Young starting pitchers left to fill void left by Bump's departure

By WILLIAM KALEC
Collegian Staff Writer

For every other team in the Big Ten, this weekend marks the beginning of the 1999 collegiate baseball season.

Every team, that is, except for Penn State.

Instead, this weekend's three-game series with Virginia commences 1 A.B. for the Nittany Lions -- one year After Bump.

During his four years at Penn State there isn't much that pitcher Nate Bump didn't do. Last season in 13 starts, Bump compiled a 7-3 record with a 2.62 ERA. His 135 strikeouts in just over 106 innings of work dwarfed the second highest total of any other Lion hurler, 49 by returning starter Dan Goebeler. In June, Bump became the first Lion since Greg Vogel in 1976 to be drafted in the first round of the amateur draft as he was the 25th selection overall by the San Francisco Giants.

And now he's gone, but not forgotten.

"When Nate had his stuff and you would get him a lead, I would say in the dugout, 'Where am I going to eat dinner tonight?' That was my biggest concern," said Penn State coach Joe Hindelang. "I am very comfortable, I think our pitching could be good and maybe even better than that."

Stepping into Bump's vacated role as the Lions' ace is Goebeler, who is expected to start tomorrow in Charlottesville, Va. Goebeler comes off a 1998 campaign in which he posted a 5-6 record with one save and a 5.90 ERA.

Rounding out Penn State's weekend rotation are sophomores Dan McCall and Peter Yodis, both of whom saw substantial playing time last season.

McCall's freshman season could best be described as a learning experience.

The State College native made seven starts last season and broke even with a 3-3 record. The problem was his less-than-impressive 9.71 ERA, and the fact that he walked nearly one batter per inning of work. But in McCall's eyes 1998 is little more than an afterthought.

He enters this weekend a little wiser, eager to show what he has learned.

"I would love to be the guy," McCall said. "I think that having such a young staff is going to help us in the future, a lot of guys got looks last year and some quality innings which is going to help us out this year."

With Goebeler's first pitch tomorrow, the Nate Bump era at Penn State will officially end. In its place will be a young but experienced starting rotation looking to start the clock on the season that will be its moment in time.

"To give the players credit, they said they have not talked about missing Nate Bump," Hindelang said. "I like the potential of our pitching staff, we have some good arms."