Baseball: Nittany Lions will face Panthers Wednesday

When the Nittany Lions come to Trees Field tomorrow at 3 p.m. to take on the Panthers (14-4),… When the Nittany Lions come to Trees Field tomorrow at 3 p.m. to take on the Panthers (14-4), they’ll bring along their current two-game skid.

The Penn State baseball team started off the year strong, winning its first two games in extra innings, but has since lost 10 of its last 14 games, including a seven-game losing streak.

Penn State opened the year with wins against Cincinnati and Seton Hall in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, which was held during the weekend of Feb. 26 in Florida. After being down by a run with two outs in the ninth inning, the Nittany Lions beat the Bearcats 5-4 in 12 innings after sending the game into extras thanks to three consecutive hits. Penn State won in the 12th on an RBI single by Joey DeBernardis.

The next day, Penn State tied the game in the eighth to send it into extras, it and won in the 13th inning on a walk-off single by Mario Eramo. Penn State’s third game, this one against Notre Dame to close out the Challenge, also went to extras, but the Nittany Lions were on the other end of that one, losing 9-8 in 10 innings.

Penn State won its first two games at the YMBL Cardinal Classic in Texas against McNeese State and Dallas Baptist before starting a seven-game slide on which they were outscored by a combined score of 76-22. This past weekend the Nittany Lions semi-righted the ship by winning their first two games at the Coca-Cola Classic in Rock Hill, S.C., but ended up losing their last two. Penn State gave up 37 runs in those four games.

The Nittany Lion offense offers a few bright spots in a fairly inconsistent lineup. DeBernardis, Penn State’s first baseman, is its biggest offensive threat. He leads the team in batting average (.353) and hits (17), and he normally bats fifth. The lineup’s power threat is catcher/designated hitter Ben Heath, who normally bats cleanup and leads the team with six home runs and 19 RBIs.

Penn State ranks second to last in the 11-team Big Ten conference in batting average (.281), last in on-base percentage (.347), last in earned run average (6.89), second to last in opponent batting average (.309), tied for last in runs allowed (133 with Northwestern) and last in walks allowed (87).

On the hill for the Panthers will be most likely be Corey Baker, who comes into the game with a 5-0 record and a 3.19 ERA. His 36.2 innings pitched this year are second in the Big East only to teammate Nathan Hood. Hood also leads the conference with 41 strikeouts, and Baker is second with 35.

The Panthers, who boast a lineup of nine .300 or better batters, should be able to take advantage of the woeful Nittany Lions pitching. Penn State has only two pitchers with an ERA under 5.00 with at least 10 innings pitched, and only one, Steven Hill, with an ERA under 3.00.

The game was postponed from today until tomorrow due to projected weather forecasts.