After upsetting Illinois, Penn State sets its sights on Michigan

In the Big Ten Tournament opener, the No. 8 seeded Penn State looked to take down the No. 1 seeded Illinois Fighting Illini. The Nittany Lions did exactly that with a full team effort to win 8-4.

All nine players in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Adam Cecere had a huge 419-foot two-run home run, making up a large portion of the three runs he brought in. He’s up to 16 long balls on the season.

J.T. Marr and Bobby Marsh came up clutch too, combining for four RBIs. Joe Jaconski was a fire starter for the offense, getting on base four times, and scoring three times.

Travis Luensmann brought electricity to the ballpark, dampening a strong Illinois offense. He went five innings, striking out seven while only allowing one run.

There is still a lot of work to be done for the Nittany Lions as the Michigan Wolverines emerge as their next opponent.

The No. 4 Wolverines won a close 3-2 game against the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes that needed extra innings to decide a winner. The Wolverines got the walk-off walk to survive and advance.

Jonathan Kim, Mitch Voit and Collin Priest all had some solid days at the dish while Kurt Barr and Jacob Denner halted Iowa’s offense.

The Wolverines will enter the second-round matchup sitting in the bottom third of multiple offensive categories in the Big Ten. They’ve struck out more than any other team in the conference by a hefty margin.

Their 501 strikeouts as a team separate them from Nebraska and its 461 strikeouts. The Wolverines do draw a lot of walks with 283, second best in the conference.

Pitchers will need to be careful when Stephen Hrustich steps up to the plate. He leads the team with 15 home runs on the season and is tied with his teammate Cole Caruso for a team-leading 43 RBIs.

Hrustich brings a toolbox of power and vision every at-bat. He is second in the conference with 51 walks.

Jacob Denner has one of the lowest ERAs and WHIPs in the conference, making him a reliable option out of the bullpen.

The pitching staff doesn’t strike many batters out, so the group has to rely more on pitch-to-contact, allowing the defense to do the work.

These teams met back in late March when Penn State welcomed Michigan into Happy Valley. The Wolverines ended up winning two games in the three-game series, but each game was close.

Penn State has really picked it up down the stretch of the season, winning six out of seven games played against conference opponents.

Both schools know each other very well, making this matchup a game between two bitter rivals.

These two programs will face off on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

Anthony Desher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.