The Penn State Nittany Lions look to bounce back from a home series loss to Michigan State as they head to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines. For storylines, starting pitcher matchups, and picks, read below.
Penn State: Cold bats as of recent
The Nittany Lions have lost four out of the last five, and a big reason for that has been the offense slowing down. Penn State has averaged 4.2 runs per game in that stretch with only one game scoring double-digit runs. The struggle to create opportunities began with a 5-3 loss to Lafayette, where the Nittany Lions drew only one walk.
Penn State: Bullpen showing improvement
Where the offense has struggled, the bullpen has been attempting to pick things up and keep the Nittany Lions in games. During this five-game stretch, Penn State arms have allowed 14 earned runs in 24.1 innings of relief.
The Nittany Lions have battled injury in the bullpen, however, as right-handed pitchers Dimond Loosli and Chase Renner have not played since the week of the Georgetown and Northwestern series. The duo has combined for seven earned runs in 15 innings of work through 12 total appearances.
Michigan: Out for revenge
The Wolverines had their 2024 season come to an end with two losses to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament. Nittany Lion third baseman Bryce Molinaro's grand slam in their first matchup proved to be the winning score in a 9-5 victory.
The semifinal matchup proved to be just as much of a heartbreaker for the Wolverines as Penn State right fielder Adam Cecere hit a two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning of a 7-6 win. Despite a solo home run from Michigan second baseman Mitch Voit in the final frame, it was not enough as the Wolverines' season was over.
Michigan: Voit proving to be the anchor
Second baseman Mitch Voit has been far and away the best Wolverine batter so far this season, with a .416 batting average that is the fourth highest in the Big Ten. He also leads Michigan batters in runs batted in with 30 and slugging percentage at .764.
Voit has been making waves on the national stage as well, being named the number three second baseman in the latest D1Baseball Top 50 Second Basemen. He has also been a force to be reckoned with against the Nittany Lions in his career, batting .324 with two home runs in eight games.
1. Friday Probable Starters
Penn State: LHP Ryan DeSanto (4-1, 3.16 ERA)
Michigan: To be announced.
2. Saturday Probable Starters
Penn State: RHP Mason Horwat (4-1, 4.76 ERA)
Michigan: To be announced.
3. Sunday Probable Starters
Penn State: LHP Logan Olson (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
Michigan: To be announced.
Portney's Picks
How Michigan performs in this series will depend on how Mitch Voit performs against the Nittany Lion arms. The Nittany Lions have improved from year-to-year, but they've stumbled as of recent. This should be a competitive series, but I see Michigan taking two out of three from Penn State this weekend.