Fagan settles in as PSU hitman

A menace is invading baseball fields across the country.

This force, who goes by the name Shawn Fagan, plays third base for Penn State and is destroying the opposition's pitching with frightening ease. After 23 games Fagan's batting average stands at a gaudy .486.

Just call him the Hitman.

"Fagan has been on fire. He's done a nice job," Penn State coach Joe Hindelang said. "It takes a while to get confidence and now he's got that. He's relaxed and composed. His ability is taking over and he's having fun."

Opposing pitchers are not.

The sophomore third baseman has racked up six homeruns and driven in 24 runs to bring his slugging percentage up to a team-best .792. In only 23 games Fagan has already exceeded his hit, homerun, RBI and runs scored totals from last year.

"I'm more confident and more focused this year. Last year, being my first in the Big Ten, I was a little intimidated at times," Fagan said. "But this year no pitcher can intimidate me. I know I can hit anyone whether he's a big-name pitcher or not."

What made Fagan's freshman year with the Lions even tougher was his desire to make an immediate contribution. Rather than gradually settle into his first season, Fagan wanted to become one of the Big Ten's best players right away.

It would be hard to blame Fagan for coming in with lofty expectations, especially after putting together an amazing career at Division High School in Levittown, N.Y. In his senior year he led the Blue Dragons to a 29-0 record, the New York state title and a No. 4 final ranking in the Easton Sports National High School Poll. During his four years at Division, Fagan was also named Long Island Player of the Year, selected All-America and picked as his league's Most Valuable Player three times.

"Last year I came in and expected to dominate because of what I did in high school," Fagan said. "It was a tough adjustment."

At times Hindelang said Fagan made the adjustment hard on himself by worrying about his playing time.

"(Fagan) looked over his shoulder a lot last year," Hindelang explained. "He worried about getting yanked if he made an error or didn't get a hit. But now he's maturing and growing and doing a tremendous job."

Batting .486 is quite an achievement for a sophomore player. More amazing than his hitting, though, is the fact Fagan also makes a solid contribution to Penn State's pitching staff. In nine games this season he has chalked up a 2-2 record and earned one save coming out of the Lions' bullpen.

Tuesday against Bucknell, Fagan came in to pitch three scoreless innings to pick up the win after starter Jason McIntyre went down with an injury. His effort in relief helped spark Penn State to a 13-2 victory that brought a three-game losing streak to an end.

"It's unbelievable how well he's played," McIntyre said. "He's really picked it up for the pitchers that haven't thrown too well."

With the way he's throwing on the mound there may be only one pitcher who can cool off Fagan at the plate -- himself.