In a season that has been full of disappointment the Penn State baseball team may finally receive some positive news.

When the Nittany Lions (13-17, 3-8 Big Ten) travel to Northwestern (11-18, 3-8 Big Ten) this weekend to play four games there is a chance that junior outfielder Zack Smithlin will be back in the starting lineup.

Penn State will play a single game against the Wildcats at 4 p.m. today, a doubleheader at 2 p.m. tomorrow and will finish the series with a game at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Smithlin, who has not started since the second game of the season due to a broken hook of the hammate bone in his right hand, says he feels no pain and thinks he is 100 percent.

The Lions have been falling fast in the Big Ten and have lost six of their last eight games overall.

Through the losses there have been some sparks that the Lions just have not been able to ignite a bonfire with.

During the past few weeks the illumination in the darkness has taken the form of some pitching performances. Mike Watson has established himself as one of the better pitchers in the conference and Clayton Hamilton had a breakout outing on Sunday.

For the position players, junior outfielder Wes Reohr has been more than competent in filling the hole left when Smithlin went down. He currently leads the team with a .384 batting average.

Not only has Reohr been consistent at the plate, he has also been a menacing presence in the box. He leads the team with six long balls, including the two fence-clearers he hit against Maryland on Tuesday.

"Wes has been awesome," Smithlin said. "I don't know where this power surge has come from, but he's not just about power.

"He's been fielding well and running well. You can't say enough about the job he has done."

Smithlin has also been running well of late. Since the Cornell game on April 2, Smithlin has been able to pinch-run for the team on a regular basis.

Even with his time off he leads a team with limited speed with seven stolen bases.

Now Smithlin has the chance to add his fielding and hitting ability to the team. Wednesday in practice the switch-hitter took some batting practice from the right side.

He said he will also take BP at Northwestern and the decision to play him or not will be made before today's game.

"Right now I am only cleared to hit from the right side," Smithlin said. "If I have a situation where I would normally hit from the left side I will probably go up there bunting."

The team is excited at the chance of Smithlin playing again, and none may be more pleased than his roommate on the road, Reohr.

"Zack is probably our best outfielder," Reohr said. "He is one of the best outfielders in the Big Ten and maybe one of the best in the country."

Smithlin will be asked to produce some runs for a pitching staff that has been beaten up of late. Barring Hamilton's masterpiece against Minnesota, the staff has been hit hard in the last seven games.

The team feels it is only a matter of time before the pitching staff begins to turn the season around.

"They have a lot of talent and the work ethic is there," Smithlin said. "I think they just need a weekend where they break out. Maybe this will be the weekend."

If so, the Lions will be able to catapult themselves past the Wildcats and the other teams in the cellar of the conference and become competitors for a conference tournament spot.