April 12, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State hosts Ohio State in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in a three-game Big Ten baseball series opening Friday at 6:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Essentials
Live Video: GoPSUsports.com
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUSports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: 65-36
Last Series: Ohio State, 2-1 (2017)
Streak: L2
Friday Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (2-3, 3.33 ERA)
OSU LHP Connor Curlis (5-1, 3.21 ERA)
Saturday Probables
PSU LHP Taylor Lehman (2-4, 4.15 ERA)
OSU RHP Ryan Feltner (3-2, 5.11 ERA)
Sunday Probables
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (1-4, 5.46 ERA)
OSU RHP Adam Niemeyer (2-2, 5.06 ERA)
Parking Advisory
Baseball fans attending games Saturday and Sunday should park in the Porter North lot with overflow parking available in the lower part of the adjacent Jordan East parking lot south of Dauer Drive. The ASME E-Fest Human-Powered Vehicle Challenge will be held along Curtin Road near the Bryce Jordan Center on both days, so Curtin Road will be closed between University Drive and Porter Road and the Jordan East parking lot will be closed north of Dauer Road. Click for a map of the affected areas.
Promotions
Friday
- Post-Game Fireworks
- Friday the 13th
- Faculty Staff Night
- Team ICA Night
- 800 Strong Game
- Dollar Dog Night
- Penn State Student Giveaway - Sunglasses
Saturday
- Social Media Day
- Pre-Game Photo Booth
- Wing Saturday
Sunday
- Salute to Service
- Write letters to Military
- Post-Game Kids Run the Bases
- Post-Game Autographs
- Youth 12 and under in their Little League Jersey will receive FREE admission!
- Post-Game Penn State Marketing Association Backyard Baseball Tournament
30 MLB Ballparks Left For Bowersox to Homer In
Junior Jordan Bowersox has now homered in two Major League ballparks, homering most recently in PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, on April 10 against West Virginia.
Over the summer, Bowersox hit a home run in Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in a summer ball game.
Bowersox is currently Penn State's hottest hitter with hits in five of the last six games. He is 8-for-24 (.333) with the solo home run, three runs scored and three RBIs.
Hagenman Leads Rotation
Junior RHP Justin Hagenman continues to lead the Penn State pitching rotation in ERA (3.33), innings pitched (46.0) and strikeouts (42).
Hagenman is particularly adept at striking out hitters looking, as he ranks second in the conference with 22 backwards K's. Overall, he ranks 13th in the league with 42 K's.
Hagenman is 2-3 on the season in eight starts, leaving with the lead twice and in a tie game once in three no decisions.
Lehman Again
Senior LHP Taylor Lehman is on track to become the only Nittany Lion pitcher to rank on both the Penn State career appearances and career starts top-10 lists.
With 60 career appearances, Lehman is three shy of tying Pete Yodis (1998-01) for 10th all-time at Penn State, while with 34 starts, he is two starts short of tying both Mike Bellaman (1982-85) and Nick Hedge (2013-16) for ninth.
Yodis currently is Penn State's career starts record holder with 53 starts, but would be bumped from the Top 10 in appearances after four more Lehman appearances.
Newman Faces Alma Mater
Penn State pitching coach Josh Newman, in his first season with the Nittany Lions, will be facing his alma mater. Newman totaled seven years in the dugout at Ohio State, as he lettered for four years as a student-athlete (2001-04) and served as a volunteer assistant coach for three seasons (2011-13) following his professional playing career. A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman ranks third all-time at Ohio State in career wins (32), innings pitched (369.0) and strikeouts (291). He was a freshman All-American in 2001 a three-time All-Big Ten honoree - including a first-team selection in 2004 - and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Newman Faces Alma Mater
Penn State pitching coach Josh Newman, in his first season with the Nittany Lions, will be facing his alma mater. Newman totaled seven years in the dugout at Ohio State, as he lettered for four years as a student-athlete (2001-04) and served as a volunteer assistant coach for three seasons (2011-13) following his professional playing career. A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman ranks third all-time at Ohio State in career wins (32), innings pitched (369.0) and strikeouts (291). He was a freshman All-American in 2001 a three-time All-Big Ten honoree - including a first-team selection in 2004 - and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
All-Time vs. Ohio State
Penn State currently trails the all-time series against Ohio State 65-36, but trails just 20-26 at home. Last season, the Buckeyes' five-game winning streak in the series was snapped following a series opening victory for the Nittany Lions.
Scouting Ohio State
Ohio State is 21-10 overall and ranks eighth in the Big Ten with a 3-3 record. The Buckeyes bring one of the most prolific offenses in the Big Ten, leading the conference and ranking in the top 20 nationally with a team batting average of .300 and average of 7.2 runs scored per game. Senior Noah McGowan is leading offensive charge, ranking third in the Big Ten and 13th in the NCAA with a .410 average. He also leads the league with 15 doubles (6th in NCAA) and 42 RBIs (4th in NCAA). The Buckeyes are sharp on the mound, as well leading the Big Ten with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.55. Starters Connor Curlis (53) and Ryan Feltner (45) both rank in the top five in the Big Ten in strikeouts.
Return to PNC Park
Penn State and West Virginia battled to an extra-inning, 3-2 decision in favor of the Mountaineers Tuesday, April 10.
It was Penn State's second time playing in PNC Park. The 2017 game at PNC Park marked the first time Penn State had played 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.
Check Your Calendar
A game against Binghamton, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 27, was postponed due to inclement weather to Wednesday, April 11, but that game has been postponed again.
Penn State has had to postpone six games due to weather, as games against Mount. St. Mary's (Apr. 17) and St. Bonaventure (May 14) have also been rescheduled, while make-up dates to host Pitt, Bucknell and West Virginia are to be determined.
Penn State has not had the worst weather though this spring. It's series at Minnesota this past weekend had to be moved to Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, due to continuing winter weather in Minneapolis.
Tight Games
Nearly half of Penn State's games this season (12 of 26) have been decided by one run, with Penn State going 4-8 in those 12 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.
Fifteen of Penn State's 26 games played this season have been decided by two runs or less. Penn State is 6-9 in those games.
Slugging Sloniger
Catcher Ryan Sloniger had a hit in the first 17 of 19 games this season and leads the team with a .290 batting average. He has started all but one game this behind the plate this season, including the first 18.
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 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.
Increasing Power
Redshirt sophomore infielder Connor Klemann leads the team with four home runs and junior catcher Ryan Sloniger and sophomore outfielder Braxton Giavedoni have three each. Sloniger had two home runs in his first two seasons and Klemann had not hit a home run prior to this season. Giavedoni's three home runs this season match his total for all of last season.
Penn State has 14 homers this season hit by seven different players.
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 .290 average and 19 RBIs, while Giavedoni is fourth on the team in batting.
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.
Ironmen
Penn State has four position players who have started and played in all 26 games this season: Ryan Sloniger, Connor Klemann, Braxton Giavedoni and Jordan Bowersox.
Giavedoni has the team's longest consecutive games played streak at 49, dating back to April 14, 2017.
Conlin Hughes and Mason Nadeau have appeared in all but one.