Penn State Baseball Series Grades: Omaha
While the series was shorter than expected, Penn State was able to pick up the sweep in the non-conference matchup against the Omaha Mavericks.
The Nittany Lions won both games during their two-game sweep by one run to boost their record to 20-21.
Here’s how both position groups performed during the weekend.
Offense: A-
Overall, not only were the Nittany Lions clutch in the hitting department throughout the weekend, but many players managed to shine.
The blue and white were able to pick up nine hits in both games and scored 12 runs overall during the weekend.
Both Matt Wood and Jay Harry were able to pick up RBI in each of the two games, with Harry coming through in a prominent spot in the second game.
Harry recorded an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Penn State a late lead.
Aside from those two players, a big player in this series for the blue and white was second baseman Derek Cease.
Penn State has been looking for answers at that position all season, and Cease managed to shine by collecting two hits in each game and scoring the go-ahead run in the previously mentioned single from Harry.
This series was a great chance for Penn State to gain some offensive momentum before returning to conference play, and it proved to be successful in that department.
Pitching: A
Almost everyone who came to the bump during this series for Penn State proved to have a great performance.
During the opening game, the only blemishes from the pitching staff came in the fifth inning when the Nittany Lions allowed six runs against the Mavericks' offense.
Only four of those runs were earned and were all credited against the starter for that game Travis Luensmann who had pitched well headed into that inning.
Following Luensmann’s exit, the Nittany Lions had a great bullpen outing from Jaden Henline, who pitched the final 4.2 innings of the game while striking out four batters and not allowing a single run.
The Nittany Lions found even more success the next day with a strong start from Tyler Shingledecker, who only allowed one hit in three innings of work, and a strong finish from Jordan Morales, who struck out five batters in three hitless innings.
While there were a few mistakes here and there, the Nittany Lions got the job done and found themselves in a great spot with Michigan State coming to town this weekend.
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.