UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State baseball concludes Big Ten play with a three-game series at Ohio State opening Friday at 6:35 p.m. The series continues Saturday at 3:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Essentials
Live Video: BTN Plus
Live Audio: GoPSUsports.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
TV: N/A
Radio: State College's ESPN Radio 1450
Series History: Ohio State, 68-36
Last Series: Ohio State, 3-0; 2018
Streak: L5
Friday Probables
OSU RHP Garrett Burhenn (5-3, 3.52 ERA)
PSU LHP Dante Biasi (3-4, 2.23 ERA)
Saturday Probables
OSU LHP Seth Lonsway (5-4, 4.91 ERA)
PSU RHP Eric Mock (2-3, 3.09 ERA)
Sunday Probables
OSU RHP Griffan Smith (5-3, 3.52 ERA)
PSU TBD
Strikeout Record
Penn State's pitchers set a new single-season record for team strikeouts with 435, breaking the previous record of 434 (2017).
Penn State is averaging 10.3 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 34 out of 42 games this season.
Dante Biasi leads the Big Ten with 92 strikeouts and 12.80 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 24th and 14th, respectively, nationally.
Fellow weekend starters Eric Mock (7th; 10.80) and Bailey Dees (8th; 10.27) 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.
Statistical Improvement
Through 42 games, Penn State is well ahead of last season's pace in many areas, most notably totaling 20 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 12-4 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.
Penn State's pitching has seen a dramatic improvement compared to a year ago, dropping its ERA from 5.53 in 2018 to 3.81 this season. Penn State's 435 strikeouts this season are a team record.
Homecoming
Penn State pitching coach Josh Newman, in his second season with the Nittany Lions, will be facing his alma mater.
Newman totaled seven years in the dugout at Ohio State, as he lettered for four years as a student-athlete (2001-04) and served as a volunteer assistant coach for three seasons (2011-13) following his professional playing career.
A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman ranks third all-time at Ohio State in career wins (32), innings pitched (369.0) and strikeouts (291). He was a freshman All-American in 2001 a three-time All-Big Ten honoree - including a first-team selection in 2004 - and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Low ERAs
Both Mason Mellott and Dante Biasi currently boast season ERAs that rank among top four in the Big Ten.
Mellott's 2.18 ERA ranks third, while Biasi's 2.23 ERA ranks fourth.
Pitching Prowess
Penn State ranks among the Big Ten leaders in pitching with a 3.81 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, which rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference, and 39th and 53rd, respectively, nationally.
Penn State is even better in conference play, posting a 3.24 team ERA in 19 conference games to rank fourth.
Overall, Penn State's 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally.
Penn State's hits allowed per nine innings rate of 7.99 ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 35th nationally.
Penn State's strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.53 ranks third in the Big Ten and 37th nationally, while its 4.09 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 19-9 when scoring three or more runs this season.
Mock Dominant
RHP Eric Mock has allowed two earned runs or less in seven out of 10 starts this season, and has held an opponent without a run three times, pitching at least three innings all three times.
Mock has struck out five or more batters in all 10 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 five extra-inning games are its most since playing five such games in 2011.
Penn State's six walk-off wins are its most since winning six 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.
13 of Penn State's 16 conference losses have been 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 20 wins.
Mellott leads the team with a 2.18 ERA that ranks third in the Big Ten.
Mellott is second on the team in innings pitched with 57.2 and leads the team with 18 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 24th in the NCAA with 92 strikeouts, and his 12.80 strikeouts per nine innings also lead the Big Ten and rank 16th in the country.
Biasi has held opponents to one earned run or less in eight out of 12 starts this season.
Biasi's 5.71 hits allowed per nine innings leads the Big Ten and ranks 21st in the NCAA and his WHIP of 1.07 ranks eighth in the Big Ten.
Biasi has a 3-4 record but Penn State has averaged just 2.1 runs scored in his 11 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.
Bowersox Leading at the Dish
Senior Jordan Bowersox leads Penn State in batting (.314), runs (26), hits (50), multiple-hit games (13), and on-base percentage (.392).
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).
Freshman Slugger
Freshman third baseman Justin Williams owns the team's longest active reached base streak at 10 games.
Over the last 10 games, Williams leads the team with a .455 on-base percentage, .343 batting average, eight runs, 12 hits, two home runs (tied), six RBIs (tied), .600 slugging percentage, 21 total bases and eight walks.
Sbranti Goes Deep
Senior Shea Sbranti has three Big Ten hits this season in limited action, and all three have been 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.
Milestones
Sophomore Dante Biasi surpassed 100 career strikeouts with his 12-strikeout effort against Minnesota and is now seven strikeouts shy of 150 (143).
Redshirt junior Eric Mock is Penn State's career leader for strikeouts with 151. He surpassed 150 with a nine-strikeout effort against Rutgers (5/4).
Senior Ryan Sloniger is one home run shy of 10 for his career.
Head coach Rob Cooper earned his 400th career win against Youngstown State (4/9).
Senior Jordan Bowersox tallied his team-best 150th career hit against Minnesota and played in his 150th game in the series finale at Indiana
Sloniger played in his 150th game in the first game of a doubleheader against Nebraska. Fellow senior Conlin Hughes leads the team with 184 games played.
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 they are two of the team's leading sluggers.
Homer leads the team with 14 extra-base hits (9 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs), while Kremer is second with 13 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs).
Homer and Kremer each have four home runs, along with Justin Williams, to lead the team.
Kremer's three triples are tied for second-most in the Big Ten.
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).
Non-Conference Success
Penn State is 17-6 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.
Congrats Grads
Penn State baseball has six graduates on the roster: Jordan Bowersox (criminology), Dylan Gargas (journalism), Blake Hodgens (kiniesiology), Conlin Hughes (economics), Shea Sbranti (communications arts and sciences) and Ryan Sloniger (broadcast journalism).
Double Duty
OF Mac Hippenhammer is one of four FBS football players also playing baseball this season, according to a national survey of baseball SIDs.
At Indiana, Hippenhammer played baseball against a team he previously played football against for the first time, as he played in Penn State football's game at Indiana on Oct. 20, 2018.
Hippenhammer also saw action against Pitt, Illinois and Rutgers on the gridiron and baseball diamond in 2018-19.
Hippenhammer is the only one of the four to play in more than four games, appearing in 12.
Hippenhammer had one start and caught six passes for 103 yards and a touchdown during the 2018 football season.
Hippenhammer made his first baseball start of the season against No. 21 Duke (3/3). He led the team with his first-career multi-hit game, tallying a career-high three.
