By Scott Traweek, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After a three-game sweep of Illinois last weekend, the Penn State baseball team (27-24, 13-8 Big Ten) made a statement in the Big Ten standings and have all but clinched a birth in the 2012 conference tournament.

The wins against the Illini featured some of the best baseball the Nittany Lions have played all season including strong pitching from both the starters as well as the relievers along with clutch hitting throughout the batting order.  It was Penn State's fifth straight conference series win, an accomplishment never before achieved in the program's history.

All three games were decided by two runs or less.  When the offense struggled, the defense held the opposing team at bay and when pitching gave up runs, the batters were there to respond.  Consistent, aggressive play from the seniors also was crucial in the sweep as senior first baseman Jordan Steranka led the way, going 6-11 with two homeruns and three RBIs over the weekend.  The performance earned Steranka Big Ten player of the week.

Balance between hitting and pitching will be key for the Nittany Lions moving forward as the weekend sweep of Illinois clinched a birth for Penn State in the Big Ten tournament thanks to Nebraska's three-game sweep of Minnesota.

With Minnesota in seventh place at 10-11, even if the Nittany Lions were swept by Michigan State in their last conference series and the Golden Gophers were able to win all of their games against Illinois, Penn State would take the tiebreaker after it took two out of three games from Minnesota earlier in the year.

Currently, the Nittany Lions have their sights on a different goal as the top two teams in the Big Ten have a first-round by in the tournament.  They are tied for second with Indiana in the standings with three teams just two games or less behind them.

Penn State will play a three-game series at Michigan State to end the season.  Though they are guaranteed a spot in the tournament, the players are hungry for more.

Penn State Big Ten Series Schedule:

Penn State Big Ten Series Schedule: