UNIVERSITY PARK — With Big Ten and NCAA tournament berths in its sights, Penn State baseball and head coach Rob Cooper are setting the goals high for the 2017 season despite a sluggish start.
Cooper and his players have seen notable improvements, and remain focused on the primary target of earning a spot in postseason play.
“I don’t think we’ve accomplished anything, but my goal is to never, after 22 games, say here is where we’re at, because every game is different and every team is different,” Cooper said. “I want to be able to evaluate our team after every game, but every goal that our team wants to accomplish, we can still accomplish.”
Coming off a 28-27 overall season and posting a 12-12 record in conference play a year ago, the Nittany Lions find themselves in a bit of a hole to start at 9-13 overall in the new campaign, heading into a home matchup March 29 against Cornell (after Gazette press time).
Penn State has its work cut out with a tough schedule at hand, but the Nittany Lions are led by emerging sophomore outfielder Jordan Bowersox and strong pitching. Bowersox is dominating opposing pitchers, owning a .349 batting average and leading the team in hits.
Starting pitchers Sal Biasi and Justin Hagenman lead the charge from the mound and have started six games apiece in the young season. Biasi is currently 3-2 with a 4.13 ERA, while Hagenman is 1-4 and has posted a 4.64 ERA.
Cooper said his rotation and bullpen are among the team’s biggest strengths and envisions them making a huge impact down the road. Cooper commended some of his upperclassmen for mentoring the younger guys.
“I think we’ve pitched well,” Cooper said. “I think we’ve gotten really good pitching from our younger guys and Biasi has really taken on a leadership role.”
As the starting staff and the bullpen continue to hold their own, Cooper hopes to see more from his hitters as a group. With Bowersox, sophomore infielder Conlin Hughes and freshman outfielder Braxton Giavedoni slashing impressive lines, Penn State believes that its improving bats can translate into more wins.
“Once we get our hitters’ confidence level where I know they can be, and we marry that with the kind of pitching that we’re getting, then I think you’re going to see some good things from us,” Cooper said.
BIG TEN OPENER
The Nittany Lions can still leave their mark on the Big Ten with conference play quickly approaching. Penn State travels to Michigan to square off against the Wolverines in a three-game series beginning Friday, March 31.
“Michigan is one of the premier teams in the Big Ten,” Cooper said. “I’m excited for the challenge and excited to get started and get back at it.”
The Wolverines are a powerhouse to be reckoned with, sporting an 18-6 overall record, but they dropped two of their opening three conference games to the Maryland Terrapins. One of Michigan’s biggest strengths is its untouchable bullpen, as eight relief pitchers have kept their ERA at zero.
