Penn State baseball dominated its road trip by sweeping the weekend with matchups against the Richmond Spiders, VCU Rams, and William & Mary Tribe. Penn State outscored their opponents 40-19 in the final weekend before Big Ten conference play. Here are the biggest storylines from last weekend.
History made yet again
Penn State has started the season 8-1, the program’s best start since 1980. The Nittany Lions’ lone loss this season was an 8-4 neutral-site defeat at the hands of Stetson. Penn State shortstop Ryan Weingartner hit a foul ball that was a few feet short of fair territory that would have been a game-tying grand slam.
The Nittany Lions’ seven-game win streak is now the longest since March 29-April 6, 2016. In this current stretch, Penn State has beaten UConn, Longwood (three times), Richmond, VCU, and William & Mary. The Nittany Lions have outscored these opponents 83-33 during this win streak and have scored 10+ runs in five out of the seven games.
Loosli puts together solid outings
Right-hander Dimond Loosli, a transfer from JUCO Orange Coast College, performed well in a pair of games this weekend, pitching on Friday against Richmond and on Sunday against William & Mary. Loosli struck out three batters in three combined scoreless innings between the two appearances.
He also recorded a win; his second of the season so far. His earned run average dropped to 3.00 on the season following the scoreless innings. In just four games with the Nittany Lions, Dimond Loosli is looking to be a mainstay in the Penn State bullpen.
Jaconski brothers continue to succeed
Joe and Jesse Jaconski had a great weekend for the Nittany Lions, totaling eight runs and eight RBIs. Jesse Jaconski had a stellar performance on Saturday against VCU, going 2-for-6 and hitting two home runs.
The duo is now batting .250 on the season, combining for four home runs and 15 runs batted in. The Jaconski brothers also have only committed one fielding error so far in 51 chances, totaling a .980 fielding percentage.
Making waves in the national stat categories
Penn State has hit 20 home runs in nine games this season, which puts them fifth in the NCAA in home runs per game with 2.22. Center fielder Paxton Kling has hit six home runs so far, tying for 10th in the NCAA in that individual category.
On the topic of Paxton Kling, he has totaled a .865 slugging percentage this season, which is 41st in the NCAA in that individual category. On the mound, left-hander Ryan DeSanto’s 18 strikeouts is tied for 10th in the Big Ten.