Nittany Lions Host Gophers Following Long Road Trip (Series Preview)

# 12 Minnesota (18-18, 4-8 Big Ten) at # 11 Penn State (11-7, 0-0 Big Ten)

# indicates Big Ten rank (see BP Baseball's Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 8)

Dates: April 26-28

Times: 5:30 PM, 12:30 PM, 12:00 PM

Coverage

• TV: BTN+ ($)

• Radio: LionVision (PSU)

• Live Stats/Pregame Lineups: StatBroadcast (PSU)

Storylines

Anderson to Retire at Conclusion of Season

Minnesota head coach John Anderson has coached for the Gophers since 1982, having appeared in 17 Regionals, 1 Super Regional, and 3 outright Big Ten championship wins. In 43 seasons, Anderson has had 1,383 wins, 1,116 losses, and 3 ties. (Source: Wikipedia)

Crushin' It With the Long Ball

The Nittany Lions have surely benefited from the addition of hitting coach Nick Puccio, as the Nittany Lions have two double-digit home run hitters who both lead the Big Ten, both at the top (Adam Cecere, 13) and tied for second (Grant Norris, 12). Penn State also leads the Big Ten in conference home runs (33), runs batted in (117), and slugging percentage (.566). (Source: Big Ten)

Numbers Tell The Story (Conference Splits)

Minnesota (12)	Offense	Penn State (15)
.258	Batting Average	.307
.367	On-Base Pct	.385
23	Home Runs	33
20-31-23	Run Splits (F-S-S)	42-38-43

Minnesota (12)	Defense	Penn State (15)
6.58	Earned Run Avg	7.84
.313	Opponent Batting Avg	.298
111	Strikeouts	91
81	Walks	78

Gophers Hold Comfortable Lead (Source: Baseball History Penn State Athletics)

Penn State is 19-36 against Minnesota all-time. Penn State last played Minnesota from April 22-24, 2022, winning the series on the road (Penn State outscored Minnesota, 14-13). Penn State's last home series win over Northwestern was from May 13-15, 2011 (Penn State outscored Minnesota, 13-5).

Probable Starting Pitchers (Conference Splits)

Minnesota (Starters) [Weekend Starter ERA: 6.49]

1. RHP Will Semb, R-Jr. (0-3, 9.13 ERA)

2. LHP Connor Wietgrefe, Jr. (3-1, 2.70 ERA)

3. LHP Tucker Novotny, Jr. (0-2, 24.30 ERA)

Northwestern (In the Bullpen) [Weekend Bullpen ERA: 6.01]

• LHP Justin Thorsteinson, Sr. (6 app, 12 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.92 WHIP)

• RHP Tyler Hemmesch, Fr. (3 app, 8 IP, 1.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)

• RHP Seth Clausen, Jr. (5 app, 8.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 2.59 WHIP)

Penn State (Starters) [Weekend Starter ERA: 6.11]

1. # 33 RHP Travis Luensmann, Sr. (2-1, 4.74 ERA)

2. # 24 RHP Jaden Henline, Sr. (1-1, 6.65 ERA)

3. # 20 RHP Frankie Sanchez, Jr. (1-1, 7.13 ERA)

Penn State (In the Bullpen) [Weekend Bullpen ERA: 5.65]

• RHP Mason Horwat, Fr. (7 app, 14.2 IP, 6.14 ERA, 1.69 WHIP)

• LHP Anthony Steele, Jr. (8 app, 8 IP, 1.75 WHIP, .154 oba)

• RHP David Lee, Sr. (6 app, 7 IP, 6.43 ERA, 1.57 WHIP)

Top Hitters/Runners (Conference Splits)

Minnesota (5.00|7.75|5.75 Runs per Game)

1. CF/RF Josh Fitzgerald, R-Jr. (.714 slugging pct, 4 hr, 14 rbi)

2. DH Ike Mezzenga, R-Jr. (.327 avg, 4 hr, 11 rbi)

3. 2B Brady Counsell, Jr. (.273 avg, .385 obp, 4-5 sb/att)

Penn State (8.40|7.60|8.60 Runs per Game)

1. LF Bobby Marsh, So. (.426 avg, 4 hr, 22 rbi)

2. RF Adam Cecere, Gr. (.814 slugging pct, 7 hr, 20 rbi)

3. SS Grant Norris, Gr. (.300 avg, 8 hr, 17 rbi)

Game Promotions

Friday: Trucker Hat Giveaway (students)

Saturday: Postgame Autographs, Trading Card Giveaway

Sunday: National Superhero Day, Cape Giveaway, Postgame Kids Run The Bases

Quick Picks: Expert Analysis

Bryan: Wietgrefe on the mound on Saturday could keep some fans up at night. I think the Nittany Lions take the series regardless. Penn State 2, Minnesota 1.