Northwestern University Athletics
First-Place `Cats Host Nittany Lions at Rocky Miller Park
4/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 20, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Penn State Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Game
Northwestern enters the weekend atop the Big Ten standings with a 9-3 conference record. They lead second-place Michigan (8-4) by one game as the race for the Big Ten championship enters week four.
Penn State comes to Evanston for the second-straight year after splitting a four-game series versus Michigan State last weekend. The Lions are 11-23 overall and 5-7 (t-7th) in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats lost three-of-four to the Nittany Lions in 2005.
Penn State is led by outfielder Brian Ernst who has a team high .363 batting average in 31 starts. Fellow outfielder Lance Thompson leads the squad with 26 RBI, starting all 34 games. Both players have an on-base percentage higher than .400.
Matt Cavagnaro has a team high 29 runs scored and is tied for the team lead with two triples.
On the mound for PSU, lefty Alan Stidfole is second only to Wildcat Dan Brauer in strikeouts with 52 in 54.1 innings pitched. As a matter of fact, three Lion pitchers are in the top ten. Craig Clark (52 in 57.1) is third and Mark Wyner (45 in 46.1) is fifth.
As a team, the Lions have a team ERA of 5.52 and a team batting average of .288.
For the Wildcats, designated hitter Antonio Mulé continues to lead the squad with a .388 batting average. He has a team-high 23 RBI and is tied for second in the Big Ten with five home runs. Third baseman Caleb Fields raised his average nearly 50 points last weekend, going 11-for-19 at Illinois.
On the mound, Brauer will try to throw his fourth-straight complete game after winning 7-3 last weekend at Illinois. Senior Julio Siberio leads the team with a 2.84 ERA and has emerged as NU's Sunday starter since the beginning of the Big Ten season. Not only does he pitch, but he filled in as the National Anthem singer before NU's Tuesday game against Valparaiso.
When he's not pitching, Brauer has become a lethal pinch-hitter. He drove in the winning runs with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning of NU's 19-18 Friday win at Illinois.
Penn State and Northwestern play a four-game series with game one beginning at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Projected Starters
C Geoff Dietz (.273, 4 2B, 8 RBI, Jr.)
1B Pat McMahon (.293, 18 Runs, 3 SB, 4 HR Sr.)
2B Jake Owens (.275, 25 Runs, 2 3B, HR, So.)
3B Caleb Fields (.301, 14 Runs, 2 HR, Jr.)
SS Tommy Finn (.228, 11 RBI, Fr.)
LF Anthony Wycklendt (.214, 3B, 3 HR, Sr.)
CF Aaron Newman (.286 18 Runs, HR, So.) OR
Dan Brauer (.346, 3B, 9 RBI, Jr.)
RF Antonio Mulé (.388, 5 HR, 23 RBI, So.)
-OR- Max Mann (.141, So.)
DH Antonio Mulé (.388, 5 HR, 23 RBI, So.)
-OR- Max Mann (.141, So.)
The Series With....
Penn State: Wildcats lead 30-27
The Last Time: PSU won three-of-four games in Evanston last season.
The Killing Fields
Junior third baseman Caleb Fields flat out went off last weekend at Illinois. The Illinois native started all four games at third and hit an unbelievable .579 (11-for-19). One of those 11 hits was a decisive three-run home run in NU's 7-3 game one Saturday doubleheader win. He drove in four runs, scored four times and raised his season batting average 56 points in the process.
The K King
In 53.0 innings pitched, junior Dan Brauer is atop the Big Ten standings with 53 Ks. Penn State's Alan Stidfole is second with 52 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched. Brauer is tied for fourth in Big Ten games only with 19 punch-outs in 21.0 innings pitched. He has thrown three-straight complete game in conference contests.
Among League Leaders
As a team in conference play, Northwestern ranks in the top four of all three major categories, batting, pitching and fielding. It's no wonder the `Cats are in first-place with a team batting average of .308 (ranked third in Big Ten games only), a team ERA of 3.79 (fourth) and a fielding percentage of .958 (third). Purdue is first in team hitting with a .322 average, while Michigan is tops in team ERA at 2.86. Michigan is also No. 1 in team fielding, committing only 11 errors in 12 conference games. Their team fielding percentage is .973.
3-1 repeat
In week one of the Big Ten season Northwestern traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich., and won three-of-four games. The following weekend, NU took three-of-four from Indiana at home in Evanston. Last weekend in Champaign, NU once again won three-of-four on the road, giving them a league best 9-3 record. NU is 6-2 on the road and 3-1 at home in conference play. This is head coach Paul Stevens' best start as skipper of the Wildcats.
Third Time is a Charm
Junior Dan Brauer pitched his third-consecutive complete game last weekend in a 7-3 win over Illinois. In week one, Brauer pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout at Michigan. Week two he went seven innings and gave up one run in a 12-1 besting of Indiana. Last weekend at Illinois, the junior gave up three first-inning runs and never looked back. He has struck out at least five in all three starts.
The Siberio Scenario Senior right-hander Julio Siberio took a tough loss last weekend at Illinois. Losing 3-1 in Sunday's series finale, Mother Nature decided to take over. After lightning delayed the game, tornadoes were spotted and the ballpark was evacuated. Shortly thereafter, a torrential downpour flooded the field and the game was called. Siberio had just struck out the first out in the bottom of the seventh inning when the field was cleared. He pitched six and one-third innings in the loss. With only three spot starts in his career, Siberio has flourished, starting all three Sunday games of the Big Ten season. In those three starts, he has a 2.70 ERA in 20.0 innings pitched. He has struck out 17 and walked only one and has given up only four extra-base hits. Oh, and for good measure, he picked up his first complete save in a relief role in NU's 4-3 Friday win over Indiana two weeks ago.
