May 4, 2017
| PENN STATE vs. MINNESOTA | |
| Friday, May 5 - 6:30 p.m. | |
| Saturday, May 6 - 2:00 p.m. | |
| Sunday, May 7 - 1:00 p.m. | |
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park | University Park, Pa.
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| Game 1: | Live Audio | Live Video |
| Game 2: | Live Audio | Live Video |
| Game 3: | Live Audio | Live Video |
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| Gameday Central |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Minnesota |
| Statistics: Penn State | Minnesota |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -With final exams completed, Penn State returns to baseball action hosting Big Ten foe Minnesota in a three-game series opening Friday evening on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The series opener is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. and will continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The games and all remaining games will be streamed live and free of charge on GoPSUnow.
Ticket options for the 2017 Penn State baseball season in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are now on sale at GoPSUsports.com or by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711. Ask about the hospitality suite option for season ticket holders.
Promotions
Friday, May 5 - 6:30 p.m.
- Scout Night - All scouts can purchase tickets for a discounted price of just $2!
Saturday, May 6 - 2:00 p.m.
- Penn State Baseball Bingo
- "Tip our Cap" opportunity - All graduating seniors can receive FREE admission by wearing their graduation cap to the game, and from 2:30-3:30 pm, Graduating seniors and their families can take photos with the Nittany Lion one last time on the concourse before departing Happy Valley!
- Postgame Kids Run the Bases - Kids 12 and under can run the bases!
Sunday, May 7 - 1:00 p.m.
- Pink Zone Day - Be there as we welcome and honor Breast Cancer Survivors! Breast Cancer Survivors can claim up to four free tickets by sending an email to ICAMarketing@psu.edu, and can purchase any additional tickets for just $2.00.
- Postgame Kids Run the Bases - Kids 12 and under can run the bases!
Essentials
Live Video: GoPSU now - GoPSUSports.com
Live Audio: GoPSUSports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUSports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN 1450 AM
Minnesota Series History: 44-24
Last Series: 2015, Away, Minnesota, 3-0
Streak: L6
Friday Probables
PSU RHP Sal Biasi (4-5, 3.90 ERA)
MINN LHP Lucas Gilbreath (5-0, 2.59 ERA)
Saturday Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (1-8, 4.97 ERA)
MINN RHP Brett Schulze (3-2, 4.62 ERA)
Sunday Probables
PSU RHP Eric Mock (0-3, 4.98 ERA)
MINN TBA
Injury Bug Bites Offense
Seven of Penn State's nine Opening Day starting position players have missed multiple games due to injury. The seven have missed a combined 91 man-games.
Infielder Conlin Hughes and catcher Ryan Sloniger are the latest to get bitten by the injury bug. Sloniger has been out since the Northwestern finale (4/23) and Hughes missed the final two games at Iowa (4/28-29).
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 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 was the team's best hitter and best at getting on-base during the first five games of his return, going 7-for-17 (.412) with a .545 on-base percentage. He also had his first career home run, three RBIs, four walks and a stolen base. For the year, Nadeau is batting .329 with 11 RBIs in 22 starts and 23 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. However, Riotto put together his best week of the season last week, going 7-for-14 at the plate with a double and four RBIs.
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.
Remaining Home Games to Be Streamed
Penn State's seven remaining home games will be streamed live for free via GoPSUnow on GoPSUsports.com.
All-Time vs. Minnesota
Minnesota holds a 44-24 all time series lead over Penn State after claiming the last six meetings and nine of the last 10. However, the last six games have been played at Minnesota, so this weekend will mark the Golden Gophers' first trip to Happy Valley since 2013, where they only carry a 12-10 advantage in the series. The 2016 season marked the first year the teams had not met since 2002.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers are 26-15 this season and 9-6 in conference play. They opened conference play with sweeps of Ohio State and Michigan State but have only taken one game in ensuing series against Indiana, Nebraska and Illinois. Minnesota is one of the top fielding teams in the nation with a fielding percentage of .980 that ranks 17th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten. The Gophers also rank second in the Big Ten with a .291 team batting average. Jordan Kozicky leads the team and third in the conference with a .364 batting average. On the mound, LHP Lucas Gilbreath leads the rotation a 2.59 ERA that ranks sixth in the Big Ten, and closer Brian Glowicki leads the NCAA with 15 saves.
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.
Heating Up in Rio
Outfielder Nick Riotto has been Penn State's leading hitter over the last 10 games, batting .389 (14-for-26) with two doubles, a home run, seven RBIs and six walks.
The stretch includes a career-best 4-for-4 game against Northwestern (4/21) in which he also tallied a home run, walk, three RBIs and two stolen bases, and a 3-for-4 effort at Iowa (4/29) that included an RBI and walk.
Biasi Leads Rotation
RHP Sal Biasi leads the Nittany Lions with a 3.90 ERA and a career-high 72 strikeouts.
His 72 strikeouts are the most by a Penn State pitcher since Johnny Walter (81) and Joe Kurrasch (78) in 2012.
Biasi's 72 strikeouts rank third in the Big Ten and 73rd in the nation, while his 11.71 strikeouts per nine innings rank second in the league and 28th nationally.
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 60 in 63 1/3 innings so far.
Freshman Playing B1G, Especially on Sunday
Rookie outfielder Braxton Giavedoni has adapted well to Big Ten play so far, leading the team with a .333 average through the first 15 conference games.
He has seen success in his last three Big Ten series finales, most recently going 3-for-4 with a walk at Iowa (4/29).
Giavedoni hit 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 .288 season batting average, .361 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage lead all healthy Nittany Lions.
His eight doubles and 13 extra base hits on the year lead the team.
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 43 games is 2.13. On the mound the Lions are averaging 2.16 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.
All-Around the Infield
Christian Helsel has drawn starts at three infield positions this season.
He has started the last 13 games at second base after starting 21 at third base and eight at first base.
Helsel currently owns a career-best .962 fielding percentage.
Home Sweet Home
The Nittany Lions are in their 11th season in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, where they hold a 140-93 all-time record and have an 8-8 start this season.
In 2016, Penn State won a facility record 10 consecutive games en route to totaling 15 wins, its most since 2008.
The Lions enjoyed their seventh winning mark in the park and hosted two of the 11 largest crowds in program history.