ul Xv X u
The Daily Collegian
RB Beachum to sit on
By Brendan Monahan he suffered in late November. trusted the coach
collegian STAFF WRITER Beachum’s father, Lock, con- ing staff would
firmed the roster move, which was make right deci-
After purchasing his first first reported by Lions247.com sion.
acoustic guitar this summer, early Monday evening. Lock Though
Brandon Beachum will now have added his son has no bitterness Beachum was
time to pursue one of his newest toward the decision. held out of tack
hobbies. “It hasn’t hit him yet,” Lock ling drills all pre-
A joint decision was made by
the coaching staff and Beachum to
have him take a redshirt and sit
out the 2010 season, allowing
him to further recover from the
torn ACL in his right knee
Spikes
drop
series
By Jake Kaplan
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
The Mahoning Valley
Scrappers managed only six hits
off State College Spikes pitchers
Monday night, but one pitch
made a big difference in the
game.
Spikes’ relief pitcher Brooks
Pounders threw a wild pitch with
the bases loaded and two outs in
the fifth inning, and two
Scrappers crossed the plate to
put State College in an early hole
it would not recover from.
The Spikes didn’t help them
selves out from the batter’s box,
either, managing only three hits
in the contest en route to a 4-1
loss at Medlar Field at Lubrano
Park The defeat gives the Spikes
(30-32) a 3-3 record for the home
stand.
“I don’t know. I really do not
know,” State College manager
Gary Robinson said of the lack of
offense.
Two of the three State College
hits didn’t even get out of the
infield, and the team struggled
when they did get runners on
base. The Spikes were 0-for-6
with runners in scoring position.
“I think it’s something that we
are concerned about but we’re
going to get it fixed,” Robinson
said. “We’re just kind of in a little
funk. I don’t like making excuses.
I think we’re making some bad
choices, but I don’t think it’s lack
of aggressiveness. I don’t think
that it’s an approach issue so
much that it is pressing a little
bit.”
Shortstop Drew Maggi gave
the Spikes a chance to tally a run
in the sixth inning, drawing a
walk to leadoff the inning and
advancing to second on an error
before stealing third. First base
man Gerlis Rodriguez grounded
into an inning ending double play,
however, and the Spikes were
kept off the board for the sixth
straight frame.
The Spikes finally got on the
board in the seventh, but they
had a chance to put up a crooked
number on the scoreboard. The
first two State College batters
reached base in the seventh
before second baseman Gift
Ngoepe struck out swinging on a
full count. After an error helped
State College get its lone run, the
next two Spikes were retired to
end the threat, leaving runners
on second and third.
The Spikes finished off the
poor hitting performance going
down in order in the eighth and
ninth innings.
Though Robinson was disap
pointed with the loss, he , was
quick to give credit to Casey
Gaynor, the Scrappers’ starting
pitcher. Gaynor (5-2) threw 5.1
innings of shutout ball, and
allowed just three hits.
Robinson also admitted that
the wild pitch in the fifth inning
sapped some of the energy out of
his team.
“It’s a crazy play. I’ve never
seen it in my life. [Catcher Miguel
Mendez] just couldn’t find the
ball. He should’ve blocked the
See SPIKES, Page 14.
LiN E U P
SPORTS ON TV
Philadelphia vs. Houston
7:05 p.m., CSN
Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis
7:05 p.m., FSN
said. ‘lt probably won’t hit him
until the first game. That’s when
the reality will set in.”
Lock made his first practice
visit a few weeks ago, and when he
saw his son wasn’t 100 percent,
Gerald Hodges (6) tries to field the ball from Andrew Szczerba (80) during the Blue and White scrimmage in the Spring of 2009. Hodges is one
of six linebackers expected to see signiificant playing time this season.
Rotation likely for linebackers
By Brendan Monahan
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Linebackers coach Ron
Vanderlinden never began the
season with three new starting
linebackers.
But since
2001, when
Vanderlinden
joined Penn
State’s staff,
there has never
been a line
backer corps as .. ....
deep as this sea- * an, *cnlnden
son’s.
“We have a multitude of guys
• Chloe Elmer/Collegian
An assistant coach runs drills with the linebackers during football
practice in Holuba Hall in Spring of 2009.
QUICK HITS (AP
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Nats’ rookie Strasburg going
back on DL
Stephen Strasburg is headed back to the
disabled list, and his prized right arm will
undergo another examination that may
determine whether he pitches again this
season.
The Washington Nationals rookie gri-
But the coaching staff felt differ
season, the 6-foot, Beachum ently.
220-pound junior “I’m not sure how much my
running back voice affects their decision,”
expected to be ready for the Sept. Beachum said Aug. 12 at Media
4 opener against Youngstown Day. “Ultimately it comes down to
State. Now, he likely won’t board what they think: is best for the
that can play at a high level,”
Vanderlinden said, “so I think
this will be the first year in my
tenure here that we’U play a lot
of guys.”
Replacing Sean Lee, NaVorro
Bowman and Josh Hull won’t be
an easy task, but instead of the
normal three replacements,
Penn State has a contingent six
players deep with 186 combined
career tackles.
The depth redshirt sophomore
Michael Mauti, senior Chris
Colasanti, redshirt senior Bani
Gbadyu, redshirt junior Nate
Stupar, sophomore Gerald
See ROTATION, Page 14.
maced after throwing a changeup in
Saturday’s game at Philadelphia.
Strasburg was removed from the game and
underwent an MRI on Sunday.
OUR THOUGHTS
Rose Bowl rematch the
focus of MNF QB match-up
Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince
Young and Arizona Cardinals quarterback
12010 season
the plane to Alabama in two
weeks, something his father said
would be tough to miss.
“He did above and beyond what
they wanted him to do,” Lock said.
“He was a month ahead of sched
ule.”
Mauti set for return to field
By Audrey Snyder
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
There’s a list of things Michael
Mauti wishes he would’ve been
able to accomplish last season.
Tucked in the
back of his mind
sits the painful
reminder of not
being able to be a
part of last sea-
son’s linebacker
rotation
Forced to red
shirt because of a Mauti
torn anterior cru-
ciate ligament (ACL) in his right
knee, Mauti’s time on the sideline
was anything but easy.
As the season progressed and
Penn State played its last three
regular season games, being
unable to take the field hurt the
Louisiana native more and more.
Add in his role as a spectator dur
ing the Capital One Bowl win
against LSU a program who
recruited the 6-foot-2, 231-pound
linebacker and Mauti’s frustra
tions mounted.
“It’s just one of those things,”
Mauti said of the bowl game. “Just
add it to another list of things I got
to sit out.”
But with all the negatives of
dealing with the injury, Mauti and
his coaches believe the past year
Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 I 13
team, but if I can’t do the things
that I’ve normally done that I did
before the injury, then obviously
I’ll hold myself out.”
Ail offseason, teammates said
Beachum was rehabbing hard to
return to action. Despite those
efforts, Lock said the joint deci
sion is something he can under
stand.
Even though his son would
rather be playing, making sure he
will be able to return to top form
See BEACHUM, Page 14.
has been instrumental to his
development as a player. Having
the chance to learn the finer
details of the position is some
thing the redshirt sophomore
hopes will keep him in contention
with Nate Stupar for the starting
weakside linebacker spot.
“He’s so much more refined
than he was as a freshman,” line
backers coach Ron Vanderlinden
said. “As a freshman he was tal
ented and would run around,
some good [plays] and some bad
[plays], but I think he’s so much
more of a complete football player
now.”
After being held out most of the
spring, many of Mauti’s team
mates and coaches said the line
backer is better and stronger than
ever. He added five pounds during
the summer, and the linebacker
whose slicked-back hair gives him
the look of a hard-nosed throw
back, is now seeing the game slow
down before his eyes.
Perhaps it was the Xs and Os
sessions Mauti and Vanderlinden
shared during the winter months
that improved his sense of sense
of confidence. Or maybe it was the
view Mauti had from the sidelines
that allowed him to watch Sean
See MAUTI, Page 14.
For a story on LB Colasanti’s chance
to shine. | SPORTS, Page 14.
Matt Leinart faced off again last night in a
preseason game in Tennessee.
Call us crazy, but when the best way to
highlight an NFL quarterback duel is by
noting the players’ last meeting in the
NCAA title game five years ago, that’s usu
ally not a good sign.
TO H'S ft.
: ff * v t K
MAJOR LEAGUE
Q: Who was the last Toronto Blue Jays
player to lead the league in home runs?