UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State travels to Champaign for a Big Ten baseball series at Illinois opening Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET televised live on BTN. The series continues at Illinois Field Saturday at 4 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Essentials
Live Video: BTN2GO
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: BTN (Friday only)
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: Illinois, 36-29
Last Series: Illinois, 2-1, 2016
Streak: W1
Friday Probables
ILL LHP Andy Fisher (4-1, 3.31 ERA)
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (3-3, 1.93 ERA)
Saturday Probables
ILL RHP Ty Weber (3-1, 1.90 ERA)
PSU RHP Eric Mock (2-2, 2.66 ERA)
Sunday Probables
ILL RHP Cyrillo Watson (3-1, 3.59 ERA)
PSU RHP Bailey Dees (2-1, 4.00 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.
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.
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 is even better in conference play, posting a 2.79 team ERA in 11 conference games.
• 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 (434; 2017 - 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; 10.60) 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. Illinois
Penn State and Illinois have met 65 times, with Illinois holding a 36-29 lead all-time. The last meeting came in 2016, also in Champaign, with the Illini winning the first two before Penn State claimed the finale, snapping an 11-game losing streak against Illinois and Illinois' 22-game Big Ten regular season winning streak. Illinois last visited Happy Valley in 2015, earning a hard-fought sweep with the second game lasting 15 innings.
Scouting Illinois
Illinois is 22-13 overall and 3-6 in conference play. The Illini got off to a 6-0 start and cracked the D1Baseball.com Top 25 before dropping three of four games to start March, but they have won 12 out of their last 18 since. Illinois has played three Big Ten series so far, suffering a three-game sweep at Iowa and dropping two of three against Maryland before taking two of three at Minnesota last weekend. Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten with .286 batting average, third with a 3.63 ERA and first with a .979 fielding percentage. Saturday starting RHP Ty Weber ranks second in the Big Ten with a 1.90 ERA, while junior LHP Garrett Acton leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the NCAA with 11 saves. Second baseman Michael Massey was a preseason All-American and is batting .333.
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.
