The Penn State Nittany Lions kick off Big Ten conference play by hosting the Indiana Hoosiers. For storylines, starting pitcher matchups, and picks, read below.
Indiana: Tremendous trio
The Hoosier bats have been red-hot this season, but none more than that of outfielders Korbyn Dickerson and Devin Taylor, and designated hitter Joey Brenczewski. The three batters have combined for 14 home runs and 52 runs batted in with 13 games played for Indiana.
The two players who deserve an extra spotlight are outfielders Korbyn Dickerson and Devin Taylor. Dickerson is a transfer from ACC member Louisville, and his 7 home runs and 22 runs batted in have been impactful this season. As for Devin Taylor, he's been soaring up draft boards and is projected to get drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft.
Indiana: A bullpen to fear
The Hoosier bullpen has been right there to pick up the pieces of a questionable starting rotation so far this year. Graduate student right-handed pitcher Drew Buhr has two saves and a team-leading 0.86 WHIP in five appearances out of the bullpen.
Penn State: Speed is the key
When Nittany Lion head coach Mike Gambino says "We want to be able to beat you in a lot of different ways," a major factor in that is efficient baserunning. Penn State has been able to take advantage of wild pitches and slow-reacting catchers this season, stealing 30 bases which is the second-best in the Big Ten.
To add to that, the Nittany Lion baserunners have only gotten caught stealing four times, giving them an 88.24 percent success rate on the basepath. Most recently, Penn State stole seven bases in the 7-6 win over FDU on Tuesday. Infielder and outfielder Joe Jaconski reaffirms this sentiment, stating, "We want to try to speed other teams up, and stealing bases is a big part of that.”
Penn State: Steele-ing the show
Senior left-handed pitcher Anthony Steele has made some quiet success on the mound in Happy Valley, which has been very important as a marker of his development going back to freshman year when he was a two-way player. He leads the Nittany Lions in appearances this season with five.
Not only that but his role as a mainstay in the bullpen has been exemplified by his statistics. Steele has not let up a single earned run and boasts a .174 opponent batting average in six innings pitched. He's been looking to improve on his status as the most trusted arm in the bullpen, and he might just be that for Penn State moving on.
1. Friday Game 1 Projected Starters
Indiana: RHP Gavin Seebold (1-1, 6.23 ERA)
Penn State: RHP Mason Horwat (3-0, 2.25 ERA)
2. Friday Game 2 Projected Starters
Indiana: RHP Ben Grable (2-0, 2.57 ERA)
Penn State: LHP Ryan DeSanto (2-0, 2.84 ERA)
3. Sunday Projected Starters
Indiana: To be announced.
Penn State: LHP Matt Morash (0-1, 7.50 ERA)
Portney's Picks
The Nittany Lions muster up enough talented pitching and small ball to sweep the doubleheader on Friday. The Hoosiers will come back on Sunday to salvage the series in a big way. Penn State will take two out of three against Indiana this weekend.