May 3, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State will play its final home Big Ten series of the season when it hosts Michigan State for a three-game series opening Friday at 6:30 p.m. on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The series continues 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: Michigan State, 48-35
Last Series: Michigan State, 2-1 (2016)
Streak: W1
Friday Probables
PSU RHP Justin Hagenman (2-5, 4.09 ERA)
MSU RHP Ethan Landon (3-5, 3.15 ERA)
Saturday Probables
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (1-5, 6.28 ERA)
MSU RHP Mason Erla (5-3, 4.21 ERA)
Sunday Probables
PSU LHP Taylor Lehman (2-6, 5.44 ERA)
MSU RHP Mike Mokma (1-3, 4.81 ERA)
Promotions
Friday
- Dollar Dog Night
- Nineties Night
- Pregame Live Music - Lowjack
- Nittany Lion in Attendance
Saturday
- Cinco de Mayo
- Nacho Promotion at the Concession Stand
- Wing Saturday
Sunday
- Post-Game Kids Run the Bases
- Post-Game Autographs
- Youth 12 and under in their Little League Jersey will receive FREE admission!
Home Sweet Home
Penn State is staying close to home until the last weekend of the regular season, as it is halfway through a six-game homestand and four games into a stretch of 13-straight within the state of Pennsylvania.
Penn State is visiting three different regions of the state during a 13-game stretch of games within the Keystone State. The Nittany Lions took on Lafayette in Allentown (Apr. 25) to open the slate, and will play games at Pittsburgh (May 8) and at Villanova (Plymouth Meeting, Pa., May 15).
Dense Schedule
Penn State is scheduled to play 12 games in 15 days to finish the regular season.
The home finale set for Monday, May 14 against St. Bonventure is a make-up of a game postponed from earlier in the season due to weather.
Tight Games
Approximately 43 percent of Penn State's games this season (16 of 37) have been decided by one run, with Penn State going 4-12 in those 16 games.
Penn State's 16 one-run games are its most since playing in 16 one-run games in 2007.
Penn State's 12 one-run losses are its most since dropping 12 games by a run in 2006.
Four of Penn State's nine wins have been by one run, and six have been decided by two runs or less. RHPs Eric Mock and Mason Mellott have three saves each.
Nineteen of Penn State's 37 games played this season have been decided by two runs or less. Penn State is 6-13 in those games.
All-Time vs. Michigan State
Penn State trails Michigan State in the all-time series, 48-35. The two Land Grant schools are meeting for the first time since 2016 after not meeting last season, ending an 18-year streak of annual meetings. Four of the last five series between the teams have taken place at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, but the Spartans have held an upper-hand claiming all five with a 12-3 record. Penn State claimed the last game between the two teams, walking-off when a run scored on an error.
Scouting Michigan State
Michigan State is 16-23 this season and currently eighth in the Big Ten with a 7-7 record. The Spartans were swept by Michigan to open its Big Ten slate, then lost a series to Rutgers, swept a weather-shortened Nebraska series and swept Northwestern before only taking one from Maryland last weekend. The Spartans are one of the top base-stealing teams in the country, ranking 11th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten averaging 1.95 per game. Bryce Kelley leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th in the NCAA with 25 stolen bases.
Bats Come Alive
Junior Jordan Bowersox and freshman Parker Hendershot both had eight-game hitting streaks halted Sunday/
During the stretch, Hendershot batted .533 (16-for-30) with three doubles and 13 RBIs. He also walked eight times for a .632 on-base percentage. Five of the eight games were multi-hit games and three of those were three-hit games.
Bowersox went 11-for-35 (.314) during his streak, with two doubles, two triples, six RBIs and seven runs scored.
Ryan Sloniger has five multi-hit games in his last 11 outings. He leads the team batting .295.
Hagenman Leads Rotation
Junior RHP Justin Hagenman leads the Nittany Lions with a 4.09 ERA and 58 strikeouts (7th in Big Ten) in 61 2/3 innings pitched (12th in Big Ten).
Hagenman is particularly adept at striking out hitters looking, as he ranks second in the conference with 30 backwards K's.
Hagenman is 2-5 on the season in nine starts, leaving with the lead three times and in a tie game once in four no decisions. Two of his losses have come when Penn State scored one or fewer runs.
Most recently against Northwestern, Hagenman worked eight innings, allowing four runs (two earned) and striking out eight. Despite leaving with a two-run lead, Penn State was unable to secure the win.
If not for an uncharacteristic outing at Michigan (4/20) in which he gave up nine runs in 1 1/3 innings, Hagenman would have a 2.83 ERA for the season. The nine earned runs allowed represent 32 percent (9-of-28) of the runs he's allowed in 11 starts this season. Hagenman has pitched at least five innings and allowed four or fewer runs in each start with the exception of the Michigan game.
Hughes Resurgent
Infielder Conlin Hughes went a season-best 3-for-4 with an RBI-double and two runs scored in a win over Lafayette in Coca-Cola Park in Allentown to start what enters the weekend as a three-game hitting streak.
Hughes is 6-for-12 (.500) in his last three games with five runs scored and two RBIs. He went 2-for-4 Saturday for his second multi-hit game of the week and third of the year.
Before Lafayette, Hughes had just six hits in his last 16 games and just one multi-hit game on the year, tallying two at UC Santa Barbara (3/5).
The Lafayette game was his first three-hit game since Mar. 25, 2017 against Columbia.
Midweek Success
Predominantly due to weather, Penn State has been limited to just four midweek games this season, going 2-2 with two games at home and two at neutral sites.
Penn State did not have any midweek games this past week due to exams.
Penn State's next midweek game is Tuesday at Pitt.
Penn State has won its last two midweek games, defeating Mount St. Mary's and Lafayette.
Record Watch
A trio of Nittany Lions are making their mark on the program's career records list.
Junior catcher Ryan Sloniger ranks ninth all-time at Penn State with 705 putouts. He is trailing Todd Stoner, who totaled 871, (1986-89) for eighth.
Junior pitcher Justin Hagenman ranks sixth all-time at 39 career starts. Next on the list are Craig Clark (2004-07) and Dan Goebler (1997-00), who are tied for fourth with 41 career starts.
Senior LHP Taylor Lehman is the only Nittany Lion pitcher to rank on both the Penn State career appearances and career starts top-10 lists. With 63, Lehman has tied Pete Yodis (1998-01) for 10th all-time at Penn State, while with 37 starts, he has tied both Clayton Hamilton (2000-04) and Aaron Tressler (2001-04) for eighth.
Yodis currently is Penn State's career starts record holder with 53 starts, but was bumped from the Top 10 in appearances.
Ironmen
Penn State has two position players that have started and played in every game this season: Connor Klemann and Jordan Bowersox.
Braxton Giavedoni had a consecutive games played streak of 50 that ended when he did not appear in the Mount St. Mary's game.