Happy Valley Hardball with a sabermetrics twist

Nittany Lion single-season home run king recognized for his three long balls on Friday.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Former Penn State catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) was recognized for his three home run performance on Friday with a front page story on MiLB.com, the official website of Minor League Baseball. Heath went deep in each of his first three at-bats for the Lexington Legends and fell just short of his fourth long ball, which would have tied a South Atlantic League record.

As of Saturday morning, Heath’s story stood No. 3 on the front page of MiLB.com, only behind former American League MVP Dustin Pedroia’s impending rehab assignment and Yankees prospect J.R. Murphy driving in nine for the Charleston RiverDogs.

In just the fifth game since his call-up, Heath set a career-high (college or professional) with three home runs against the West Virginia Power, single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It marked his first-career multi-homer game in the pros. He hit two in a game on five occasions while at Penn State, including four times in 2010 to tie for tops in the nation.

via Penn State University Official Athletic Site – Baseball.

Vinny Pezzimenti

Ben Heath’s return to State College was brief, uneventful and, surprisingly, featured no fanfare whatsoever.

His departure, however, was far more fruitful.

Heath, the former Penn State baseball standout, learned early Saturday morning that his homecoming at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park would be cancelled. The reason: Heath was being promoted from the New York- Penn League Tri-City ValleyCats to the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League.

via Heath’s reunion cut short by call-up – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

By Darryl Grumling, Special to the Mercury

Earlier this season, Craig Clark was successfully scaling the rugged mountains of minor league baseball. Over the past two months, though, the Spring-Ford graduate has had to deal with some obstacles which have for the moment curtailed his climb.

Clark, a 25-year-old left-hander, saw a promising start for the San Francisco Giants Double-A affiliate in Richmond halted by a couple of untimely injuries.

via Injuries forced rising Clark down to Class A – The Mercury Sports: Pottstown, PA and The Tri County areas of Montgomery, Berks and Chester Counties pottsmerc.com.

By Ryan Loy

Collegian Staff Writer

Penn State and Nebraska’s baseball teams have combined for more than 6,000 games played and nearly 4,000 wins since both programs began playing more than 100 years ago.

Yet, the two programs have never faced each other on the diamond.

That should change in two seasons, when Nebraska begins competition as a member of the Big Ten.

The history the Cornhuskers have built while playing in the Big 12 has the Penn State players and coaches excited to face Nebraska and hopefully create a new rivalry.

via Baseball excited for Nebraska matchup – The Daily Collegian Online.

Not many paths to Coca-Cola Park and the Triple-A All-Star game have taken as many turns and twists as Nate Bump’s.

From south Florida to Shreveport, La., to State College to Camden, N.J. to, now, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the 33-year-old Towanda, Pa., native has journeyed down almost every highway professional baseball has to offer.

Bump has won a World Series ring, which he earned as part of the 2003 Florida Marlins. He’s still the highest drafted player ever (25th overall in 1998) from Penn State.

via Baseball is fun again for Lehigh Valley IronPigs All-Star pitcher Nate Bump | lehighvalleylive.com.

by R.J. Anderson

The book on David Aardsma was always the same: power arm with a blessed fastball, but wild command and an affinity for fly balls – and by extension, home runs. He was essentially a major league journeyman. The former first round pick out of Rice had spent the first few seasons of his career within the Giants organization but only appeared in big league games for the club in 2004. His next major league appearance would come for the Cubs in 2006. In 2007 he’d stay in Chicago, but move to the Southside. In 2008 he’d remain a Stocking, but change hues from Black to Red.

via David Aardsma’s Worst | FanGraphs Baseball.

A club-record four Lehigh Valley IronPigs were chosen to participate in the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network on July 14 at Coca-Cola Park, the International League announced today. Three IronPigs – 1B Andy Tracy, 3B Cody Ransom and reliever Scott Mathieson – were elected to the starting lineup while RHP Nate Bump, a Towanda graduate, was selected by the International League as the fourth IronPig to participate.

The 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game at Coca-Cola Park, featuring the top performers from both the International and Pacific Coast League, will be nationally televised on MLB Network, beginning at 7 p.m. on July 14. The All-Star Game is sold out.

via Bump named a AAA all-star – Sports – Daily Review.

Cory is now playing ball with the Florence (KY) Freedom and the team did a story on his family and their baseball connection for Father’s Day.

FLORENCE, KY – Baseball has long been synonymous with the bond between father and son.

The difference between coach and spectator mirrors the tightrope all fathers walk as both stern disciplinarians and understanding confidants. And often a simple catch with Dad says more then the deepest conversation.

For Freedom infielder Cory Wine, the bond goes even deeper.

Go to the article

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Former Penn State catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.) continues to rack up the postseason honors as he was named a Pro-Line Athletic National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Third Team All-American on Wednesday. It marks Heath’s third All-America honor after being named to both the Louisville Slugger and PING!Baseball second teams. The Houston Astros’ farmhand, who leaves Penn State as its single-season home run king, begins play with the Tri-City ValleyCats on Friday.

via Ben Heath Named Pro-Line Athletic NCBWA Third Team All-American | astros.baseball-news-update.com.

Richland senior Austin Urban signs his letter of intent to play baseball at Penn State last fall. The pitcher was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft June 8.(File Photo)

Just four days after graduating from Richland high school, Austin Urban found himself the most noted young baseball player in Johnstown.

Urban, a seventeen year old Ram pitcher was selected in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball first year player draft by the Baltimore Orioles on June 8. Despite only two years of experience on the mound, the selection of Urban came as no surprise to anyone.

“The Orioles and a lot of other teams were intrigued with him considering he doesn’t have a whole lot of innings under his belt,” said Urban’s AAABA coach Chris Delsignore of Delweld. “It wasn’t a matter of whether or not he would be drafted rather what round and by what team.”

From MLB.com

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said that right-hander David Aardsma will be his closer moving forward despite a blown save Friday night that saw him drop to 0-4 with a 5.95 ERA this season. But Wakamatsu said he might use Aardsma in more non-save situations to stay sharp. “You’d like to be able to put him in [a save] situation a little bit more,” Wakamatsu said. “We talked about not having a save opportunity in so long, and pitching a lot of times with three or four days off. Maybe we’ll use him a little bit more in situations where we won’t allow him to have more than two days off or something.”

The Houston Astros announced Sunday the signing of Penn State power-hitting catcher Ben Heath, the team’s fifth-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Heath, 21, led the Nittany Lions in most offensive categories this season, hitting .369 with a school-record 19 homers, 57 RBI, 53 runs scored, 16 doubles, 148 total bases and a .747 slugging percentage.

He homered against six of Penn State’s eight Big 10 opponents, including multiple home-run games versus Illinois, Michigan State and Ohio State.

via Astros sign fifth-rounder Heath.

Heath named to second All-America team with numerous postseason honors still to be announced.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The awards and accolades continue to roll in for Penn State junior catcher Ben Heath (Huntersville, N.C.), who was named a PING!Baseball Second Team All-American on Friday. It already marks Heath’s second All-America honor, along with Louisville Slugger Second Team All-America laurels announced last week. The Houston Astros’s; fifth round draft pick finished a remarkable junior campaign with a school-record 19 home runs along with 57 RBI and a .369 batting average.

The honor rounds out a memorable week for Heath, who was selected by the Astros in the fifth round (#153 overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. In the process, he became the Nittany Lions’s; highest position player chosen since Greg Vogel in 1976 and the highest for an underclassman in school history.

via Ben Heath Named PING!Baseball Second Team All-American – PENN STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE.

From the Tribune-Democrat

Orioles pick Richland graduate in draft
Mike Mastovich
mmastovich@tribdem.com

JOHNSTOWN — Richland High School’s Austin Urban had heard he might be picked anywhere from the fourth to the eighth round of Tuesday’s Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

The 17-year-old Penn State recruit also knew he might go later. There’s no exact science to baseball’s draft.

When the phone finally rang, the Baltimore Orioles were calling in the 27th round, making the right-handed pitcher, who also plays second base for Delweld in the AAABA League, the 808th pick overall.