CARY N.C. - Due to inclement weather, Penn State baseball has postponed Friday's series-opening game against Wagner to a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The three-game series is being played at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The first game will be nine innings, while the second will be seven innings.
The series concludes Sunday starting at 11 a.m.
Penn State went 3-1 last weekend at the same site, earning wins over Bucknell and Monmouth and splitting a doubleheader against NJIT. Cole Bartels impressed in his debut as a position player, and ranks 15th in the nation with a .625 batting average and seventh in the nation with a .750 on-base percentage. RHP Conor Larkin led on the mound, striking out six and not allowing any earned runs in the win over Monmouth Sunday.
Penn State is spending its first three weekends playing host at the USA Baseball complex, and is scheduled to play 14 games total. The Nittany Lions are then scheduled to play six more games over spring break before opening at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Wednesday, Mar. 18 at 4 p.m. against Binghamton. The Lions then open Big Ten play that weekend at Northwestern.
Essentials
Live Video: N/A
Live Audio: N/A
Live Stats: GoPSUsports.com
TV: N/A
Radio: N/A
Saturday Probables (Game 1)
WAG RHP Ryan Lauk (0-0, 13.50 ERA)
PSU RHP Bailey Dees (1-0, 1.59 ERA)
Saturday Probables (Game 2)
WAG RHP Pat Gallagher (0-1, 5.40 ERA)
PSU RHP Kyle Virbitsky (0-1, 12.00 ERA)
Sunday Probables
WAG RHP McCae Allen (0-0, 4.15 ERA)
PSU RHP Conor Larkin (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Winning Ways
- By going 3-1 in its opening weekend, Penn State secured its third-straight opening weekend with at least three wins.
- The last time Penn State earned at least three wins in its first four games in three consecutive seasons was 1978-1980 when it did not open the season until the last weekend of March.
Hit Parade
- Penn State's 18 hits against Monmouth were its most in a game since also totaling 18 against Rutgers on May 2, 2015.
Mellott on Stopper of the Year Watch List
- Junior RHP Mason Mellott was named to the initial watch list for the 16th Annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award.
- The award is annually given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball. Mellott was one of six Big Ten pitchers and 70 overall to be placed on the preseason watch list.
- Mellott ranks tied for sixth on Penn State's career saves list (Jeff Emerlich, 1993-96) with nine after posting five last season. He was one of the most crucial members of the Nittany Lion pitching staff in 2019, totaling 63.0 innings in relief and posting a 2.43 ERA that led the team and ranked third in the Big Ten. Mellott also led the team with six wins, which were the most by a Penn State reliever since at least 2004. He also ranked among the top-10 in the conference with 2.00 walks allowed per nine innings (5th), a 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio (9th) and a 1.16 WHIP (10th).
At the Plate
- Penn State returns Big Ten All-Freshman third baseman Justin Williams. Last season, Williams made his presence in the lineup felt during his first career start at Pittsburgh in mid-March, going 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. He finished the year tied for the team lead in home runs with four, and batted .262 with five doubles, a triple and 18 RBIs. Williams flashed his potential with a 445-foot home run against Lafayette in April and a 12-game reached-base streak from late April through early May. During the streak, Williams led the team with a .442 on-base percentage, .333 batting average, eight runs, 14 hits, two home runs, .548 slugging percentage, 23 total bases and nine walks.
- OF/IF Mac Hippenhammer boasts the top returning batting average. He batted .272 in 2019 with a .350 on-base percentage, four doubles, two triples and eight RBIs in 39 games (35 starts).
The 2020 Slate
- The 56-game schedule includes six opponents that participated in the 2019 NCAA Baseball tournament, including College World Series finalist Michigan. The Wolverines will visit Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Apr. 17-19, as will NCAA Regional teams Indiana (Apr. 3-5), West Virginia (Apr. 28) and Illinois (May 1-3). Penn State will also play at Nebraska (May 8-10) and Creighton (May 12).
- Power Five non-conference match-ups include a home-and-home series against Pittsburgh (Mar. 24 [H] & Apr. 7 [A]), a visit from West Virginia (Apr. 28) and a three-game series at Arizona (May 14-16)
- Penn State plays eight Big Ten series, opening its conference slate at Northwestern (Mar. 20-22) and its home conference slate the following weekend against Iowa (Mar. 27-29).