University Park, Pa. — Sophomores Ryan Clark and Steven Hill both earned a spot on the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge All-Tournament team after guiding the Penn State baseball team to a 2-1 record during the three-day competition hosted by St. Petersburg last weekend.
In Penn State’s first action of the 2011 campaign, both Clark and Hill pieced together impressive performances while leading the Nittany Lions to another strong showing in the tournament. For his performance, Clark was named to the first-team All-Tournament squad, while Hill earned honorable mention nods.
During the three games, Clark anchored the Penn State offense after posting a team-high .444 batting average to go along with three extra-base hits and an .889 slugging percentage. A starter in two of the team’s three games, he roped two doubles, a triple, and scored three times.
At the heart of Penn State’s game-winning rallies on Friday and Saturday, Clark was a sparkplug in the Nittany Lion lineup during the tournament. In the season-opener against Seton Hall, he roped a pinch-hit triple and later scored to lead off a five-run, seventh-inning rally that eventually broke a 3-3 deadlock. The following afternoon, he ripped a lead-off single and scored against West Virginia to jumpstart a three-run rally in the eighth, which proved to be the difference in the game.
While Clark starred on the offensive end, Hill made his mark on the mound. In his first start of the season on Saturday, the sophomore right-hander set career-highs with 7.2 innings and eight strikeouts during a dominating performance against the Mountaineers.
Although he eventually earned a no-decision for his performance, Hill scattered just five hits and two runs without surrendering a walk. After he exited in the top of the eighth, the offense came to life and plated three runs in the bottom of the inning to capture a thrilling 3-2 victory.
In addition to the two Nittany Lions, Michigan State’s Brandon Eckerle was honored as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after hitting .667 with a pair of stolen bases. Louisville’s Justin Amlung was also named the Most Valuable Pitcher after throwing 7.2 innings of shutout ball against Ohio State.
Penn State will return to action this weekend when the Nittany Lions head to Richmond, Ky. for a three-game series against Eastern Kentucky. The action will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
