April 17, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Penn State Game Notes in PDF Format
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On The Road Again
After playing 24 straight games on the road, dating back to last year, NU finally played a home series last weekend. The homestand was short-lived, as the 'Cats hit the road for a Tuesday afternoon midweek game at Chicago State and this weekend are off to Pennsylvania to take on Penn State University in a four-game conference series. The first game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday afternoon at Beaver Field.
A Year Ago
The last time these two teams met, NU as a team, was struggling: the 'Cats had a 9-16 overall record and a 3-8 mark in the Big Ten. But as in 2001, NU came together as a team and won 3-of-4 from the Nittany Lions, propelling the 'Cats to the postseason tournament. NU won 11 of its next 17 conference games, earning the No. 6 seed at the Big Ten Tournament.
Gresky and Wycklendt
There are games people remember, and there are games you will never forget. For David Gresky and Anthony Wycklendt, Tuesday's game at Chicago State will be a contest they will never forget. The two combined for 13 hits, 13 runs and 19 RBI. Each player set a career-high in all three categories as Gresky went 6-for-7 with 10 RBI and Wycklendt was 7-for-8 with nine RBI.
Gresky's Individual At-Bats:
1st Inning: RBI 2B down the right-field line
3rd Inning: Groundout to second base
4th Inning: Two RBI single to right
5th Inning: Single to right
6th Inning: Walk
7th Inning: RBI single to center
8th Inning: Two RBI homer to right-center
9th Inning: Grand Slam to right
Wycklendt's Individual At-Bats:
1st Inning: Two RBI homer to center
4th Inning: Single to left
4th Inning: Infield single to second base
5th Inning: RBI single to left
6th Inning: Three-RBI double to left-center
7th Inning: RBI groundout to second base
8th Inning: RBI home run to left
9th Inning: RBI triple to right-centerfield wall
More Gresky and Wycklendt
Wycklendt, who made his third start of the season, matched Gresky's two home runs, but outdid the left-hander by hitting for the cycle in just his eighth collegiate game. Wycklendt hit safely in seven of his eight at-bats, which is believed to be an NU record for hits in a game. Wycklendt, a Wisconsin native, completed the rare feat in his last at-bat, hitting an RBI triple to the right-centerfield wall. It was his ninth RBI of the game.
Cycling
Anthonly Wycklendt's record-setting performance against Chicago State turned into a bit of a history lesson. While no verification can be made on the exact game, according to head coach Paul Stevens, Wycklendt's hitting for the cycle has not happened since San Diego Padres shortstop Mark Loretta played at Northwestern in the early 1990's.
The Rest of The Lineup
Besides David Gresky and Anthony Wycklendt's 13 hits, the rest of the team chipped in another 18. Of the 31 Northwestern hits against Chicago State, 14 went for extra bases, including two triples and four home runs. With their best offensive showing of the year (31-for-62 as a team), the 'Cats raised their overall batting average nearly 20 points, from .255 to .273. They were also 5-for-5 in the stolen base department.
Run Support
NU's 36 runs against Chicago State on Tuesday is more runs than the team scored in its previous seven games combined. NU is 4-3 in those games.
Stevens vs. Hindelang
Wildcat skipper Paul Stevens is in his 16th season at the Northwestern helm. Nittany Lion head coach Joe Hindeland is in his 13th year in University Park. These two coaches have been leading their respective squads since the two teams starting playing one another in 1992, a year after Penn State joined the Big Ten.
Johnny Ball Game
Sophomore shortstop Jon Mikrut is one of the Big Ten's top hitters so far this season. The Carmel High School standout is hitting .404 with 12 multi-hit games and 13 RBI. Mikrut was 2-for-5 in NU's midweek game at Chicago State, keeping his average above .400.
Mr. Consistent
Since earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 17, junior right-hander Dan Konecny has been an example of consistency. So far this season, Konecny has logged a Big Ten-leading 57.1 innings, giving up 16 runs on 49 hits for a 2.51 ERA. Opponents are hitting a measly .238 as he has gone more than six innings in all eight of his outings this season, including two complete games.
The History
Relatively speaking, NU and PSU have just recently starting playing one another. The two teams have played only 44 games in the last 11 years with NU holding a 27-17 record. The two teams have never had a game weathered out. In the 11 years, NU has lost only two series (1992 and 1996) and has never been swept by the Nittany Lions. NU swept PSU in 1993 and has won three games five different years. The Wildcats are 6-2 in the last two years and own a 9-11 record at Beaver Field.
Four-Man Rotation
So far this season, Northwestern's four-man rotation of Dan Konecny, J.A. Happ, Mark Ori and Dan Brauer have pitched 154.2 of NU's 206.0 innings. The four starters have an ERA of 2.80, giving up 48 earned runs. They have struck out 130 hitters and walked 64. Opposing batters are hitting a meager .245 in 572 at-bats, while the four hurlers have a combined record of 12-7.
Team Pitching
As a staff, NU has pitched 206.0 innings this season. In those 206.0 innings, the Wildcat hurlers have given up 219 hits. They own a 4.11 overall ERA, good for fourth in the conference. They also boast a Big Ten leading 3.62 ERA in league play. The 3.62 earned-run average is .3 percentage points ahead of Ohio State (3.93).
Right On Cue
As of April 18, NU was second in the Big Ten in fewest errors committed with 28. How fitting that the team just ahead of NU on the errors committed list is Penn State. As of April 15, PSU had committed 25 errors in 27 games.
In Big Ten action, NU has played 10 games (5-5) and committed six errors, which is second in the league. Minnesota is atop the fewest errors committed list, bungling only five balls in its 10 games played.
Extra Extra, Read All About It
As a team, Northwestern has 222 hits this season. Of those 222 hits, 67 of them have been for extra bases (30.2 percent). Junior center-fielder David Gresky leads the way with six doubles and five home runs while sophomore shortstop Jon Mikrut leads the team with two triples.
Not So 'Fresh'men
Freshmen Dan Brauer and Mark Ori don't seem to be fazed by the transition from high school to college. While both will admit the talent level is very different, both are thriving at the opportunity to compete. Ori has an ERA of 3.42 in 26.1 innings pitched, while Brauer has a 2.22 ERA and two saves. Brauer, a left-hander has thrown 24.1 innings, striking out 28, while Ori has sent down 16. Believe it or not, these two are not just pitchers. Both hail from Illinois and terrorized high school pitching a year ago. This season, Ori has had a few more opportunities, starting 25 games as the designated hitter or as the pitcher, sometimes both. He is second on the team with a .321 average in 78 chances. He has eight RBI and 10 runs scored. Brauer has had just nine plate appearances with one hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Bean Ball
Senior catcher Ken Padgett has been hit five times so far this season. Those five plunks bring his career total up to 29, good for second on the all-time hit-by-pitch chart at NU. Neil Piacenti (1993-96) leads the way with 31. Freshman Mark Ori also has been hit five times this season.
Lay It Down Lieberman
As a team, Northwestern is averaging just less than one sacrifice hit/fly per game. NU has 21 sacrifice hits or flies this season, while opponents have totaled 20. Leading the way for the 'Cats is junior third-baseman Josh Lieberman, who has four sacrifice bunts and two sacrifice flies in 21 games this season. His four sac bunts is second in the Big Ten lead.
Run Comparison
Through 25 games a year ago NU had a 9-16 record and scored 116 runs. Through 25 games this season, NU is 13-12 and has plated 148 runs.
From Deep In the Hole
Sophomore Jon Mikrut has started every game at shortstop this season and leads the everyday starters in batting average (36-for-89, .404), slugging percentage (.584), on-base percentage (.430), total bases (52), hits (36) and triples (2).
I Got Five On It
Senior first-baseman Travis Tharp had five RBI against St. John's, a game NU won 18-12. Tharp went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and five RBI. Tharp singled twice, hit a home run and was hit by a pitch in the game. The last Wildcat to have five RBI in a single game was Jason Krynski, who belted two home runs in a April 19, 2002 game against Penn State.
Streaking
Not only is Jon Mikrut leading the team in most offensive categories, the Illinois native has already enjoyed hitting streaks of eight and six games. Currently he is on another six-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 21 of NU's 25 games. He has had more than one hit in 12 of the 21 games he has reached base safely.
Finding a Fourth
Freshman left-hander Dan Brauer pitched the fourth game against Ohio State and Purdue, winning both contests. Until the Ohio State weekend, NU had not needed a fourth starter as all pre-conference series were only three games. The four spot, which was originally slated for Dan Pohlman, was turned over to Brauer on the saying 'you'll pitch the fourth game if we don't use you in relief in any of the first three games'; NU did not use Brauer in relief of either series, and the Illinois native upped his record to 2-0 and dropped his ERA to 2.22.
Multiplicity
Shortstop Jon Mikrut had a career-high eight-game hitting streak earlier this year. The sophomore is now entertaining his second six-game hitting streak after his 2-for-5 performance against Chicago State. For the season, Mikrut has 12 games in which he has recorded two or more hits. Second baseman Eric Roeder, left-fielder Dan Pohlman and center-fielder David Gresky each have seven.
Shutouts
A year ago, NU played in seven shutout games. In those games, the Wildcats went 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. So far in 2003, NU is 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten. The four wins are over Brigham Young (1-0), Temple (3-0), Army (3-0) and Michigan State (2-0). The losses were against Ohio State (1-0) and Purdue (6-0).
Roeder/Konecny Sweep Weekly Awards
Senior second baseman Eric Roeder and junior right-handed pitcher Dan Konecny were named Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Week by the conference for the week of Feb. 18.
Roeder recorded a batting average of .600 to lead the Wildcats to their first 2-0 start since 1986, when the team produced a 39-14 record. The senior was 3-for-5 on the weekend with a walk and was also hit by a pitch for an on-base percentage of .714. He produced two RBI, including the game-winner in Northwestern's 1-0 shutout of Brigham Young. Roeder becomes the first Wildcats player in the last two years to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors, as no NU players were selected in 2001 or 2002.
Konecny went seven strong innings in his first start of 2003, shutting out BYU on the way to a 1-0 victory. The junior right-hander scattered four hits and notched three strikeouts while facing only 27 batters. Konecny was making his first start since April 20, 2002, as he missed the second half of the last season with mononucleosis. He started six games in 2002, pitching one complete game and striking out 26 batters on his way to a 1-4 record.
POW Double Time
Senior catcher Ken Padgett was named Big Ten Player of the Week by the conference office for the week of Feb. 25.
Padgett batted .727 (8-for-11) at the South Alabama Coca-Cola Classic last weekend, as NU went 2-1 in the tournament and improved to 4-1 on the season. The senior recorded six runs, five runs batted in, three doubles and a home run to post an imposing slugging percentage of 1.273. Padgett turned in his most impressive performance against St. John's, going 3-for-4 with a double, a two-run homer and four RBI to spark NU to the 18-12 victory.
Returning Honorees
Northwestern returns two all-conference honorees and one nationally recognized student-athlete. Senior Travis Tharp and sophomore J.A. Happ were both recognized by the conference office as All-Big Ten players a year ago; Happ received first-team distinction as a reliever, and Tharp garnered third-team honors as a first baseman. Happ was also recognized as a second-team Mideast Region and a freshman All-America by Collegiate Baseball. Happ is NU's first freshman All-America since Ryan Bos in 1999.