April 4, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After some schedule rearranging, Penn State and Minnesota are set to play a three-game Big Ten baseball series at Purdue's Alexander Field, Friday-Sunday. The series is set to open Friday at 2 p.m. and continue with 1 p.m. first pitches Saturday and Sunday.
Penn State and Minnesota were scheduled to play at the Gophers' Siebert Field in what would have been their home, outdoor opener, but Minneapolis has been hit with severe winter weather this week.
West Lafayette, Indiana, is roughly an equal journey for both teams and the Boilermakers will be playing at Indiana this weekend.
Essentials
Live Video: N/A
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GopherSports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: 47-24
Last Series: Minnesota, 3-0 (2017)
Streak: L9
Friday Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (2-3, 3.29 ERA)
MIN TBD
Saturday Probables
PSU LHP Taylor Lehman (2-3, 3.69 ERA)
MIN TBD
Sunday Probables
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (1-3, 5.04 ERA)
MIN TBD
Tight Games
Nearly half of Penn State's games this season (10 of 22) have been decided by one run, with Penn State going 4-6 in those 10 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.
Thirteen of Penn State's 22 games played this season have been decided by two runs or less. Penn State is 6-7 in those games.
The last four games between Penn State and West Virginia have been decided by two runs or less, with Penn State going 3-1 in those games.
At West Virginia last season, Mountain State native and then-freshman Logan Goodnight hit a three-run home run in the second inning and the Nittany Lions manufactured the game-winning run in the top of the ninth without getting a hit to defeat West Virginia, 6-5. WVU prevailed the next day at PNC Park, 4-2.
Slugging Sloniger
Catcher Ryan Sloniger had a hit in the first 17 of 19 games this season and leads the team with a .289 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.
All-Time vs. Minnesota
Minnesota holds a 47-24 all time series lead over Penn State after claiming the last nine meetings and 12 of the last 13. The Nittany Lions were originally scheduled to visit Minneapolis for the third time in the last four series between the teams, but due to the forecasted winter weather, the teams will now be meeting at a neutral site during the regular season for the first time.
Scouting Minnesota
Minnesota is 18-10 overall and off to a 2-1 start in Big Ten play after taking two of three from Nebraska last weekend. Minnesota is one of the hottest-hitting teams in the country ranking 24th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten with a .297 average. Leading the offensive attack are three of the Big Ten's top 10 hitters: Terrin Vavra (.385), Ben Mezzenga (.375) and Toby Hanson (.353). The Golden Gophers are also successful on the mound, carrying a 3.77 ERA to rank fourth in the Big Ten.
Return to PNC Park
After this weekend, Penn State will next face West Virginia for a second consecutive year in the home of Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, PNC Park.
Penn State played in the park for the first time last season after a rain out at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park was rescheduled for the Pirates' home. Due to the success of the game, it was renewed as a scheduled neutral site contest.
Freshman Free Pass
Freshman Curtis Robison has a team-best 15 walks on the season, and his 0.83 walks per game lead the Big Ten.
Robison has the team's longest active reached base streak at 10 games despite going hit-less six of the 10 games.
Of the four games he has hits in, three of the games were two-hit games and he doubled in all four.
Robison's on-base percentage of .348 ranks fourth on the team despite batting just .170.
Robison has walked 10 times in his last 10 games.
Increasing Power
Redshirt sophomore infielder Connor Klemann leads the team with four and junior catcher Ryan Sloniger and sophomore outfielder Braxton Giavedoni have three home runs 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 12 homers this season, ranking eighth in the Big Ten with 0.55 per game.
Ironmen
Penn State has four position players who have started and played in all 22 games this season: Ryan Sloniger, Connor Klemann, Braxton Giavedoni and Jordan Bowersox.
Conlin Hughes has played in all 22 games and started 21.
Weekend Starters Dealing
Penn State's three weekend starting pitchers - RHP Justin Hagenman, LHP Taylor Lehman and LHP Dante Biasi - have pitched a combined 53 1/3 innings over nine games over the past three weekends, striking out 46 and limiting opponents to an earned run average of 2.87.
Biasi, a freshman, has struck out 17 over his last three starts (16.1 IP).
Hagenman leads the team for the season with a 3.29 ERA, 41.0 innings pitched and 36 strikeouts. He set season-highs for innings pitched (7.0) and strikeouts (9) in a 3-2 loss against Purdue in his last outing.
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 .289 average and 19 RBIs, while Giavedoni is third on the team batting .261.
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.
Check Your Calendar
Penn State has had to postpone six games due to weather.
Midweek games against West Virginia and St. Bonaventure were the latest casualties.
Games against Binghamton (Apr. 11), Mount. St. Mary's (Apr. 17) and St. Bonaventure (May 14) have been rescheduled.
Make-up dates to host Pitt, Bucknell and West Virginia are to be determined.
No Free Passes
LHP Dante Biasi (6.0 IP), RHP Jake Pilewicz (2.0 IP) and RHP Mason Mellott (1.0 IP) did not issue a single walk in the Rutgers finale (3/25).
It marked the first time since May 13, 2017 at Indiana that the Lions did not issue a walk.
Career Days on Offense
Ryan Sloniger and Connor Klemann both set career highs for hits at Rutgers (3/25), with four and three, respectively.
Sloniger posted the first four-hit game by a Nittany Lion this season.
Klemann is tied for the team lead (Braxton Giavedoni) in multi-hit games with six.
Mason Nadeau went hitless in the Rutgers finale, but still found his way on base and stole three bases.
Nadeau's three stolen bases were the most in a game since Greg Guers stole three bases at Northwestern on April 17, 2016.
Debuts
With 14 newcomers on the team, many fresh faces have seen action for the Nittany Lions.
A total of 13 of the 14 newcomers have seen action with nine earning starts.
Junior college transfer Shea Sbranti (1B) and freshman Curtis Robison (DH) were Opening Day starters for Penn State.
Freshman Mac Hippenhammer debuted as a pinch runner on Opening Day (at Elon), and then was replaced in the field by classmate Tommy Gibson.
Freshman Derek Orndorff debuted as a pinch hitter in the Lions' second game of the season (at Elon). Freshman relief pitchers Conor Larkin and Mason Mellott also debuted, with Mellott debuting in the ninth and earning his first career save.
Orndorff (1B) and Gibson (SS) made their first career starts in the third game of the season (at Elon). Redshirt freshman Dante Biasi started on the mound in his first collegiate action, and he carried a no-hitter into the fifth.
Larkin made his first start in Penn State's fifth game of the season (vs. Monmouth).
Freshmen Kris Kremer and Parker Hendershot made their debuts off the bench in the sixth game of the season (vs. No. 23 St. John's). Hendershot went 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored. Pitchers Kyle Virbitsky and Bailey Dees debuted in relief.
Hippenhammer made his first career start (CF) in the eighth game of the year (at UCSB).
Hendershot made his first career start in the series finale at UCSB (Game 9). He went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
LHP Jeff Taylor made his collegiate debut in Game 10, the series opener at Grand Canyon. He was perfect in two innings, striking out two.
Dees made his first career start on the mound against Cornell. Orndorff also made his first start at catcher.