It's fitting the University of Minnesota comes to town on Movin' On weekend.

Because the Penn State baseball team better come up big this weekend in its third Big Ten series of the season if it is to have any hope of advancing beyond the regular season.

The Nittany Lions (12-14, 2-6 Big Ten) will host the Golden Gophers (13-16, 5-3 Big Ten) this afternoon at 3 at Beaver field be-fore tomorrow's double-header starting at 1 p.m. and Sunday's closeout game starting at noon.

Penn State coach Joe Hindelang is quick to point out the importance of a good showing this weekend, needing a solid performance against a Big Ten club after being decimated by conference leading Purdue and Ohio State.

Still, the team is optimistic.

"I told our team we're anywhere from two hits to three outs from being 5-3," Hindelang said. "If that was the case we would be in the playoff picture...I think we're only a few games away from being there."

Sitting in third place, the Gophers would be an excellent team to start that turnaround against, being a team like Penn State that find's its clubhouse filled with youth.

"We're young," Minnesota coach John Anderson said.

"We've had to replace the entire middle of our lineup. We lost some outstanding leaders."

While both teams have holes in their rotations, today's game should be a pitchers' duel as Penn State ace Mike Watson squares off against the Gophers' top hurler Craig Molldrom.

Watson is coming off consecutive shut out appearances and Molldrom is the Big Ten player of the Week after shutting down Michigan last week's games.

"It should be a good match-up," Anderson said.

"Obviously you've got to try to score some runs against good pitchers."

In the recent past, runs are something the Lions have found in short supply, having gone scoreless in the final 19 innings against Ohio State.

Allowing runs is a different matter altogether, as Penn State hasn't been able to get solid outings from its starters.

According to Penn State pitching coach Randy Ford, Clayton Hamilton will take the hill after Watson, but after that he intends to "play it by ear."

Among those likely to see time is Kevin Damiano, who performed admirably in long relief against the Buckeyes Sunday.

"I don't want to have a set schedule," Ford said.

"If I can just schedule two guys we can keep it up in the air."