UPDATE: This game has been canceled due to forecasted rain.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State baseball hosts No. 20 West Virginia in the first of two match-ups in as many weeks Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Promotions
- Wacky Wednesday – caricature artist, balloon artist, photobooth
- Bucket Hat Giveaway for the First 100 fans
- Wing Wednesday
Essentials
Live Video: LionVision
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: Penn State, 71-42
Last Game: West Virginia, 3-2 (10), 2018
Streak: L2
Wednesday Probables
WVU LHP Nick Snyder (5-1, 1.76 ERA)
PSU RHP Conor Larkin (2-1, 3.47 ERA)
Statistical Improvement
Through 32 games, Penn State is well ahead of last season's pace in many areas, most notably totaling a 17-15 record as opposed to starting 2018 at 8-24.
Penn State has four wins against RPI Top-100 teams this season after having none last year.
Penn State has been more competitive overall in close games, going 7-4 in one-run games after starting 2018 4-10 in one-run contests.
Penn State has maintained its late leads this season, going 10-2 when leading after the sixth inning and posting undefeated marks when leading after the seventh and eighth innings. At the same point last season, Penn State had dropped five games when leading after six innings.
Penn State has done a better job of rebounding so far this season, earning three wins when trailing after the sixth inning and two when trailing after the eighth inning. At the same point last season, Penn State did not have any wins when trailing after any inning.
Offensively, Penn State is batting 14 points higher, has scored 13 more runs and has cut down on strikeouts slightly (-11) as compared to the first 32 games last season.
Penn State's pitching has seen a dramatic improvement compared to a year ago, dropping its ERA 2.14 from 6.02 in the first 32 games of 2018 to 3.88 this season. The unit has allowed 62-less hits, 66-less runs and 22-less walks. Strikeouts are up 78 from 256 at this point last year to 334 this year.
Non-Conference Success
Penn State is 16-5 in non-conference play for its most non-conference wins since also winning 16 in all of 2016.
PSU has one 2019 non-conference win over a nationally-ranked team, defeating No. 21 Duke, 8-7, on Mar. 2.
Pitching Prowess
Penn State ranks among the Big Ten leaders in pitching with a 3.88 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, which both rank fifth in the conference and just outside the Top 50 nationally.
Penn State's 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally.
Penn State's hits allowed per nine innings rate of 7.63 ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally.
Penn State's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.44 ranks third in the Big Ten and 48th nationally, while its 4.29 walks allowed per nine innings ranks fifth in the conference.
Penn State's three shutouts this season are its most since earning three shutouts in 2016.
Penn State is 16-5 when scoring three or more runs this season.
Sit Down
Penn State is averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings to lead the Big Ten and rank sixth in the nation.
Penn State has struck out nine or more batters in 26 out of 32 games this season.
Penn State is on record pace for team strikeouts. It's record of 434 was set in 2017 with an average of 7.89 strikeouts over 55 games.
Dante Biasi leads the Big Ten with 70 strikeouts and ranks second with 12.27 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 23rd and 25th, respectively, nationally.
Fellow weekend starters Eric Mock (4th; 10.84) and Bailey Dees (7th; 1060) also rank among the Big Ten leaders in strikeouts per nine innings.
Biasi and Conor Larkin combined for 17 strikeouts against Minnesota (3/23), marking the most strikeouts in a game for Penn State since at least 2004.
All-Time vs. West Virginia
The Nittany Lions and Mountaineers will face each other on the diamond for the 114th time. Penn State holds a 29-game advantage in the all-time series with a record of 71-42 and has won nine of the last 13 games. This year marks the sixth consecutive in which the teams have met. Last season, West Virginia edged Penn State in the 10th inning, 3-2. The last five games have been decided by two runs or less. West Virginia is making its first trip to Happy Valley since 2016.
Scouting West Virginia
West Virginia is 22-13 overall and 6-6 in Big 12 play, and is ranked in five polls with a high ranking of No. 20 according to D1Baseball.com. The Mountaineers have won nine of their last 12 games, including series wins over then-No. 19 Oklahoma, then-No. 23 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and single-game wins over common opponents Pitt and Maryland. Pitching is among West Virginia's strong suits, boasting a 3.26 ERA to rank 16th nationally, as well as a 6.87 hits allowed per nine innings rate to rank seventh and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings to rank 17th. The Mountaineers are also strong on the base paths with 72 stolen bases to rank 18th nationally. LHP Nick Snyder is set to start and has 44 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. Seven of his eight appearances on the year have been starts, and he boasts a 5-1 record and 1.76 ERA.
Close Ones
Nine of Penn State's 10 conference losses have been by two runs or less, with four of those one-run losses.
Penn State is 7-4 in games decided by one run this season after going 5-13 in one-run games last season.
Bowersox Streaking
Senior Jordan Bowersox is on a career-best 13-game hitting streak.
Bowersox is batting .392 (20-for-51) with two doubles, a triple and seven RBIs. He also has seven walks for a .458 on-base percentage.
The streak started Mar. 26 against Binghamton.
He has five multi-hit games during the streak, tallying two hits against Bucknell (4/2), Indiana (4/5) and Nebraska (4/12), and three against Youngstown State (4/9) and Nebraska (4/13).
Low ERAs
Both Mason Mellott and Dante Biasi currently boast season ERAs that rank among the top 10 all-time at Penn State for a minimum of 25 innings pitched.
Biasi's 1.93 ERA ranks eighth and Mellott's 2.01 ERA ranks ninth.
In the Big Ten, the figures rank third and seventh, respectively.
Eric Mock's 2.66 ERA ranks 11th in the Big Ten.
Mellott Leads the 'Pen
Sophomore Mason Mellott has emerged as Penn State's relief ace. He is 4-2 and has four saves, factoring in on eight of Penn State's 17 wins.
Mellott leads the bullpen with a 2.01 ERA that ranks seventh in the Big Ten.
Mellott is third on the team in innings pitched with 44.2 and leads the team with 14 appearances.
Mellott's four saves this season match his season total from 2018.
Mellott's four wins are the most by a PSU reliever since Nick Distasio and Dakota Forsyth both won four games each in 2017.
In part by virtue of Penn State surpassing last season's win total, Mellott's four wins are the most by a Penn State pitcher since Sal Biasi won five games in 2017.
Mellott's save at Indiana was the eighth of his career, moving him up to a three-way tie for seventh in program history. Next on the list is Jeff Emerlich with 9 (1993-96).
The Train is Chugging
LHP Dante Biasi leads the Big Ten and is 23rd in the NCAA with 70 strikeouts, and his 12.27 strikeouts per nine innings also leads the Big Ten and ranks 25th in the country.
Biasi has held opponents to one earned run or less in seven out of nine starts this season.
Biasi's 5.08 hits allowed per nine innings leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th in the NCAA.
Biasi's WHIP of 1.01 ranks ninth in the Big Ten.
Biasi's 13 strikeouts against UMass Lowell (3/15) were the most strikeouts by a Penn State pitcher since Alan Stidfole stuck out 13 against Northwestern on April 10, 2005.
Biasi followed that performance with 12 strikeouts against Minnesota, becoming the first Penn State pitcher to strikeout 10 or more batters in back-to-back appearances since at least 2004.
Biasi's 25 strikeouts in consecutive appearances are the most by a Penn State pitcher since at least 2004.
Milestones
Head coach Rob Cooper earned his 400th career win against Youngstown State (4/9).
Senior Ryan Sloniger is one home run shy of 10 for his career.
Senior Jordan Bowersox tallied his team-best 150th career hit against Minnesota and played in his 150th game in the series finale at Indiana, while Sloniger reached the same milestone ni the first game of a doubleheader against Nebraska. Fellow senior Conlin Hughes leads the team with 174 games played.
Sophomore Dante Biasi surpassed 100 career strikeouts with his 12-strikeout effort against Minnesota and now has 121. Of those 121 career strikeouts in 108.2 career innings pitched and 21 starts, 25 of them came in back-to-back starts against UMass Lowell (3/15) and Minnesota (3/23) (13.0 IP).
Redshirt junior Eric Mock is Penn State's career leader for strikeouts with 130. He surpassed 100 with a six-strikeout effort against No. 21 Duke on Mar. 3.
The Smallest Swinging the Biggest Bats
Gavin Homer is Penn State's shortest player at 5-9 and Kris Kremer is the lightest at 166 pounds, but the two are the teams leading sluggers.
Homer and Kremer lead the team with four home runs each.
Homer most recently hit a home run at Indiana (4/6).
Kremer hit his fourth of the season against Pitt (4/10), taking a favorable bounce off the center field wall for an inside-the-park home run.
All four of Kremer's home runs have come against ACC teams, as he hit three in a game against No. 21 Duke (3/1).
Homer leads the team with 14 extra-base hits (9 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs), while Kremer is second with 11 extra-base hits (5 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs).