Baseball Takes Break From Patriot League Action to Face Penn State

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell baseball team will be travelling to University Park, Pennsylvania, this week to take on Penn State at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Bison will meet the Nittany Lions on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., and this will be the third stop in Bucknell's current 11-game road stretch. Penn State will provide a live audio broadcast for the contest.

The Bison (14-20, 5-3 PL) are coming off a low-scoring series split with Army West Point from this past weekend. They were able to secure victories in the opener of each doubleheader by scores of 6-2 and 4-2, but fell in the second contest on each day by scores of 7-4 and 3-2.

Spencer Stokes found his way onto the base paths throughout the entire weekend, going 7-for-16 with one run scored, one stolen base and six RBIs. Stokes now has six multi-RBI outings this year, tying him with Joe Ogren for most on the team. Sam Clark also knocked in four runs on five hits, one of which was his second home run of the season.

On the mound, Andrew Andreychik and Dan Keller both went the distance in their victories. Andreychik threw six strikeouts while allowing two runs, and Keller allowed just four hits and two unearned runs in the day two doubleheader.

Wednesday will be the first of two games between Bucknell and Penn State within the span of one week, as the two schools will meet again for a single contest on April 19 in University Park.

Penn State enters Wednesday's game with an 18-14 record, including a 5-4 mark against Big Ten opponents. It had been on an eight-game winning streak before losing two of three against Michigan State last weekend. Still, the Nittany Lions have been formidable foes for opponents at Medlar Field, posting an 11-3 record at home this season.

With an ERA of 3.38, the Penn State pitching staff will be looking to quiet the Bucknell bats. Brett Smith has been one of those hot bats, having recorded at least one hit in 23 of his past 24 games after tallying four more in the Army series. His .347 batting average and .493 slugging percentage are both best on the squad.

Ogren has also portrayed consistent play on the field, as Ogren and Smith are the only two Bison to start in all 34 games this season. He leads all players with a .389 on-base-percentage, thanks in part to 29 combined walks and hit-by-pitches. Clutch hitting has also been seen by Danny Raffety, who has 22 hits with runners on base this year.

Having continued their strong performances on the mound against Army, Andreychik and Keller have now combined for 89 innings pitched and 65 strikeouts through their 17 appearances (15 starts).

On the season, Penn State is hitting .255 as a team, while Bucknell is hitting .266. The Bison will be aiming for a quick start to open up this matchup, as they have outscored opponents 72-39 throughout the first three innings this season. They have also posted a 13-5 record when scoring first.

Bucknell will be returning to Patriot League action on Saturday, April 16, to open a four-game series against Lafayette. Both doubleheaders will begin at noon on Saturday and Sunday, and can be seen on the Patriot League Network.

Bucknell Baseball's 2016 Weekly Awards
Patriot League Rookie of the Week: Jeff Gottesman (Feb. 22), Jack Grabek (March 28)
Bison Athlete of the Week: Brett Smith (April 4)