By Jeff Sattora, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer University Park, Pa.- The team could see it coming, following
Saturday's tough loss to Purdue, the Penn State baseball players knew they were
very close to finally breaking open the offensive floodgates.Following a third straight big win since Saturday;
it looks like they were exactly right.
The Lions used another strong offensive show to go along with great pitching to
come away with an 8-2 win Wednesday night at home vs. Binghamton.
Just like Purdue on Sunday (a 16-6 Lions win) the top of the lineup was yet
again a driving force for the Nittany Lions as Sean Deegan and Jordan Steranka
each had three hits, with Steve Snyder and Joey DeBernardis each having one hit
and two RBIs.
"We were able to carry on what we've been able to do the last two games," said
outfielder Sean Deegan."Everything's
been clicking, everyone's been hitting, top to bottom putting runs on the
board."
When everyone is getting on base the approach can change, and the team
can start to be more aggressive at the plate.
"When we're scoring a lot of runs you can be so much more aggressive,"
Deegan said."You can try driving the
ball a little bit more."
That ability to be aggressive led to 12 hits in the win over Binghamton, with
eight different players getting at least one hit.
Binghamton had started off the game quick with a 1-0 first inning lead, but the
Lions bounced back off the hitting of the top of that lineup to score four in
the third and never look back.
This was a great sign for the home team to be able to bounce back, as
previously they had been 2-12 in games where the opposing team scored
first.
"I think early in the season when we got down we got down on ourselves,
but recently we've been playing well it's not going to phase us, especially
being at home," said third baseman Joey DeBernardis."It's only one run and you got to score a run
to win, so I don't think it phased us that much."
DeBernardis has been anything but phased lately as he has really been
knocking the cover off the ball for the Lions, not only did he have two RBIs
vs. Binghamton, but he was 4-5 with a homerun vs. Kent State on Tuesday.
"It's been about time," DeBernardis said about not only the team's
hitting, but his as well.Adding he
hasn't changed anything at the plate too much, just trying to be more relaxed
and comfortable.
One way to continue to be relaxed and comfortable at the plate is when
you know you have a strong pitcher on the mound, and that is exactly what the
Lions had on Wednesday in Cody Lewis.
Lewis was able to pick up his second win on the season, throwing five
innings and allowing only one earned run on seven hits for the win.
"I definitely pitched better than I had this season," Lewis said on his
performance."Settle down, try and keep
the ball down, let my defense do the work."
With the strong offensive outbursts and the solid pitching the team is
confident they will be able to keep this three game winning streak going.
"The last few games we've got a lot more confidence, especially
offensively," said assistant coach Eric Folmar.
The team will look to add to that streak and confidence this weekend as they
battle Canisius at home in a three game series.
By Cassie Speno, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK,
Pa. - The No.12 Penn State women's lacrosse team will take on the No.1
Northwestern Wildcats Friday at 7 p.m. The team is looking forward to playing
its first night game at the brand new Penn State Lacrosse Field in its second
consecutive top five opponent.
Head coach Missy
Doherty says the program has really turned a corner this season, but there is
still more work to be done.
"I think we have
really turned a corner in games like Vanderbilt and Virginia," said Doherty.
"We are in the mix, but now our next step in the program is to really start
competing with these top five teams. In order to do that, we need to dominate
possession and get the draw."
The Nittany Lions
struggled to gain possession of the ball against the Florida Gators only
obtaining nine draw controls to Florida's 23. In the game of women's lacrosse the draw is
often said to win games as it gives the team dominating the draw more
opportunities to score.
Penn State did its
best to make the most of the opportunities they were given and scored 11 goals
on 22 shots. However, Florida's attack proved to dominate possession time and
fired 43 shots on goal. Doherty says this is something they will need to
improve on if they are going to succeed against top five teams in the future.
"Our main issue in
games with these top teams is controlling the ball," said Doherty. "It is all
about being able to control the ball and get the draw. Our draw controls
against Florida were a lot to a little, and that played a factor. Possession
time is key when you play against a team like Northwestern."
Powerhouse
Northwestern is undefeated so far this season (10-0) with close overtime
victories against Syracuse (11-9) and Ohio State (13-12).Doherty and her Nittany Lion squad will look
to hand the Wildcat's their first loss of the season by beating them at their
own game.
"Northwestern is
the type of team that really takes its time on offense, but really rushes you
in the defensive end," said Doherty. "If you are on defense the majority of the
game against them you are not going to win. So we really need to keep control,
be patient on offense so we tire out their defense and finish strong."
By Scott Traweek, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK,
Pa. - Penn State's starting rotation faced an intimidating test last weekend
against 19th-ranked Purdue (21-5, 4-2 Big Ten), who featured the nation's top
offense.Though Purdue took two of three
in the series, the offense dropped to ninth in the country after quality
performances by each of the three Penn State starters.
Purdue entered the
day with a team batting average of .340 and five players with averages above
.360.Junior John Walter opened the
series pitching a solid 6.2 innings while allowing five runs, only one of them
earned, during the contest.Penn State's
offense struggled against boilermaker starter Joe Haas and the Nittany Lions
fell 9-3.
Sophomore transfer
Joe Kurrasch followed up on Saturday throwing for 7.1 innings and holding
Purdue's offense to just two runs on three hits with five strikeouts, dropping
his ERA to 2.95.Though Penn State fell short,
2-0, during the pitchers' duel, the momentum in the series was beginning to
shift.Kurrasch talked about his mindset
going up against such a potent lineup.
"I just approached
them as if they were any other team," said Kurrasch."You don't make the game bigger than it
is.Then it was just not thinking about
that aspect of it, it was just to pitch."
Junior Steven Hill
wrapped up the series on Sunday, which held a completely different
outcome.The Nittany Lions ignited on
offense, scoring 13 times in the first three innings and finishing the game
with a season-high16 runs.
Junior Steven Hill, pitching with a commanding lead, threw for 6.2 innings,
holding the Boilermakers to four runs with three strikeouts and just one
walk.Regardless of the score, Hill
stayed focused throughout with the same goal in mind.
"My goal was just
to keep us in the game as much as possible because we were due for a big
offensive game," said Hill.
The scoring spree
was a huge confidence booster for the team as a whole and it allowed Hill to
relax and play his game.
"You see guys
squaring bunts up and runs are getting pushed across the plate and you feel
like you've got some leeway," said Hill."It helps you relax and know that if a run scores it's not the end of
the world."
On the defensive
side, bringing Purdue's offense back down to earth was no easy task.Each starter had to be focused because one
mistake to virtually any of the Boilermaker hitters would have been
costly.Penn State came in with a good
strategy and the pitchers stuck to it.
"You just got to
execute the game plan and we had a great game plan going into it," said Hill.
"For me it's the
same thing no matter what the situation is," said Kurrasch."I have confidence in my stuff and it's up to
me to go out there and execute."
Hill explained that
the key to facing a lineup like Purdue's is to battle and challenge the
hitters.
"You got to grind
it out," said Hill."Grind innings out
and just be a bulldog out there and pound the zone and get ahead."
The bullpen backed
the starters both on Saturday and Sunday, holding Purdue to a mere two hits and
two runs over a combined three innings.The bullpen has had its highs and lows all season, but they have come
through when it matters and their support at the end of the rotation is
essential to the team's success.
"You want to feel
confident in the fact that the bullpen's going to get that crucial guy out with
runners on base," said Hill."I think
they've been doing a heck of a job lately just stepping up."
"They all have a
very similar mentality and they show up every day and they're going to do their
job," said Kurrasch."There's been
confidence all year in the bullpen."
Penn State's
pitching staff shares a unique bond.They joke and tease each other, but at the end of the day they are a
close-knit group of players.
"We go through the
same thing, the same conditioning with the pitchers so we definitely forge a
special bond," said junior John Walter.
Regardless of
whether they are winning or losing, one thing is certain; they know how to
enjoy the sport they love.
"It's great," said
Hill."Playing baseball is just
fun.Being a pitcher is just fun.There's no other way to put it."
Penn State returns
to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park this weekend to play a three-game series
against Canisius.Walter, Kurrasch and
Hill look to extend Penn State's three-game winning streak and ride the
momentum into the next Big Ten series against Michigan.
By Laura Finley, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The greater the challenge, the harder one must work.
The Penn State
women's gymnastics team can attest to this. After closing the regular season
with a winning record and placing sixth in the Big Ten Championships, the
Nittany Lions head to Raleigh, N.C., this weekend for the NCAA Regionals.
"There are
definitely a lot of emotions because we know that this is it," said junior
Madison Merriam. "This could be our last meet if we don't do what we need to do
and go in there to Raleigh and do our job. But at the same time we have to put
that feeling aside and just tell ourselves it's just another meet in order to
get the job done."
Penn State has
worked hard all season to find the right balance in every routine. With two
meets left in the regular season, the gymnasts came close, hitting all 24 of
their routines against the University of Pittsburgh and the University of
Maryland.
"Watching them come
together has been exciting because you see all of their hard work throughout
the season coming together," said associate coach Rachelle Thompson. "All year
it has been a slow and steady progress for us. The last two weeks in the
regular season they hit all 24 routines. That's been a slow and steady thing
for us because that was the first two meets out of all twelve that we've hit all
of our routines."
Now, with the
success of the regular season behind them, the women look on to their next
challenge, the NCAA Regionals. After failing to qualify for nationals by only
.075 in last year's regional finals, Penn State is all focus going in to the
weekend.
For the team, this
weekend culminates to one thing: Bring it Back.
"Moving forward
this year, there's a constant reminder every time we say 'bring it back'," said
Thompson. "It's not just about winning and it's not just about a championship,
it's about a daily attitude and mentality of bringing into this gym what we
want to see happen and remembering how we felt at regionals last year. We want
to bring that feeling back to the gym so we never lose a meet by .075 again."
With two weeks to
prepare for regionals following the Big Ten tournament, the women have brought
that attitude and mentality to the gym during every practice. They know that to
carry on a Penn State tradition, hard work and dedication is a necessity.
"The team mindset
going into practice is on fixing the little details," said Merriam. "We're
coming in to the gym and trying to make those changes so we can keep advancing
in the future. If we can make those changes and get bigger scores, we have the
opportunity to move on to nationals."
With a season spent
competing against top teams such as Alabama, Ohio State and NC State, Penn
State knows what to expect from the challenge that awaits it in Raleigh.
"I think competing with those big teams helps us," said Senior Alex Stine. "We
know how much we have to push ourselves every day in the gym to get to that level.
It has definitely helped us."
And this experience
will help the team as the Nittany Lions compete against Ohio State, NC State
and the University of North Carolina for a second time this season while also
facing the top team in the nation, the University of Florida.
"Looking on to the
regional meet, we're all really excited," said Stine. "We always talk about the
greater the challenge, the harder you have to work and raise your expectations.
We're ready to go down there and show the gymnastics community how hard we've
been training. We're ready to bring it back."
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion football team completed its
fifth practice of the spring season on Wednesday afternoon.
For the third time this spring, Penn State practiced in full pads. Like Monday's
practice, the Lions scrimmaged during the final few periods at the end of
Wednesday's fast-paced practice.The
sixth of 15 spring practices will be on Friday afternoon.The Blue-White Game is scheduled for April 21
at Beaver Stadium.
Following practice on Wednesday, GoPSUsports.com caught up with junior running
back Silas Redd and senior defensive end Pete Massaro for their thoughts on the
first five days of on-field work this spring.Both players talked about learning new schemes and the progress the team
has made since practice began on March 26.
Follow GoPSUsports.com
Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
By Kelsey Detweiler, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Instead of waking up in a hotel and taking a bus
to an opposing team's field like they've done for the past 28 games they've
played, the Nittany Lions were able to get out of their own beds and some could
even walk to Beard Field where they opened their home season against in-state
rival Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon.
Penn State split the twinbill against the Panthers, dropping the first game of
the afternoon 7-2 but bouncing back in the second with a 4-0 victory that
snapped what had been a 13-game losing streak.
Freshman hurler Marissa Diescher got the nod in the second contest of
the day after senior ace Lisa Akamine tossed the first seven innings of play
against the Panthers. Behind solid defense and timely offensive production,
Diescher tossed a two-hit shutout under the afternoon sun.
Diescher's teammate and junior centerfielder Cassidy Bell provided the
spark at the very start of the second game of the day with a lead-off home run
against Pittsburgh's Alexa Larkin. That run would be the only number on the
board for either of the two teams until the Nittany Lions struck again in the
sixth.
But with a tough infield behind her and a mix of outfielders that
battled the rays looming over Nittany Lion Softball Park, Diescher said that
one run was enough to get her going.
"It was great," said Diescher. "Usually that's not a lot to feel
comfortable on but after that [run] I knew I had to kind of keep them off of
the board and I knew we'd come through in the end."
The freshman right-hander struck out three and walked six en route to
the much-needed win and said she was mostly reliant on hitting spots on the
outer half of the plate in the 28 Panther at-bats that she faced.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions made it look effortless with no errors
and 21 put-outs in the field. Diescher said that she was trying to keep
Pittsburgh off balance at the plate with a mixture of off-speed pitches and
fastballs on every corner of the plate to produce what were nine weak ground
balls for easy Penn State outs.
After the win, Bell said that head coach Robin Petrini was all smiles in
the dugout as she had a few words of congratulations for her team.
"Take a breath - it's over," Bell said, echoing her head coach. "We got
the 'W' and we won and that's all that matters right now."
Bell said that the four runs she and her teammates produced and the
solid pitching that Diescher provided off of the mound were something that fans
and spectators should take note of.
"We felt this was a very important win to get," said Bell. "We were just
concentrated on trying to jump on it first and keep the energy up - keep all of
the positive attitude and keep fighting. We've been fighting for basically the
whole season and I feel like it's finally dropping in for us now."
The win gives the Nittany Lions an 8-22 overall mark this season and
prevented the team from tying what would have been the longest losing-streak in
the program's history had they lost.
The opening pair of contests against the Panthers was the first two of
ten consecutive games that Penn State will get to host in State College. Next
up, the Nittany Lions welcome Michigan State to Bear Field for their third
conference series of the season this coming weekend.
By Jackson Thibodeau, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the second season in a row, sophomore Austin Kaut
(Morton, Pa.) is among the top goalies in the nation, serving as a security
blanket for his team's defense.
"Goalies are
like the quarterback of the defense in lacrosse," said Kaut. "As a goalie it's
my responsibility to communicate with the defense and make sure everyone is in
their spot."
Starting in the
net for the second-straight year, Kaut is continuing to exhibit spectacular
play that earned him CAA Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman.
In his impressive
rookie campaign, the net minder topped several NCAA statistical lists,
including save percentage (.635) and saves per game (13.64).
"Austin is one
of the best goalies in the country, and it's great to work with him," said teammate
and fellow goalie Conor Baucum (Chevy Chase, Md.).
Baucum, a
junior, has seen limited in-game action in the net, and has found other ways to
help out his team.
"I've become
kind of a 'rah-rah' guy on the sidelines," said Baucum. "This is what I can do
to help the team and if it keeps up the enthusiasm, then we can play better as
a result."
Sparking
intensity and motivation is not the only method of contribution for Baucum. He
and fellow goalie Dave Baker (Havertown, Pa.) help on the offensive side of the
ball when they stay back at practice and tend the net while the offense
practices their shooting and accuracy.
"We have a
really tight-knit pack of goalies on this team, and that's how it should be,"
said Baucum. He explained how the three goalies share tips and strategies to
help each other improve.
As for Kaut, the
presence of the other goalies on the roster helps him stay sharp.
"Having them
nipping at my toes at practice to get my spot keeps me going," said Kaut. "It
prompts me to work hard on and off the field to become the best goalie I can
be."
Kaut has seen
the majority of the action in the goal this season, and his put up impressive
numbers against challenging opponents and skilled offenses.
The goalie
ranks in the top 10 in the nation in goals against average and save percentage,
which is an impressive feat considering the competition he has faced.
The Nittany
Lions have faced eight ranked opponents this season, and of those teams, Kaut
has tended the net against four teams in the top-ten in scoring offense.
In a loss to
No. 16 Bucknell, Kaut allowed nine goals, which is significantly less than the
astounding 13.33 goals per game average scored by the Bison.
The sophomore
still has a difficult test ahead, as the team will face four-straight
conference opponents to round out the season.
"We are ready
for our upcoming games," said Kaut. "We have our work cut out for us because we
need to get some wins and get a nice spot in the CAA tournament."
The Penn State
men's lacrosse team will face Drexel in Philadelphia on Saturday. Faceoff is
slated for 2 p.m.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions are back in pads on the
practice field.Twelve practices remain
between now and the end of spring drills for Coach O'Brien and the Lions.
With three practices in the books, take a look at video from the first week of
practice, and hear from Coach O'Brien, senior defensive tackle Jordan Hill and
senior running back Michael Zordich.
Spring Practice One:
Spring Practice Two:
Spring Practice Three:
The Nittany Lions return to the practice field
on Monday for spring practice four.
Follow GoPSUsports.com Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
By Jackson Thibodeau, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a back-and-forth first half, a goal scored just
seven seconds into the third quarter sparked an offensive streak that led the
Penn State men's lacrosse team to a win over Villanova on Saturday.
Junior midfielder Danny Henneghan (Beverly Hills, Mich.) secured the
opening faceoff in the third quarter, charged down the field and dished a pass
to sophomore Gavin Ahern (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) who dumped the ball into the
net.
"We haven't been a real second half team all season," said goalkeeper
Austin Kaut (Morton, Pa.). "We really needed to come out with energy and click
on all cylinders and that's what we did."
Kaut had a superb outing, tallying 17 saves. The sophomore entered
Saturday's contest with an impressive .600 save percentage, which is ranked
sixth in the nation.
"Austin was awesome today," said sophomore attack Shane Sturgis (Downingtown,
Pa.), who scored two goals and tallied an assist against the Wildcats. "If you
shoot from the outside, not many goals are going to go in against him."
Forcing shots from the outside was exactly what Coach Tambroni and the
Nittany Lions planned to do heading into the game.
Tambroni stressed to his team that they would be in good shape if they
didn't allow inside looks, which is something they allowed a lot of in last
week's loss to Bucknell.
Kaut wasn't alone in his efforts to quiet Villanova's high-powered offense.
Physical play from the defense contributed to 13 clears, seven forced
turnovers, and 28 ground balls secured - all of which aided the goalie in his
impressive outing.
The tough defensive play was reflected on the other side of the field, as
clears and turnovers provided the offense with transition opportunities.
"Any time we can get transition goals is a plus for us," said senior
midfielder Ryan Link (Englewood, Colo.). "It gives our defense some time to
rest and gives our offense a good opportunity to put goals on the board."
Link gets a taste of both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
The midfielder switches between a long pole and a short pole several times
throughout games.
The senior forced two turnovers and secured three ground balls in the
contest against Villanova.
Penn State's offensive firepower was distributed evenly against the
Wildcats, as nine different Nittany Lions were credited with a point in the
game.
Seniors Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Jack Forster
(Jenkintown, Pa.) were atop the scoring list for the Nittany Lions, each
registering five points.
"I think the offense shared possession and responsibility today," said
Tambroni. "We never got away from the game plan and that allowed us to meticulously
go through the game and secure a win."
Saturday's game served as the final non-conference game of the season for
Penn State. The team will now enter the heart of their conference schedule,
facing four-straight CAA opponents to close out the regular season.
"We needed a win like this heading into conference play to get our momentum
back," said Forster.
Penn State will travel to Philadelphia next Saturday to take on Drexel.
Faceoff is set for 2 p.m.
Those two words resonate with sports fans across the country during this time
of year.It is truly a great month to be
a sports fan with college postseason competition filling all hours of the day.
I'm right there with the college sports fanatics glued to the TV and webstreams
watching men's and women's basketball and wrestling throughout March.But "March Madness" takes on a new definition
for staff members in athletic departments working with teams competing in the
postseason.
For me, March is a whirlwind of travel across the nation to cover the Penn
State athletic teams in the postseason.The month of March is unlike any other during the calendar year.
From the Midwest to the Bayou to New England, "March Madness" travel spanned 7,026 miles in 2012 (shy of 7,912 miles
in 2011) with stops in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana
and Rhode Island.It included 18 nights
in a hotel out of 28 days, 10 flights, nine airports, one train, five trips to
Steak & Shake, seafood at Sammy's in the Gulf Coast region and Benjamin's
along the Atlantic Ocean, 15 basketball games, 857 individual wrestling matches,
one Big Ten title, one Sweet 16 appearance, three individual national champions
and one team national title.
Tag along through a notebook from a month to remember in 2012 for Penn State
sports teams.
February 28-March 5 - West Lafayette,
Ind. & Indianapolis, Ind. The postseason travel began a little earlier than usual with a regular
season trek to the land of Boilermakers with Coach Chambers and the Nittany
Lion men's hoops team.Penn State
boarded its Embraer 145 charter at 6:30 p.m. for a direct flight to Lafayette,
Ind., and a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn along the banks of the Wabash River.Game morning (Feb. 29) included a team walk
across a bridge over the Wabash in 70-degree weather.The newly renovated Mackey Arena played host
to the Nittany Lions on Senior Night for a Boilermaker class that included
all-time great Robbie Hummel.A packed
house was the setting for a superb atmosphere for college hoops.
Mackey Arena - Penn State vs. Purdue on Feb. 29
With the Big Ten women's hoops tournament slated to begin just one day later,
an extended stay at the Omni Severin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis was
next.The Lady Lions opened the
conference tournament with a 78-74 victory over Minnesota on March 2.One day later, it was back to Mackey Arena 65
miles up the road in West Lafayette for Big Ten Wrestling action.Penn State sent seven wrestlers into the
semifinals on Saturday night, but only three Nittany Lions earned a spot in the
championship matches.With its back to
the wall, Penn State needed a valiant comeback on Sunday to win a
second-straight Big Ten title.Head
coach Cael Sanderson smiled and wanted to see how his team would respond.The Nittany Lions did just that by winning
11-straight matches en route to three individual titles and a team Big Ten
championship for the second-straight season.It was back to Happy Valley on a 6 a.m. flight from Indianapolis on
March 5 to get ready for week two of travel.
Penn State Wrestling - 2012 Big Ten Champions
March 7-9 - Indianapolis, Ind. The traveling caravan moved onto the highways of America on March 7 with a
drive back to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.The Omni Severin staff recognized myself and
staff photographer Mark Selders as prime customers while checking in for the
second time in three days.While Coach
Chambers and the Nittany Lions fell short against the home state Indiana
Hoosiers, the 2011-'12 season laid the foundation for what will be a great deal
of success for the Nittany Lion basketball program.
March 15-17 - St. Louis, Mo.
The bags were packed and the conference championship season was over.March 15 kicked off two weeks full of NCAA
Wrestling and Women's Basketball Tournament action.I boarded a 7:52 a.m. flight from State
College, just as the sun began to rise of Mt. Nittany en route to St. Louis'
Scottrade Center for the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Sun rise over Happy Valley - March 15
The Arch in St. Louis
Simply put, Penn State wrestling put on a show in the Gateway to the West.For the second-straight season, Coach
Sanderson and the Nittany Lions clinched a national championship before the
finals even took place.Seeing senior
Frank Molinaro capture a lifelong dream on wrestling's grandest stage by
winning a national title was one of the most memorable things I've seen in my
years at Penn State.Additionally, it is
hard to find a more dominant performance at the national tournament than that
of sophomore David Taylor who pinned his way to the finals before scoring
national title with a tech fall.The
night ended with the Nittany Lions on stage with the 2012 NCAA Championship
trophy.With work completed at 1 a.m.,
the 3:15 a.m. wakeup call for the next leg of the journey came early.
David Taylor celebrating his national title with Cael Sanderson
2012 NCAA Champions
March 18-21 - Baton Rouge, La. With a paddleboat down the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Baton Rouge
not a feasible option, I boarded a 6 a.m. flight from Lambert International
Airport to Baton Rouge (with a stop in Houston).The
warm, humid weather along the Mississippi River set the stage for great stay in
Baton Rouge as the Lady Lions earned their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance since
2004.Penn State topped UTEP on March 18
to earn a date with host LSU on the March 20.Penn State knew that playing fifth-seeded LSU on its home floor would be
no easy task, but it did not matter.The
Lady Lions turned in a strong second half to knock off the Lady Tigers by a
score of 90-80.
The banks of the Mississippi at the Hilton Baton Rouge
NCAA Second Round on March 18 - Penn State vs. LSU
The southern hospitality was superb in Louisiana.Additionally, LSU's athletic facilities and
staff were first rate.The $2 million
cage for Mike The Tiger, LSU's live mascot, was one of the most interesting
sights of the trip.With a ticket to the
Sweet 16 punched, Penn State boarded a charter back home to Happy Valley at 1
a.m. CT and returned home after 4 a.m. ET.
Mike The Tiger's $2 habitat next to Tiger Stadium
Mike The Tiger
March 23-26 - Kingston, R.I.
A mere 60 hours later, the women's hoops travel party boarded a DC9 charter jet
to Providence, R.I., for the NCAA Regional round of the tournament.Kingston, R.I. (home of the University of
Rhode Island) is a small town with very limited hotel options. Therefore, Penn State stayed in Newport, R.I.
at the Newport Harbor Hotel located on the water.Despite the 30-minute drive to the Ryan
Center for practice and the games, Newport was a great destination with endless
restaurant options and scenic views along the Atlantic Coast.
On the way to Providence for NCAA Regional
The Atlantic Coast in Newport, R.I.
Playing UConn is a tall order in the postseason, but the Lady Lions battled to
the final whistle on Sunday afternoon.While
the result was not what anyone in the program had hoped for, the Lady Lions
gained invaluable experience on Sunday afternoon against UConn.The Sweet 16 loss will make Penn State a
better basketball team for the future.The
return flight home to State College landed at 11:15 a.m., just in time for the
start of spring football practice.
NCAA Regional Semifinal on March 30 - Penn State vs. UConn
While travel is relentless during the busiest month of the year, March is a
good reminder of why this job is one of the best in sports.Watching Penn State teams compete, and excel,
in the postseason is priceless.Start
the countdown clock to March Madness in 2013.
Follow GoPSUsports.com
Media Specialist Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony