Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Travel to Pennsylvania to Take on Nittany Lions
4/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 8, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern makes just its second trip to Penn State in the last six seasons this weekend as it takes on the Nittany Lions in a three-game Big Ten series. The games on Friday and Saturday, which get underway at 5:35 p.m. and 1:05 p.m. Central time, respectively, are being streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com.
First pitch Sunday is set for 12:05 p.m. Gametracker will be available for all three games at NUsports.com and live in-game updates can be accessed via Twitter @NU_SportsLIVE.
The Wildcats embark upon Medlar Field for the first time since the facility's inaugural 2007 season.
NU (7-20, 1-2 Big Ten) returns to action after winning one of three games in the opening series of the Big Ten season at home against defending conference champion Ohio State last weekend. Northwestern dropped the opener 11-1 before bouncing back to defeat the Buckeyes 8-2 on Saturday. Eric Jokisch hurled eight strong innings to earn the victory while Chris Kontos had a career-high four hits. Ohio State won Sunday's series finale, 11-6, despite the Wildcats holding a 14-13 advantage in the hit column.
Kontos got all three starts in right field for NU and responded by going 8-for-13 at the plate in the series, including the 4-for-4 performance in Saturday's victory. The effort allowed the sophomore to raise his season batting average 81 points to .297.
Meanwhile, Jokisch displayed the form that helped him be named the 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. After surrendering two first-inning runs, the junior left-hander shut down the conference's leading offense over his final seven innings of work. From the second through the seventh inning, he scattered only three hits and two walks.
Scouting Penn State
The Nittany Lions (12-15, 1-2 Big Ten) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat visiting Bucknell 7-6 Tuesday night. Bobby Jacobs drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the winning run. Ben Heath leads Penn State with a .349 batting average and ranks second in the Big Ten with nine home runs and 34 RBI. Joey DeBernardis ranks a close second on the team with a .348 average, while Sean Deegan is a perfect 17-for-17 on stolen base attempts. The Penn State pitching staff has a 6.71 ERA while opposing batters are hitting .329 against the Nittany Lions.
Accelerating on the Base Paths
A year ago, Northwestern accumulated just 23 stolen bases in its 50 games. The total ranked last in the Big Ten and were 29 fewer than any other conference squad. The Wildcats have already displayed a penchant to be more aggressive on the bases this season as their 27 thefts have already surpassed the 2009 total. The team's eight steals at UNLV March 12 are a high for any Big Ten team in a game this season. Sophomore Trevor Stevens leads NU with nine stolen bases while freshman Arby Fields ranks second with five. The increase in team speed is also apparent in the number of triples Northwestern has hit. After posting just five three-base hits last season, the Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten with 12 in 2010.
Double Duty
Northwestern's roster features two individuals who are also key members of the Wildcats' football team which went 8-5 and participated in the Outback Bowl this past season. Sophomore outfielder Quentin Williams appeared in all 13 games on the gridiron this past fall as a defensive end, posting 14 tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery. True freshman outfielder Arby Fields also appeared in every game as a running back and led the team with 302 rushing yards to go along with five touchdowns. Fields has started all 27 games in center field and sports a .304 batting average and a team-high nine doubles. He ranks second on the team with 15 RBI and five steals.
Useful Utilities
Sophomore Zach Morton saw most of his action on the mound in 2009, while classmate Paul Snieder was primarily used as a position player a year ago. Both individuals have increased their work load with success as utility players this season. After pitching just 6 1/3 innings as a freshman, Snieder has shined on the mound in 2010. He has posted a 2.41 ERA and two saves with 18 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings pitched while limiting opposing batters to a .176 average. Snieder has also followed up on a strong finish at the plate last season as he leads Northwestern with a .365 batting average with seven doubles and 12 RBI. Meanwhile, Morton has started every game and has had success with the bat as he is third on the team with a .329 average and had a team-best 11-game hit streak earlier this season. He has been particularly effective with runners in scoring position, batting a team-best .393 (11-28). Morton has continued to be used regularly on the mound as he's third on the team with five starts and fourth with 28 innings pitched.
Youth is Being Served
Northwestern is putting one of the youngest lineups in the Big Ten on the field this season. Out of a possible 243 starts by position players so far in 2010, 193 (79.4 percent) have been made by either freshmen or sophomores.
Up Next...
Northwestern returns to action Wednesday as it takes on Northern Illinois in Rockford, Ill. The Wildcats the host Minnesota in a three-game series beginning Friday.
