****UPDATE***
CARY, N.C. – Due to continuing rain, Saturday's Penn State baseball game against Fairfield at the USA Baseball National Training Complex has been canceled. The Nittany Lions will now play a three-game series against the Stags, opening with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Sunday. The series will conclude Monday starting at 11 a.m.
The series was originally slated to take place Friday-Sunday with two games on Saturday. Penn State enters the series 3-0 after sweeping Monmouth at the same facility this past weekend. The series will be the season opener for Fairfield.
Penn State opens its home slate Mar. 15 and tickets are on sale online by clicking here or by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711.
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Essentials
Live Video: N/A
Live Audio: N/A
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: N/A
Game 1 Probables
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
FAIR RHP Austin Pope (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 2 Probables
PSU RHP Bailey Dees (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
FAIR RHP Trey McLaughlin (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Game 3 Probables
PSU RHP Eric Mock (1-0, 1.50 ERA)
FAIR RHP Josh Arnold (0-0 0.00 ERA)
Pitching Prowess
Penn State allowed just eight hits over 27 innings in its first three games, leading the nation in hits per nine-innings (2.67) during Opening Weekend.
Penn State's pitchers held Monmouth to a nation's best .085 batting average.
Penn State held Monmouth scoreless for 21.1 innings to open the series.
The eight hits allowed are Penn State's fewest in a three-game span since at least 2004.
Penn State earned its first Opening Day shutout since 1977 and first back-to-back season-opening shutouts in program history.
Homer Adapting to New Home
Junior transfer Gavin Homer did not have any issues reaching base in his first NCAA Division I weekend, posting a .636 on-base percentage.
Homer went 4-for-8 batting with three walks and a double.
The Team
Penn State is carrying the NCAA maximum 35 student-athletes on its roster, which includes 23 returners and 12 newcomers.
Returning starting position players include: C Ryan Sloniger, C/IF Shea Sbranti, IF Conlin Hughes, IF Parker Hendershot, IF Connor Klemann, OF Jordan Bowersox and OF Curtis Robison.
LHP Dante Biasi returns to the weekend rotation after starting last season as a redshirt freshman, while RHP Bailey Dees and RHP Eric Mock both made four starts each last season.
Newcomers include five transfers and seven freshmen.
Penn State is a sophomore heavy team with 15 student-athletes in their second year of eligibility.
Road Swing Underway
Penn State is playing its first 14 games of the season on the road.
Penn State is the home team for the first 10 though, hosting Monmouth (Feb. 15-17) and Fairfield (Feb. 22-24) at neutral sites for the first seven (USA Baseball National Training Center - Cary, N.C.) and Duke (Mar. 1-3) at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The Duke series opens a six-game spring break trip in Florida. Penn State rounds out the trip with its first true road games, playing three games at UCF in Orlando.
The Nittany Lions return to the Keystone State Mar. 12 at Pittsburgh.
All-Time vs. Fairfield
This is the first ever meeting between the Nittany Lions and Stags.
Scouting Fairfield
Fairfield is opening its 2019 season. The Stags expect to be led by their pitching this season, highlighted by All-MAAC Preseason pick John Signore, who was first-team All-MAAC pick last season. On offense, they are looking to replace their top-three hitters from a year ago. Shortstop Jack Gethings leads the infield as a three-year starter, while first baseman Anthony Boselli returns as the team's leading returning home run hitter.
