Consistency and reliability are two characteristics that often follow Rick Marlin, who has started 108 consecutive games for the Nittany Lions, dating back to his sophomore campaign. Marlin produced another solid year for Penn State in 2008, putting up a .287 batting average while getting 58 hits on the season. Marlin[apos]s leadership and experience will be dependent on this season as he is set to suit up in right field for the third consecutive year.
2008
Has put together another solid campaign in this, his second year as the starting right fielder....Is one of two Nittany Lions that have started every game this year as he has started all 58 games in right field....Has currently started and played in 108 straight games dating back to last year as he also started the last 50 games last year....Has primarily hit in the seventh spot in the order this year, hitting there in 41 games and hitting in the sixth spot in 13 games and the fifth spot once....Third on the team in at bats (216)....Fifth on the team in hitting (.287), total bases (72) and walks (25), fourth in hits (60) and doubles (11) as well as putouts (110)....Leads all outfielders with seven outfield assists on the year....Picked up his second career game-ending hit with his game-winning single vs. Iowa (5-9) in the bottom of the tenth inning....In Big Ten games, hit .312 with 21 RBI, fourth on the team in both categories....Hit in nine straight games from April 12-April 22, the third-longest streak for a Penn State player this year....Reached base safely in 21 straight games from April 5-May 3....On the year, hit in 40 of 58 games and reached base safely in 50 of 58 games....Tied for third on the team with 17 multi-hit games and tied for sixth on the team with five multi-RBI games.
Game-by-Game Highlights
_vs. Air Force (3/9): Drove in his first run of the year and went 2-for-4 against Air Force.
_vs. Monmouth (3/10): Doubled and drove in a run and also scored.
_vs. Lehigh (3/21): Scored three runs, had two doubles, and went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and also had an outfield assist in the home opener.
_vs. Ohio State (3/29): Recorded his first career four-hit game with a 4-for-4 performance, including a pair of doubles and one run scored.
_vs. Michigan (4/6): Drove in a run and drew a pair of walks.
_vs. Purdue (4/12-13): Had an RBI, a run and went 2-for-3 vs. Purdue (4-12). Scored two runs, drew two walks and drove in a run in the series finale victory over.
_vs. Indiana (4/18-20): Had a season-high three RBI in the series opener. Went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs in the second game of the Indiana series. Went 2-for-3 in the third game and scored two, knocked in two and went 2-for-4 in the series finale. Hit .538 (7-for-13) in the Indiana series (4-18 - 4-20).
_vs. Illinois (4/25-26): Had two RBI and went 2-for-5 in the series opener against Illinois. Hit his only home run of the year in the second game vs. Illinois. Had a double, an RBI and scored run while going 2-for-4 in the third game vs. Illinois.
_vs. Iowa (5/9-10): Ended the series opener against Iowa with the game-winning single in the bottom of the tenth, his second career game-ending hit with the Nittany Lions. Had a pair of doubles and runs and went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the third game of the Iowa series.
2007
Fourth on the team in average (.306), putouts (128), hits (59), tied for third in total bases (80), third in slugging percentage (.415), tied for second in RBI (29) and second in doubles (13)....Also second on the team in extra-base hits (16)....Hit two home runs on the year, one on the opening weekend that proved to be an important run in a one-run win, and one the second-to-last weekend of the year at Michigan that tied a game that Penn State had trailed by four and sent the game into extra innings that Penn State would win....Put together a team-high and career-long 12-game hitting streak from April 28 - May 19....Six of the games in that hitting streak were multiple-hit games....Overall, hit in 20 of his last 24 games and in 26 of his last 33 contests....Hit .341 over the last 24 games (31-for-91) with a .429 slugging percentage and hit....Hit .340 in Big Ten play with 21 RBI and a .456 slugging percentage.
Game-by-Game Highlights
_vs. Centenary (2/16-18): Scored two runs and had a double vs. Centenary. Hit his first career home run and had his first career multi-RBI game as he drove in three and went 3-for-4 and also had a double and a stolen base in the first win of the year at Centenary.
_vs. Wichita State (3/9-11): Went 2-for-4 in the series opener at Wichita State. Also went 2-for-4 with a double in the series finale at Wichita State.
_vs. Oral Roberts (3/17): Doubled and scored a run and went 3-for-4 in the series finale at Oral Roberts.
_vs. Central Connecticut (3/23-24): Recorded the first double and RBI at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in the first game there vs. Central Connecticut. Collected two more RBI and went 2-for-3 with another double and a walk in the middle game of the CCSU series.
_vs. Minnesota (3/31): Went 2-for-3 with a double and a run in the series finale against Minnesota.
_vs. Michigan State (4/14-16): Drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and went 2-for-3 in Penn State[apos]s 3-1 series-opening win over Michigan State. Scored two runs, went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a three-run triple, had a career-high five RBI and reached base in four out of five plate appearances as he also drew two walks to help Penn State win the series finale at Michigan State and clinch its first Big Ten series win since 2005.
_vs. Northwestern (4-20-22): Got the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth to complete a four-run ninth-inning rally and went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI to help Penn State defeat Northwestern in the series opener. His game-ending hit was also the first game-ending hit at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Drove in three more runs with a 2-for-4 performance along with a run and a double in the third game of the Northwestern series. Collected the go-ahead two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning in the series finale vs. Northwestern, helping Penn State sweep the Wildcats.
_vs. Purdue (5/5-6): Had a double and an RBI and went 2-for-3 in a win over Purdue. In the third game of the Purdue series, went 2-for-3 once again. Drove in a run and scored two in the series finale win over Purdue.
_vs. Michigan (5/12): Hit a three-run home run, his second of the year, to tie the game 4-4 in the sixth inning after Penn State had entered the inning trailing 4-0 in the second game of the Michigan series and also went 2-for-4 in that game.
_vs. Michigan (5/13): Scored two runs and went 3-for-6 in the series finale win over Michigan.
_Big Ten Tournament: Went 1-for-3 and scored a run in the Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan. Reached base in three of five plate appearances and went 2-for-4 in the Big Ten Tournament vs. Minnesota.
Summer 2006
Hit .288 in 21 games playing for the Winter Pines Warthogs of the Florida Collegiate League....Was second on the team in hitting....Had 19 hits in 66 at bats, scored 13 runs, had five doubles and a .364 slugging percentage....Drew nine walks and had a .373 on base percentage and also had two sacrifice hits.
2006
Played in 18 games in his inaugural season while starting five....Started the final three games of the year at Ohio State (5-20 - 5-21) in right field after regular rightfielder Brian Ernst sustained a concussion in the opening game of the series....Got the first start of his career in the final game of Penn State[apos]s first series of the year at Tulane (2-19)....Did not record an official at-bat but scored a run and drew two walks after entering the game vs. Sacred Heart (3-5)....Went 1-for-3 and got his first collegiate hit after entering the game as a pinch hitter at Arizona State (3-25)....Got his second career start vs. Iowa (4-8) and went 1-for-3 with an RBI and also recorded a season-high four putouts....Scored a run in back-to-back games vs. Iowa (4-9) and Duquesne (4-12)....Went 2-for-4 vs. Ohio State (5-19) after entering the game as a defensive replacement....Went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a walk in the Lions[apos] only win over the Buckeyes (5-20) and was 1-for-4 with an RBI in the season finale at OSU (5-21)....Went 4-for-12 (.333) in the Ohio State series with a run, an RBI, and two walks.
Bishop Moore Catholic
Batting average .325 with four home runs and 23 RBI his junior year as the team went 29-4; Hit a solid .350 with six home runs and 21 RBI his senior year in leading his team to a 32-5 record; 3A Final Four, District and Regional Champions in 2004; 3A State runner-up, District and Regional Champions in 2005; Named to the All-Central Florida team and was ranked among the top 100 outfielders rated by Team One; Earned three varsity letters; National Honor Society Member and recipient of Leadership Award; Graduated with a 3.98 grade point average.
Background
Rick Alan Marlin was born on October 22, 1987 in Buffalo, N.Y.; Parents are Bret and Karen; Sister Melissa (16); Rick is majoring in criminal justice.