The fate of the baseball team (8-7) will rest in the hands of Mother Nature this weekend when it plays Atlantic 10 rival George Washington in a pair of doubleheaders in the nation's capital. Not only will she determine if the Lions and Colonials get an opportunity to play, but she will also have a say in who starts on the mound for Penn State.

"If the weather is good we will pitch Greg Young in the fourth game," Coach Shorty Stoner said. "If it is bad we'll probably go with him in the first or second game."

Young (2-0, 3.38 ERA) has been the most dominating pitcher on the staff thus far this season. So much so that Stoner is even considering using Young as a reliever in the three games he doesn't start this weekend.

An arm injury to reliever Chris Church (2-0, 7.82) has forced Stoner to shuffle his pitchers and consider using Young out of the pen. Reliever Mike McRoberts, who started Tuesday against Navy, is again expected to get a start this weekend.

"I prefer starting," McRoberts said, "but I will do whatever the coach and team needs me to do."

Gary Miller (1-1, 5.39) and Brian Ishler are expected to start the other two games. Miller surrendered just three runs and five hits over seven innings in his last outing. Ishler did not fare as well, yielding eight earned runs and 12 hits over his four-inning stint.

The cold and rainy weather has caused six games to be postponed already this season and might be partly responsible for some of the pitchers' slow starts this season.

"I would rather play in 90 degree weather than 30 degree weather," McRoberts said.

The chilly weather has not cooled the Lions' bats, though. Second baseman Russ Mushinsky and shortstop Mike Killough continue to hit well above .350, and center fielder O.J. McDuffie hopes to continue his 13-game hitting streak tomorrow. Stoner believes that freshman Travis Crayosky's hitting has been the most impressive of the all the catchers this spring.

"The position (catcher) is not owned by anyone," Crayosky said. "You've got to constantly keep battling for your spot."

Notes: The postponed doubleheader against Temple is not expected to be rescheduled . . . Paul Komorowski has the record for the longest consecutive single season hitting streak -- 18 games in 1988.