March 29, 2011

By Kyle G. Arslanian, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a rough game against Le Moyne in the series opener, Penn State's Joe DeBernardis bounced back to have a monster three game set to close out the weekend.

Over the final three games of the weekend, DeBernardis went 7-10 with six RBI and five runs scored and did not strike out over that span. It is safe to say that the junior first baseman was locked in as he propelled the Nittany Lions to three victories and a sweep of Sunday's doubleheader.

DeBernardis is the big gun in Penn State's offense, hitting in the ever-important clean-up spot in the order. His job is to drive runners in and generate offense, which is exactly what he did against Le Moyne and Albany.

DeBernardis attributes his weekend success to a slight change he made in his approach at the plate.

"I was more relaxed, I changed up my stance a little bit, shorten up a little bit and just got my pitches, I put the ball in play and luckily they were dropping for me," said DeBernardis.

Hitting is often said to be contagious and the rest of the lineup got going the same time as DeBernardis. With others hitting as well, the pressure to produce is less and the team can just go out and play, DeBernardis attributes his success this weekend to the combined success of his teammates.

"When everyone is getting going, its much easier when at the plate," said DeBernardis. "They get a guy in, you come up a little more relaxed then you get one in, and then momentum is on our side."

With DeBernardis getting hot, the rest of the lineup is sure to follow. Couple that with the outstanding pitching Penn State has been getting as of late, and the Nittany Lions could pile up some victories as the team comes together.