March 26, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State opens a seven-game baseball homestand with a pair of midweek contests, hosting Binghamton Tuesday and Cornell Wednesday in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. First pitch for both games is set for 6:30 p.m.
Promotions
Tuesday vs. Binghamton
- 2 for 2-sday Tickets (BOGO)
Wednesday vs. Cornell
- Wing Wednesday
Essentials
Live Video: BTN Plus (Tues.)/LionVision (Wed.)
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Binghamton Series History: 2-1
Last Meeting: L, 3-6 (2017)
Streak: L1
Cornell Series History: 37-22
Last Meeting: W, 8-2 (2017)
Streak: W1
Tuesday Probables
PSU RHP Bailey Dees (2-1, 3.66 ERA)
BING RHP Robert Brown (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Wednesday Probables
PSU TBD
COR TBD
Midweek Weather
Penn State has been unable to get in its first three midweek games this season due to inclement weather.
A contest against Mount. St. Mary's was postponed to April 17, while make-up dates to host Pitt and Bucknell are to be determined.
Tight Games
Half of Penn State's games this season (9 of 18) have been decided by one run, with Penn State going 4-5 in those nine games.
Seven of Penn State's 55 games played last season were decided by one run, with Penn State going 4-3 in those games. Penn State went 7-5 in 12 one-run games in 2016.
Four of Penn State's seven wins have been by one run, and all (six) but one have been decided by two runs or less. RHPs Eric Mock and Mason Mellott have three saves each.
Eleven of Penn State's 15 games played this season have been decided by two runs or less. Penn State is 6-5 in those games.
Increasing Power
Penn State has 11 homers this season, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 0.61 per game.
Junior catcher Ryan Sloniger and redshirt sophomore infielder Connor Klemann lead the team with four and three home runs, respectively, each. Sloniger had two home runs in his first two seasons and Klemann had not hit a home run prior to this season.
Klemann ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 0.22 home runs per game.
Slugging Sloniger
Catcher Ryan Sloniger has a hit in 16 of 18 games this season and leads the team with a .329 batting average. He has started all 18 games behind the plate this season.
Sloniger's three home runs, seven doubles and 19 RBIs surpass his 2017 totals of one home run, four doubles and seven RBIs. He had two career home runs, 10 doubles and 24 RBIs in 78 games played over his first two seasons.
Sloniger ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 0.39 doubles per game, fifth with 1.06 RBIs per game and eighth with a .557 slugging percetange.
Sloniger opened the season on a nine-game hitting streak. It was the longest hitting streak to start a season since Jim Haley tallied at least one hit in the first 10 games of 2016.
All-Time vs. Binghamton
Penn State and Binghamton have met three times, with the first coming in 2012. After winning the first two match ups, Penn State fell to Binghamton 6-3 last season.
Scouting Binghamton
Binghamton is off to a 4-13 start this season with a 1-2 mark in America East play. The Bearcats most recently hosted St. John's over the weekend, dropping two games. Penn State met St. John's February, losing at the USA Baseball Complex. Anthony Meduri leads the team batting .368, while CJ Krowiak paces the squad with two home runs and 12 RBIs.
All-Time vs. Cornell
Penn State and Cornell have met 59 times resulting in a 39-22 all-time series lead for the Nittany Lions. While trailing the series at Cornell 11-17, Penn State has dominated at home going 23-1. The teams will once again meet in University Park where Penn State has won 13 straight in the series.
Scouting Cornell
Cornell is 2-9 to start 2018, opening with a challenging slate that included games at Texas A&M and Duke. The Big Red have won two of their last five with a win Fordham and one at home over Niagara. Kyle Gallagher leads the team batting .385.
Career Days at the Plate
Ryan Sloniger and Connor Klemann both set career highs for hits at Rutgers (3/25), with four and three, respectively.
Klemann is tied for the team lead (Braxton Giavedoni) in multi-hit games with six.
Freshman Free Pass
Freshman Curtis Robison has a team-best 13 walks on the season, and his 0.87 walks per game lead the Big Ten.
Robison's on-base percentage of .351 ranks fourth on the team despite batting just .159.
Robison has the team's longest active reached base streak at seven games despite going hit-less in his last four games.
Robison has walked eight times in his last five games.
Pride of Punxsutawney
Childhood friends and teammates, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania natives Ryan Sloniger and Braxton Giavedoni are among the team leaders at the plate. Sloniger leads the team with a .329 average and 19 RBIs, while Giavedoni is third on the team batting .270.
The pair have been teammates for the majority of their careers from youth baseball to high school to Penn State, with both of their dads serving as Little League coaches.