UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State will conclude its 2019 baseball season with a three-game series against Arizona opening Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The series continues Friday at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude with Senior Day Saturday at 2 p.m.
Promotions
Thursday
- Triple Play Package: 1 Ticket, 1 hot dog and 1 soda for $8
- Throwback Thursday
Friday
- Dollar Dog Night
- Vs. Cancer Game
Saturday
- Bark in the Park
- Senior Day
- Cub Club Day
Essentials
Live Video: BTN Plus
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: Arizona, 2-0
Last Game: Arizona, 10-1; 2004
Streak: L2
Thursday Probables
ARIZ LHP Randy Labaut (6-3, 5.65 ERA)
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (3-5, 2.48 ERA)
Friday Probables
ARIZ LHP Andrew Nardi (3-5, 7.53 ERA)
PSU RHP Eric Mock (2-3, 2.84 ERA)
Saturday Probables
ARIZ RHP Quinn Flanagan (6-3, 5.37 ERA)
PSU RHP Conor Larkin (4-2, 2.45 ERA)
Congrats Seniors!
Following the conclusion of Saturday's season finale, Penn State will honor six seniors: SS Conlin Hughes, C Ryan Sloniger, OF Jordan Bowersox, OF Austin Riggins, DH Shea Sbranti and LHP Blake Hodgens.
Hughes was a four-year starter, anchoring the middle infield throughout his career. He enters the weekend with a team-high 182 starts in 188 games. Hughes stood out at the plate in 2017, ranking second on the team in home runs (4), doubles (9, tied), slugging percentage (.409) and on-base percentage (.333).
Bowersox was a four-year starter in the outfield and enters the weekend with a career batting average of .288. He has led the team offensively this season, highlighted by a 16-game hitting streak that ranks as the 14th-longest in school history. Bowersox's .303 batting average enters the weekend as Penn State's best, and he ranked second in batting on the team as a junior (.276) and was the team leader as a sophomore (.333) until an injury abbreviated his season 33 games in. He has played in 169 games with 161 starts.
Sloniger was a four-year starter behind the plate, making 159 starts in 163 games, and ranks fifth all-time at Penn State in career putouts with 1,052 for the weekend. He broke out as a junior, leading the team in batting (.306), RBIs (31), home runs (5), on-base percentage (.404), slugging (.494) and multiple-RBI games (9). Sloniger has kept the opposition in check on the base paths, with his 36 career caught stealing by ranking as the most by a Penn State catcher since at least 2004.
Riggins has persevered at Penn State despite suffering serious injuries during a summer ball game following his freshman season. Riggins has proven particularly valuable on the base paths this season, scoring a game-winning run against Fairfield and a game-tying run against Rutgers. Prior to his freshman season, he started three of Penn State's exhibition games in Cuba and drove in Penn State's first run of the tournament.
Sbranti has spent two years at Penn State after transferring, and has been a valuable contributor and team leader. Unfortunately, Sbranti has had to battle injuries throughout his Penn State career, but he enters the weekend with 55 starts in 61 games. Nearly half of his hits have gone for extra bases, and he has found his power stroke this season with three home runs in just 22 games played.
Hodgens has appeared for Penn State on the mound in games over the past three seasons, highlighted by an effort near his hometown of Tampa, Florida, against No. 21 Duke earlier this season in which he held the Blue Devils scoreless and struck out the side in an inning of work. He has excelled in the classroom as the team's GPA leader and as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. He plans to attend medical school at the University of Miami.
Pac-12 in Happy Valley
Arizona is making its first trip to Penn State and will be the third Pac-12 team to ever visit Happy Valley. However, the Wildcats are the first Pac-12 team to play at Penn State in nearly a century.
The previous two visits from Pac-12 schools were from California in 1920 and Washington in 1923. At the time, both schools were charter members of he "Pacific Coast Conference" - a precursor to today's Pac-12.
Both games were played on New Beaver Field. The Nittany Lions defeated Cal, 6-3, in the 1920 season finale during Commencement Week. However, Washington earned an 8-2 win.
Arizona is Penn State's first non-conference opponent to travel to State College from west of the Mississippi River since TCU visited Penn State in 2016.
All-Time vs. Arizona
Penn State is looking for its first win in it's brief all-time series against Arizona. The teams have only met twice, first doing so in the 1963 College World Series and then again in 2004 at the Round Rock College Classic. This will be the first time either team has visited each other after the previous neutral field match-ups.
Penn State vs. the Pac-12
Penn State is just 1-14 all-time against the current alignment of the Pac-12, facing Arizona (0-2), Arizona State (0-7), California (1-3), Stanford (0-1), USC (0-2) and Washington (0-1). Some of Penn State's history against the Pac-12 includes the College World Series. California was responsible for both of Penn State's losses in the 1957 CWS. Penn State faced Arizona in 1963 and Arizona State in 1973.
Scouting Arizona
Arizona enters the series with a 26-24 overall record and 12-14 Pac-12 record. The Wildcats are one of the top offensive teams in the nation, ranking third with a .320 batting average and second with a .429 on-base percentage and average of 9.3 runs per game. Arizona hits for power as well, ranking fifth with a .516 slugging percentage, It leads the nation with 138 doubles, ranks fourth with 26 triples and 44th with 53 home runs. The Wildcats boast four of the Pac-12's top-15 hitters, as Matthew Dyer is batting .393 to rank 19th in the nation, while Cameron Cannon (.391), Austin Wells (.352) and Nick Quintana (.337) are also leading offensive contributors. Cannon ranks 24th in the nation in batting and leads the country with 27 doubles. Quintana leads in power with 12 home runs and 66 RBIs, the latter of which ranks seventh in the nation.
Vs. Cancer Day Friday
Penn State baseball has teamed up with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Vs. Cancer to raise awareness and funds for local kids with cancer, and they will celebrate their efforts on Friday.
Started by pediatric brain cancer survivor and former collegiate baseball player Chase Jones, Vs. Cancer empowers any sports team, any athlete, and any community to help kids with cancer. As a signature fundraising campaign of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Vs. Cancer proceeds help fund child life programs in local hospitals and groundbreaking research to cure pediatric brain tumors, the deadliest childhood cancer.
In partnership with Vs. Cancer, the team has selected the pediatric oncology unit at Penn State Children's- Four Diamonds to receive a portion of the funds they raise. They have already raised nearly $1,000 thanks to the generous support of their family and friends.
Visit https://team.curethekids.org/pennstatebaseball2019 to learn more about the team's fundraising efforts.
Non-Conference Success
Penn State is 18-6 in non-conference play for its most non-conference wins since winning 20 in 2011.
The figure includes one win over a nationally-ranked team, defeating No. 21 Duke, 8-7, on Mar. 2.
Improving on the Mound
Penn State's pitching has seen a dramatic improvement compared to a year ago, dropping its ERA from 5.53 in 2018 to 3.89 this season.
The 1.64 drop in ERA ranks as the 11th biggest in Division I and the second-largest among Power 5 schools (Virginia Tech, 1.64)
Penn State's 475 strikeouts this season are a team record.
Strikeout Record
Penn State's pitchers have set a new single-season record for team strikeouts with 475 and counting, breaking the previous record of 434 (2017).
Penn State is averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings to lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation.
Penn State has struck out nine or more batters in 37 out of 46 games this season.
Dante Biasi leads the Big Ten with 98 strikeouts and 12.78 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 28th and 15th, respectively, nationally.
Fellow weekend starters Eric Mock (5th; 10.80) and Bailey Dees (9th; 10.25) 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.
Pitching Prowess
Penn State ranks among the Big Ten leaders in pitching with a 3.89 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference, and 44th and 53rd, respectively, nationally.
Penn State is even better in conference play, posting a 3.38 team ERA in 22 conference games to rank third.
Overall, Penn State's 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally.
Penn State's hits allowed per nine innings rate of 8.08 ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 38th nationally.
Penn State's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.55 ranks second in the Big Ten and 33rd nationally, while its 4.06 walks allowed per nine innings ranks fourth in the conference.
Penn State's three shutouts this season are its most since earning three shutouts in 2016.
Penn State is 21-9 when scoring three or more runs this season.
Seniors Heating Up at the Plate
Over the last 10 games, seniors Ryan Sloinger and Conlin Hughes lead the team with .357 and .345 batting averages, respectively.
Sloniger is on a team-best nine-game reached base streak, leading the team with nine RBIs and four doubles over the stretch.
During his reached-base streak, Sloniger has raised his batting average 37 points.
Hughes has raised his batting average 32 points over the last 10 games. He also has a team-best .486 on-base percentage over the last 10 games, tying for the team lead with eight walks.
Additionally, senior Shea Sbranti is batting .269 over the last 10 with a team-best six extra-base hits, roping four doubles and slugging two home runs.
Competing
Through 46 games in 2019, Penn State shown improvement from the year before, most notably totaling 22 wins as opposed to just 15 for the year in 2018.
Penn State has five wins against RPI Top-100 teams this season after having none last year.
Penn State has been more competitive overall in close games, going 9-7 in one-run games after going 5-13 in all of 2018.
Penn State has maintained its late leads this season, going 14-4 when leading after the sixth inning and posting undefeated marks when leading after the seventh and eighth innings. Penn State dropped eight games when leading after six innings in 2018.
Penn State has done a better job of rebounding so far this season, earning four wins when trailing after the sixth inning and two when trailing after the eighth inning. Penn State did not have any wins when trailing late last season.
Low ERAs
Both Mason Mellott and Dante Biasi currently boast season ERAs that rank among top seven in the Big Ten.
Mellott's 2.36 ERA ranks fifth, while Biasi's 2.48 ERA ranks seventh.
Mock Dominant
RHP Eric Mock has allowed two earned runs or less in eight out of 11 starts this season, and has held an opponent without a run four times, pitching at least five innings on each occasion.
Mock has not allowed a run in his last two appearances and last 13 innings pitched.
Mock has struck out five or more batters in all 11 starts this season.
Close Ones
Penn State's 5-4 win over Rutgers (5/4) marked its fifth extra-inning game of the season, eighth-game decided in walk-off fashion and 16th one-run game.
Penn State's six walk-off wins are the most in the country this season, and its eight games decided by walk-offs are tied for the most in the country with Oregon (5-3) and Texas (3-5). West Virginia, Western Kentucky and Sacramento State trail Penn State with five walk-off wins this season.
Penn State's six walk-off wins are its most since winning six in 2011.
Penn State's five extra-inning games are its most since playing five such games in 2011.
The walk-off wins this season included: Monmouth (2/15), Fairfield (2/24), UMass Lowell (3/16, 17), Youngstown State (4/9) and Rutgers (5/4, G1).
Penn State's eight total walk-off games are its most since playing in nine in 2011.
Penn State is 9-7 in one-run games this season after going 5-13 in one-run games last season.
15 of Penn State's 18 conference losses were by two runs or less, with seven of those one-run losses.
Mellott Leads the 'Pen
Sophomore Mason Mellott has emerged as Penn State's relief ace. He is 6-3 and has five saves, factoring in on 11 of Penn State's 21 wins.
Mellott leads the team with a 2.36 ERA that ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
Mellott is third on the team in innings pitched with 61.0 and leads the team with 20 appearances.
Mellott's five saves this season area career high after saving four games as a freshman.
Mellott's six wins are the most by a PSU reliever since at least 2004.
Mellott's six wins are the most by a Penn State pitcher since Justin Hagenman won six games in 2016.
Mellott's save against Lafayette was the ninth of his career, tying him with Jeff Emerlich (1993-96) for sixth all-time at Penn State. Next on the list is Ryan Ignas with 10 (2009-11).
The Train is Chugging
LHP Dante Biasi leads the Big Ten and is 28th in the NCAA with 98 strikeouts, and his 12.78 strikeouts per nine innings also lead the Big Ten and rank 14th in the country.
Biasi's 98 strikeouts are the sixth most by a Penn State pitcher in a season, and he is poised to become the fifth pitcher in Penn State history to strikeout 100 in a season.
Biasi has held opponents to one earned run or less in eight out of 13 starts this season.
Biasi's 6.26 hits allowed per nine innings ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks 43rd in the NCAA and his WHIP of 1.14 ranks 12th in the Big Ten.
Biasi has a 3-5 record but Penn State has averaged just 2.1 runs scored in his 12 uninterrupted (weather) starts.
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.
Freshman Slugger
Freshman third baseman Justin Williams owned a 12-game reached base streak that ended in the series finale at Ohio State (5/11).
Over the streak, Williams led the team with a .442 on-base percentage, .333 batting average, eight runs, 14 hits, two home runs (tied), .548 slugging percentage, 23 total bases and nine walks.
Williams owns the team's longest home run (445 feet) and hardest-hit ball (109 MPH) of the year.
Bowersox Leading at the Dish
Senior Jordan Bowersox leads Penn State in batting (.303), runs (27), hits (54), multiple-hit games (14), and on-base percentage (.375).
He had a career-best 16-game hitting streak halted with an 0-for-4 game against Lafayette (4/24).
Bowersox's streak ranks as the longest hitting streak by a Nittany Lion since Greg Guers had a 16-game hitting streak in 2015, which is part of a six-way tie for the 11th-longest single-season streak in school history and the 14th longest overall.
Bowersox batted .387 (24-for-62) with four doubles, a triple, nine runs and seven RBIs. He also had nine walks for a .458 on-base percentage.
The streak started Mar. 26 against Binghamton.
He had six multi-hit games during the streak, tallying two hits against Bucknell (4/2), Indiana (4/5), Nebraska (4/12) and Illinois (4/21), and three against Youngstown State (4/9) and Nebraska (4/13).
Sbranti Goes Deep
Senior Shea Sbranti had six Big Ten hits this season in limited action, and five were extra base hits. Overall, of his 11 hits in limited action, seven are for extra-base hits.
Sbranti went deep with a pinch-hit solo shot at Illinois (4/21) and again with another solo homer against Maryland (4/27, G1).
Against Rutgers (5/4, G1), Sbranti hit a pinch-hit double in the eighth inning to help force extra innings in an eventual win.
During a doubleheader against Ohio State (5/11), Sbranti singled in the first game and doubled twice in the second game.
Sbranti homered against Mount St. Mary's Tuesday to spark a comeback from a 6-1 deficit. It was his third home run of the season, which ranks him fourth on the team.