A paradox exists in the infield for the Penn State baseball team this season. Experience abounds in the middle, while two untested players occupy the corners.

The Nittany Lions enter this season with a plethora of questions. Many players are moving to new positions or taking over the starting role that they backed up last year. However, the biggest question may be how freshman Mike Milliron and Clint Eury will fair at the corners this season.

Milliron and Eury will start their first collegiate season across the diamond from each other. Milliron will be switching from his high school position of shortstop to take over the vacant third base spot, while Eury will be starting at first. Eury has a particularly tough job as he must try to make up for the offense the team lost when Donnie Wright graduated last year.

"This is one of the few times, and this is my 12th year here, where we started two freshmen, especially at key positions," Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said. "But I do believe both Mike Milliron and Clint Eury are very capable of handling it."

The two newcomers had solid high school careers before coming to Penn State and have improved on their ability through fall practices. They used the Fall to show Hindelang that they could be counted on to have an impact this season.

Fall practices are also useful for players to get a feel for competing on the same field with their new teammates. Junior second baseman Mike DeRenzo said that the Fall helped him to get to know the freshmen and their tendencies.

"They are both great players and fundamentally really sound," DeRenzo said. "They should have no problem adjusting to this level."

DeRenzo knows what it takes to come out of no where and shock people. Last season he was a force at the plate with a team-high .387 batting average and was named third team All-Big Ten.

DeRenzo will be starting next to another impact player from last season, shortstop John Richmond. Richmond was third on the team with a .340 batting average and committed a meager eight errors.

Hindelang said that he has been very impressed with Richmond's play and his work ethic.

"He's just business like," Hindelang said. "There are no excuses with him. He is out there giving every ounce of his effort at all times."

DeRenzo said that right now he is used to having Richmond play to his right. He also said that the whole infield is now meshing together.