio: GoPSUSports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN 1450 AM
Pitt Series History: 87-42-1
Last Series: 2016, Home & Home, Penn State 2-0
Streak: W4
Tuesday Probables
PSU RHP Schuyler Bates (1-0, 3.21 ERA)
PITT RHP Dan Hammer (0-2, 5.09 ERA)
In-State Winning Streak
Penn State extended its in-state winning streak to 13 with a win over Bucknell (3/21). The streak dates back to 2014 and includes four-straight wins over Pitt. Last season, Penn State went 5-0 with two wins over Bucknell and Pitt and a win at Lafayette. In addition to Tuesday's game at Pitt, the Lions are scheduled to face Bucknell (4/11) next week and will welcome Pitt (4/18), Lafayette (4/26) and Villanova (5/16) at home in May.
Midweek Mania
The Nittany Lions are 2-1 in midweek games this season, with wins at home over Bucknell and Cornell. Their lone loss came on the road at UC Davis (3/8). The Lions went 10-2 in midweek games last season, only dropping both games of a home-and-home series with Kent State.
Rescheduling
Penn State has rescheduled its postponed baseball contest against Binghamton for Monday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Nittany Lions were originally scheduled to host the Bearcats Tuesday, but inclement weather forced the postponement of the game. The addition of the game will result in five games in five days for the Lions. Penn State will host Ohio State Friday-Sunday, Apr. 7-9 and Bucknell Tuesday, Apr. 11. Penn State is also still looking to reschedule a game against West Virginia that was postponed for weather Wednesday, Mar. 22.
Beginners' Luck
Four of Penn State's wins have come with first-time starting pitchers.Junior RHP Schuyler Bates, who is expected to make his second career start Tuesday, earned his first career win in his first start against Cornell (3/29). Bates put together a five-inning, three-strikeout effort, allowing just two hits and two walks and retiring the sides in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
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 26 games is 2.07. On the mound the Lions are averaging 2.11 years of experience as compared to 2.07 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 and the trio has only started together in the past week. Senior catcher Alex Malinsky drew his first start after missing much of the early part of the season due to injury.
All-Time vs. Pitt
Penn State is 87-42-1 all-time against Pittsburgh, claiming the last four consecutive meetings and 11 of the last 14 meetings. Penn State and Pittsburgh are playing a home-and-home series for a third consecutive year. Last year winning 11-6, at Pitt and 7-0 at home. The Nittany Lions hold a 29-16-1 edge.
Scouting Pitt
Pitt holds a 13-12 overall record that includes two wins over a previous Penn State opponent, Delaware, a win over this weekend's Penn State opponent, Ohio State. The Panthers have been paced offensively by freshman Alex Amos with a .273 average. Power sources include Nick Banman with 18 RBIs and a .427 slugging percentage, while Caleb Parry has 15 RBIs and a pair of homers. Probable starting pitcher Dan Hammer is a freshman with an 0-2 record and 5.09 ERA in six appearances with four starts.
Bowersox Leading at the Dish
Jordan Bowersox is the team leader in average (.357), hits (35), doubles (7), stolen bases (7), slugging percentage (.510) and on-base percentage (.427).
He is also second on the team with 16 RBIs and eight extra-base hits (7 2B, 1 3B, 1HR).
Bowersox is currently the team's hottest hitter, batting .455 (10-for-22) with a home run, triple and double, five RBI, five runs and four walks to just two strikeouts during a six-game hitting streak. He has gotten on-base at a .538 clip and swiped three bases after stealing just four in the first 20 games.
Conlin Hughes and Bowersox are the only two Nittany Lions to play in every game and start every game so far this season.
Groundhog Day
Punxsutawney natives Braxton Giavedoni and Ryan Sloniger are both riding nine-game reached-base streaks.
They will both be looking to match the team's longest streak of the season, which is 10 by Conlin Hughes.
Giavedoni is batting .313 during the streak with a .389 on-base percentage, also walking once and getting plunked three times. He leads the Lions with four extra-base hits over the last nine with a team-best three doubles and also a triple. Giavedoni is also tied for the team lead in runs in the last nine with seven.
Sloniger is batting .320 (8-for-25) over the last nine, second only to Bowersox (.353) with a team-best .485 on-base percentage. He has drawn six walks (tied for team lead) and been plunked twice in the last nine.
Power Bump
Year-over-year, Penn State has more than doubled its home run total through 26 games, jumping from six to 13. Penn State hit 16 home runs in all of 2016.
The Lions have also slugged 14 more extra base hits, totaling 59 so far this season.
Penn State's 10 home runs in the first 14 games of the season was is its most since at least 2002.
New Power Sources
Seven different Nittany Lions, as many as last year, have combined for 10 home runs.
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 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. He is also batting .290 and getting on base at a .333 clip.
Striking Out the Opposition
Penn State ranks 74th in the country and fourth in the Big Ten averaging 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
RHP Sal Biasi leads the Big Ten and ranks 13th in the nation with 13.08 strikeouts per nine innings.