By Kyle Lucas, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State track and field teams had a superb weekend at the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa., coming away with five championships.

Junior Brittany Howell started the meet off for the Nittany Lions on Tuesday with the heptathlon. Howell had a comfortable lead after day one of the two-day event. She cruised to a victory Wednesday with a season-best of 5,084 points.

Laura Loht followed up Wednesday securing her first collegiate Penn Relays title and her second ever, the first coming as a high school senior. The junior's first throw of the day was the winning effort sailing 154-6.

On the track Wednesday Natalie Bower posted a personal best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  Bower's time of 10:13.58 is the eighth fastest time posted at the relays and third fastest in the Penn State record books. The senior's time was good enough to rank her No. 20 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten.

The men's team was able to come away with its first distance medley relay victory at the games since 1959. The team of freshman Brannon Kidder, junior Brandon Bennett-Green, senior Casimir Loxsom and sophomore Robby Creese won the event in 9:24.68. Their time now ranks them No. 1 in the school record books.

Creese, Kidder and Loxsom followed up their record setting performance with a second consecutive victory in the 4x800-meter relay during the final day of competition.  Adding freshman Za'Von Watkins, the group finished the race in 7:14.14.

The men's 4x400-meter relay team also had a strong performance at the relays. Sophomore Matt Gilmore, freshman Alex Shizler, juniors Bernard and Brandon Bennett-Green posted a time of 3:06.21. The result was good enough for the group to be ranked No. 17 nationally and No.3 in the Big Ten.

The women's team also put its 4x400-meter relay team into the national rankings at the relays.  Freshman Kiah Seymour, redshirt junior Mahagony Jones, redshirt freshman Shelley Black and sophomore Dynasty McGee raced to a time of 3:33.47 good enough for No.20 in the nation and second in the Big Ten.

Senior Evonne Britton makes her first appearance in the national rankings after her performance at the Penn Relays. Britton clocked in with a time of 58.56 in the 400-meter hurdles, good enough for No. 24 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big Ten.

The men's team slipped slightly in the national rankings this week, dropping down two spots to No. 13.

Despite outstanding performances, Penn State was not ranked in the DMR and the 4x800-meter relay because the two are not official NCAA outdoor track events.

Men's Rankings as of April 30, 2013

Women's Rankings

By Michael Renahan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Baltimore this week to begin play in the American Lacrosse Conference tournament. Penn State has earned the No. 3 seed after going 4-1 in conference play and earning a shared conference title with the Florida Gators and Northwestern Wildcats. The conference title is the first in Nittany Lion history.

Penn State will open their conference tournament play against the No. 6 seed Vanderbilt Commodores. The Commodores and Nittany Lions met in Happy Valley earlier this season, Penn State won the showdown, 20-14.  Penn State will look to improve its defensive efforts against the Commodores. The 14 goals they allowed against Vanderbilt is tied for second most allowed this season, they allowed 20 in a loss at Maryland.

"I think overall, you know defensively, we just have to be ready to make more of an impact, not sit back and wait, but try to get out and make things happen. I think sometimes we get a little on our heels a little bit, so we have to be ready to be maybe a little more aggressive. We've continued to get better defensively, but Vanderbilt can score, they see each other well, they feed each other well, so being able to get in front of the cutters and stop their transition will be key for us," coach Missy Doherty said.

The 4-1 record in conference play is the best under Doherty in her three years in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions recorded solid victories against top conference foes Florida, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State, all of whom were ranked in the top 20 at some point during the regular season. Florida was ranked No. 2 when the Nittany Lions defeated them. Penn State outscored its ALC opponents this season 68-62, which showcases how talented this conference is.

Against Vanderbilt on March 17, Penn State started slow but dominated late to earn the victory. Maggie McCormick paced the team. McCormick, a sophomore attacker, recorded six points against the Commodores, scoring five times and assisting on another. McCormick has seven points against the Commodores in her career.

"Maggie is awesome. She is just a great person, a great competitor, she is very unassuming. Ever since her freshman year, she just doesn't get fazed by pressure," Doherty said. "People will pressure her behind, they will put double teams to her and it just doesn't seem to really faze her. Having someone like that as a freshman, and then a sophomore, has been great for our attack. She has really stepped up when we need her to be a little more aggressive, were always trying to challenge her with new things and she has been really receptive to what we would like her to do. But, you know, having that leader down there especially as a sophomore has been great for our team."

The win against Vanderbilt was the beginning of a 7-2 run to finish the 2013 season for Penn State. It was also the team's first conference win in 2013. The Nittany Lions are looking to advance past the semifinals for the first time under Doherty. Last year, they fell to the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays In the first round. In Doherty's first year, Penn State advanced to the semi-finals before falling to the Northwestern Wildcats.

Penn State has a career record of 3-0 against Vanderbilt under Doherty. They have outscored the Commodores 43-33 in those three games, and have controlled the pace of the game against their conference foe. Although the Commodores have been struggling going 2-14 and 0-5 in conference play this year, Doherty knows how important it is to not overlook any competition in postseason play.

"Well if there is anything good thing that I can bring out of the Princeton loss it would be [not overlooking teams]," Doherty said. I think we know that we have to be ready to finish our shots. We didn't shoot very well at Princeton. We have to take advantage of every play that we have. Any team that is ready to play is ready to play. We know Vanderbilt is coming in and wanting to make a run at the tournament, so they're not going to be backing down from us, for sure. I think they're up for it. I think they're ready to improve from our past game this weekend and they're pretty fired up to get better."

The Nittany Lions will look to continue an offensive attack that features several players. Along with McCormick, junior Mackenzie Cyr, senior Molly Fernandez and sophomores Kelly Lechner and Tatum Coffey have played major roles in the offensive gameplan. The four have all scored over twenty goals this season and help bring a balanced attack to the Nittany Lions.

"I think to compete at a high level, you can't just have two or three scorers, you really need to have a balanced attack and I think going into this season we were always wondering how big our young players would come up, how mature they would play, how much of an impact they would make and it's been nice to see as the season progressed some young people really be impact players and you can kind of see that in our offense," Doherty said.

The Nittany Lions also have a core of young players that have grown up throughout the season. Three freshmen, in particular, have played significant roles for Penn State during the regular season. Jenna Mosketti, Ally Heavens and Madison Cyr have all registered 15 goals or more in 2013, and much to the pleasure of their coach, they show no signs of slowing down.  Doherty said she regardless of their youth, the young players are ready to go.

"You know, I think they're just competitors. I mean, I think it's one of the reasons why we've been able to be successful, is they're just ready to compete," Doherty said. "They came here to Penn State wanting to compete at the highest level and, thankfully, they've done that for us this year. I don't think you change in preparation, we've been preparing to make our mark on the season all year, and this week will be no different."

"It's been just great to see the maturity in our young players. Obviously, we've played some great teams with great pressure and they really have to be able to handle that pressure," said Doherty. "We were wondering at the beginning of the year how mature they would be, and they love the pressure. I think they come up with big plays at big times, they're not fazed by the team were playing, they just want to compete. You see Kelly [Lechner] having kind of a monster year for us at midfield. Jenna [Mosketti], the freshman, being the four time rookie of the week for our conference, when our conference is so competitive, I think is awesome. Across the board [Mosketti] is just solid in every category."

Penn State will have to improve its performance on the road if it hopes to advance to the semi-finals or the finals of the ALC tournament. After going 10-7 away from home in Doherty's first two seasons, the Nittany Lions have gone 4-5 in 2013. Their most recent loss came at the hands of the Princeton Tigers, 14-9.

Along with improved defensive play, goalkeeper Emi Smith looks to improve on her latest performance against Princeton. The freshman played just over 27 minutes, allowing nine goals and taking the loss. Doherty believes Smith will be ready to go come game-time.

"I think it's a tough position to be in," Doherty said.  "To be able to handle that pressure as a young player is hard, but were behind her 100 percent and we know that she can have an amazing game on Thursday and were going to just be ready to prepare to do that."

"Luckily we had a good experience down at [Johns] Hopkins a couple weeks ago, so, you know, the field brings back some good memories," said Doherty.  "It's tournament time, it's postseason time. You know, our girls have been in exams all week and ready for them last week, so those will be over, thankfully. We're ready to go and we know how big this tournament is and were coming down there to give it our best, so it's not really hard to get up for our conference tournament."

The game is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. 

By Pat White, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Senior Jack Forster (Jenkintown, Pa.) put it short and sweet. "Right now we are focused on winning a championship."

Forster and the No. 9 Nittany Lions (11-3, 6-0 CAA) prepare for their first-round, home matchup in the CAA Championship against fourth-seeded UMass (7-7, 2-4 CAA) at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.

Penn State closed out a perfect 6-0 CAA regular season last Saturday in a 16-7 win at Hofstra. Forster was named Co-CAA Player of the Week after notching five goals and an assist to up his point total to 52 on the season. His 99 career goals are fourth all time and his 143 points rank seventh on Penn State's all-time list.

Head coach Jeff Tambroni said that Forster has come up big in the last few games coming down the stretch. He called his performance "signature Jack Forster."

"He has played terrific for us all year long," Tambroni said. "When we've needed a goal, or some energy, or something coming out of halftime or needed a play on the field...he has been there, as you would expect from a senior leader and captain. He has provided everything and then some on and off the field."

However, Forster isn't ready to celebrate his statistical accolades just yet. He wants to save that for after his career is over. Right now, his sights are set advancing past the first round of the CAA Championship for the first time in program history.

"That is all great and it's going to be a great thing to look back on when I'm done here," Forster said about climbing in the record books. "But right now we are just focused on winning a Championship, a CAA Championship here and focusing on UMass tomorrow."

The Nittany Lions were losers of three straight games before knocking off the reigning CAA Champion UMass 7-5 on March 16. It was the start of the current nine game winning streak that Penn State is riding heading into the CAA Championship. Senior Nick Dolik (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) scored his first goal of the season in the win, and now ranks fifth on the team with nine goals and five assists.

The victory was a turning point in Dolik and the Nittany Lions' season. Dolik said the team learned a lot down the stretch to get to the point they are now. 

"As the year goes on, it's good to have a steady incline of how you're improving," Dolik said. "Just learning from earlier in the season from what good and bad things could have happened."

Dolik said that both teams know each other well and that the game will feature the same intensity as any other CAA contest.

"We know it's going to be a battle in the CAA, especially us and UMass," Dolik said. "Every little play counts and it's going to be a fight out there."

Tambroni said that preparation will be more challenging with the short week of practice leading up to the game.  Tambroni said the familiarity for both teams is helpful in game planning, but that Penn State still has to compete on the field. He is preparing for an offense that is effectively simple, but still averages 9.36 goals per game with a man-up unit working at 37.5 percent.

"They do what they do, and they do it very well," Tambroni said. "They play so hard and compete up and down the field and believe in themselves. You have to prepare for the intangibles and get the guys to compete as hard, if not harder."

UMass' senior attacker Will Manny is the facilitator of the offense with 31 points in just nine games. Kyle Smith leads the team with 29 goals and 47 points. Grant Whiteway and Connor Mooney added 23 and 20 goals respectively.

In order to keep the Minutemen offense in check, Penn State will lean on junior goalie and Tewaaraton Award nominee for the best player in college lacrosse, Austin Kaut (Morton Pa.). The Penn State defense has been a major component in the nine game winning streak the team is riding. The unit has allowed just 5.66 goals per game over the streak, helping Kaut lower his goals against average to 6.95. He has been the backbone of the team and will play a major factor if Penn State is to advance.

Tamboni said the team is motivated to get out of the first round of the CAA Championship for the first time during his tenor. Being ousted on their home field is something that Tambroni doesn't want to happen again.

"We've been the host last three years," Tambroni said. "We've lost two of these games, one at the hands of UMass. We want to keep this momentum going and understand the opportunity we have here at home and take advantage of that."

In the beginning of the season Tambroni said that he wanted his team to build confidence over a long period of time. The confidence level is high within the locker room, but Tambroni knows that being overconfident against a talented UMass team can be costly.

"As long as you utilize that confidence appropriately, place it on the field and help you play at your potential than it can be a good thing," Tambroni said. "If we become complacent and don't prepare the same way...it can be a very dangerous thing."

Forster said the team will come out with swagger and focus leading up to the matchup with the Minutemen. He has been here through good and bad times with the program, and is excited to hopefully share more success with the home fans.

"It's great for our fans here at Penn State and it's what we set out for in the beginning of the year," Forster said. "We have achieved that goal and now have to actually win the next game against UMass."

Penn State and UMass are set to face off at 3 p.m. today at the Penn State Lacrosse Field for the semifinal of the CAA Championship.

By Michael Renahan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - At the end of each season, head coaches sit down and reflect. They think of the ups and downs. They think of the wins, the losses, the growth of their team and the growth of their players. Whether the team is preparing for the postseason or not, the coach will still reflect on the regular season that was.

It is not hard to see what coach Missy Doherty thinks of her team as she reflects. You can hear it in her voice; you can see it in her eyes. She's proud. She looks up and down this roster and can't help but feel proud of her players. At one point this season, she didn't have a set starting goalkeeper. Now she has an established, effective goalkeeper for years to come. At one point, her team was too young and too inexperienced, now they all play like fifth-year seniors.

"I think they're a bunch of fighters," Doherty said. "They're competitors. I think competiveness sometimes has trumped our inexperience. They're in there to compete and they've continued to get better and learn and learn, but regardless of that they're going to come out and compete. Thankfully, at the beginning of the season, you never know how much you're going to be adversely affected by the lack of experience, but the fact that we have such competitors on the team has pushed us through some situations where the other team might be older or more mature than we were. But overall, it's been a fantastic season, pulling out some big wins against huge teams and we're just really excited about postseason."

Doherty has seen her young players like Jenna Mosketti, Maggie McCormick and Kelly Lechner become phenoms for the program. At the same time, she has seen her veteran players like Molly Fernandez and Mackenzie Cyr continue their stellar careers.

Individually, the Nittany Lions were recognized numerous times throughout the 2013 season. Mosketti was named ALC rookie of the week four times. Defender Colleen Shea was named ALC defensive player of the week. Tatum Coffey was named WomensLax.com co-player of the week. All in all, five Penn State players were honored with individual awards.

It took some time to get going in 2013. The team started 4-3 and was still getting into their groove. They struggled to find their footing defensively and the offense still lacked synergy. They had setbacks against some of the best teams in the country, like Maryland and Loyola. The Nittany Lions had a long way to go in 2013, but they met each challenge and never once backed down.

"Sometimes when players come in they bring their own confidence and we have a lot of young players that are confident in themselves," said Doherty. "It's easier to coach them when they bring their own confidence than then it is when they're always questioning themselves. Thankfully, a lot of our young players have brought in their own confidence and belief in themselves and we've been able to move them forward coaching wise to guide them down the right paths."

As the season progressed, they took down teams like Virginia, Florida, Ohio State and Johns Hopkins. Never once did they not seem prepared for the challenge or ready to take it on with a full head of steam. They raised their practice tempo and intensity, as well as their game speed and tenacity. They started dominating teams at home, never once losing.

An offense that was still working out some kinks early in the season has long been forgotten. They were scoring, and scoring a lot. They out-ran and out-worked each of their opponents. It's no surprise Doherty is proud of this team.

"I'm super proud. I think a goal of a coach is to be able to witness the team really experience some firsts and really experiencing being the best and to be able to sit back and watch them come up with big plays and achieve awesome things, that's the fun part about being a coach," Doherty said.

In February of this year, the leadership of the Nittany Lions was in question. With only three seniors on the roster and a core of freshman and sophomore players, the team was expected to lack leadership.

They proved that expectation wrong. All of the younger players, along with the older players, played crucial leadership roles and stepped up to fill the void. They worked out problems on the field and adjusted to the way teams played them. Whether it is a senior to a freshman, or a freshman to a senior, each Nittany Lion communicated on the field, and communicated loudly.

"Just to know that this team is going to grow up together is an exciting team. It's not a thing where our team is going to change much for the next two years, really," Doherty said. "That's our challenge as coaches, we're really happy with how we've done but how can we get so and so better? How can we get better for low-D? We don't want to be the same team this year next year and that's why I love coaching this team, because everyone is really good and it is a challenge to figure out how we can make things better, because they do things really well."

"We're continuing to grow form the leadership side, were continuing to grow kind of as a unit," said Doherty. "Thankfully, we have some great players that individually come up with big plays at big times, but going into post season you really have to have that complete team effort to talk it up and work together. That's continuing to grow and I think as our team gets older that will be easier to do."

The 11-5 record marks the best season under Doherty in her three years in Happy Valley.  As a team, they out-scored opponents by 36 goals. Nine players scored ten goals or more for the Nittany Lions, while six players created ten turnovers or more. Penn State was paced by Maggie McCormick, who finished with 72 points after scoring 40 goals and assisting on 32 others. On the other end of the field, Katie Guy led the Nittany Lions with 30 created turnovers.

What were weaknesses had become strengths. They have a steady goalkeeper in net. They have a solid offensive unit. They have a defense that works incredibly hard, and of course, they have youth. They use their speed and will-power to beat you. They won games that came down to the wire, as well as blowouts. They've won outdoors and inside, on the road and at home. 

The Nittany Lions earned a share of the American Lacrosse Conference title. They now enter the conference tournament as a No. 3 seed behind Northwestern and Florida. Their first game is on May 2 against Vanderbilt, who they beat 20-14 earlier this season.

By Kyle Lucas, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Freshman Rachel Fatherly made her Penn Relays collegiate debut Thursday competing in the shot put, discus and hammer throw.

However, Fatherly isn't a rookie when it comes to the prestigious games. At last year's event she took the women's high school title in the shot put with a toss of 47-5.

"Coming in, I took an indoor mark, so coming in I wasn't seeded very high," said Fatherly. "It was good to come out as an underdog. It was one of the best competitions of my life."

"We literally went back and forth," said Fatherly of the competition between her and Theresa Picciallo of Immaculate Heart in New Jersey. Picciallo was one of the top high school throwers in the nation in 2012.

"It showed competitiveness and who wanted it more," added Fatherly.

This year in the shot put, Fatherly wasted no time showing she'll be a force to reckon with the next few years. Last year's Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state champion captured third-place with a toss of 47-11.25.

The Williamsport, Pa. native's success began earlier in the day when she placed sixth in a field of 24 girls in the hammer toss. Not bad for an event she's still learning to master. Fatherly's best throw came in at 173-0.

"It was very interesting because I didn't grasp the concept very well," Fatherly said about learning the weight toss, and indoor event similar to the hammer toss. "I started out with hammer pretty well and I'm excited to see where I can be because I had a good start. Just listening to my coach and following him, I think the sky is the limit."

In her final event of Thursday's action, Fatherly finished at No. 11 in the discus with a recorded throw of 151-0.

Fatherly attributed her ability to find success so early in her career to a smooth transition into college. With her hometown being roughly an hour away, for her it feels like she never left.

"It feels like home, so I don't have to worry about thinking about my parents because they can easily come up," she said. "I feel like the Williamsport community is behind me and supporting me 100 percent of the way."

It has helped her focus in on her goal of hitting the 50-foot mark in the shot put and qualifying for the NCAA first rounds in all three of her events.

By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- Even after taking college gymnastics by storm all season, Penn State freshman Trevor Howard managed to save his best performance for last.

Competing in the NCAA Championships for the first time, Howard put on a dazzling display during the floor exercise to earn a score of 15.800 and claim the individual national championship on the event.

"Right before I began I said my prayers and was just hoping to rock it," said Howard. "When I stuck my first landing, I felt great and then I just carried [the momentum] on through the routine stick by stick."

The performance, which topped Howard's previous best of 15.400, gave the Nittany Lions their first national champion on floor exercise since 1963.

Head coach Randy Jepson, who joked that he was only three years old the last time Penn State had a national champion in the event, was thrilled to see Howard win the title.

"To finally get another national champion on floor [exercise] is outstanding and I'm absolutely thrilled for him," said Jepson. "Having to come out in the NCAA finals as a freshman is a lot of pressure and he crushed [his routine]."

After a season in which he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week a conference record eight times, Howard entered the weekend knowing he could hold his own with the country's best gymnasts.

Still, the Columbus, Ohio native said he didn't necessarily expect to finish first in an event after he was forced to miss several weeks in the middle of the season because of a concussion.

"I pushed myself after my injury to make sure I was where I wanted to be at the end of the year," said Howard. "Coming out as a national champion when there are guys out there who hit equally difficult routines is just crazy."

Competing a day after the Nittany Lions finished in fourth place in the team finals, Howard stated that he was extra motivated to perform at his highest level possible.

Adding to his fuel was the fact that four members from the national champion Michigan Wolverines had also qualified in the event.

"Today I was looking to get back at those Wolverines [for winning the NCAA team championship]," said Howard. "It felt great and I feel a lot better [on Sunday] than I did on [Saturday] night."

With the Penn State fans in the crowd at full throat, Howard had plenty of energy and excitement behind him as he took the mat.

That excitement only increased after Howard's score was announced, which sent the Nittany Lion faithful into a frenzy.

"It was great to be in Rec Hall with such a great crowd," said Howard. "There's no feeling like it and I can't explain it."

The reaction from the fans was rivaled only by Howard's teammates, who took turns mobbing him in celebration after his routine was finished.

While he may have been the Nittany Lions biggest star of the afternoon, the freshman made sure that his teammates also received their fair share of credit.

"It was awesome to see so many guys from Penn State come through on multiple events," said Howard. "To see Parker (Raque), Adrian (Evans), and everyone else was just awesome."

For Howard, the most memorable moment of the afternoon was having the opportunity to stand on the top of the podium in front of his own school's fans after being named national champion.

When Penn State's fight song was played over the loudspeakers, the freshman took a moment to let it all sink in.

"I definitely took a picture of it in my head," said Howard. "Having the banner raised behind me and being on top was an incredible experience."

Jepson, who nearly broke into a sprint to congratulate Howard after his routine, didn't hesitate to declare the new All-American as one of the most impressive freshman to come through the program in his time as head coach.

Having also qualified for the individual finals on the parallel bars and the vault, Jepson stated that he sees an extremely bright future ahead of Howard.

"We've had some great freshman over the years but there's no question that he ranks amongst [the best]," said Jepson. "He's competition savvy and he's clearly demonstrated that he has an innate ability to perform on the biggest stages."

--NITTANY LIONS--

By Mike Esse, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State enters their three-game weekend series at Ohio State (25-13, 9-6) with an 11-25 overall record and a 2-10 mark in the Big Ten. However, there are a lot of things that record might not tell you as the Nittany Lions look to win their second straight Big Ten series.

For the first time all season, numerous Nittany Lions are contributing, whether it is in the field, on the mound or at the plate.

It's not just one or two guys, it's six or seven guys each day, and that is what has allowed them to turn the page and play better baseball.

"Anytime you look at teams that are having success they have several guys throughout the lineup that are contributing and we [have had] that," said assistant coach Eric Folmar. "Now you are starting to see [production] from different guys offensively and on the mound and there is no question when we have that kind of production throughout the lineup, it's a great thing."

The stats can prove Folmar's point true as in Penn State's last five games, which they are 4-1, Penn State has at least seven hits in each game and at least six different players have gotten a hit in each of those games.

Head coach Robbie Wine is now seeing players like sophomore's Aaron Novak and J.J. White produce from the bottom of the lineup and combining that with the production Penn State has seen from the top of its lineup via James Coates, Elliott Searer and Luis Montesinos, the offense is rolling at the right time.

Continuing to get this production against Ohio State is very important, especially against a Buckeyes pitching staff that has been very efficient this season.

Ohio State's pitchers boast a 2.94 ERA, which is third in the Big Ten behind only Indiana and Minnesota. The Buckeyes have also struck out 261 batters, the second most in the conference, and that makes getting timely hits even more important this weekend.

"They're going to be around the plate, so when we get guys in scoring position we are going to have to execute," said Folmar. "They have been really good on the mound so when we get a guy one base and move him into scoring position, we have to execute."

On the other side, Folmar is also looking at the pitching staff to produce this weekend, which is something they have done as of late. Cody Lewis has been strong out of the bullpen along with Ian Parvin and a host of other Nittany Lions.

If they can throw strikes and get help defensively, Folmar believes Penn State will be in each game of the series.

"It's pretty simple on the mound for us. I think our guys are very capable and are going to go out and throw strikes for us," he said. "Defensively we have to be clean and we have to make the plays."

Arguably the biggest positive for Penn State as they are set to open the series with Ohio State on Friday is that its mindset hasn't changed at all this season.

Even when they were struggling, Wine's team was positive. Now, with wins in four of its last five games, they still aren't satisfied and that in itself is a good thing.

"The record is not at all what we want it to be, but the one thing that has been constant is that they have battled," said Folmar. "They have worked from day one in the fall to today. They continue to get after it in practice and work hard. There is no quit in these guys."

--NITTANY LIONS--