He hasn't been in State College for about two years now.

Yet Nate Bump will always be Penn State's favorite baseball son. Who else could fill that role but a man who saw more success in a Nittany Lion jersey than anyone who has toed the slab for the Blue and White?

The right hander, who played four seasons for Penn State, is still first or tied for the top spot in four categories, including career strikeouts (362) and wins (29). Bump also hurled one of only seven no-hitters in Penn State history, the team's first in 18 years.

All the stats are impressive, but what will always make Bump the darling of University Park is when the San Francisco Giants selected him 25th-overall in the June 1998 Major League Draft. The pick made him the second Nittany Lion to be taken in the first round, the other being infielder Greg Vogel in 1976.

The road Bump has taken during his four years of professional baseball has been filled with few straight-aways and many potholes. Those potholes have come in the form of injuries and a trade.

A season and a half were all that Bump had with the Giants organization. After posting a 2.84 ERA with three Giants' minor league teams, Bump was traded to the Florida Marlins in the deal that brought World Series hero Livan Hernandez to San Francisco.

The deal was completed on July 24, 1999, the same day Bump turned 22.

"It didn't really bother me that much because when someone gets traded they think it is a good opportunity," Bump said. "Whoever traded for you wants you; they did that for a reason."

Bump started play for the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League after the trade and has been playing with them ever since. His first few starts with the team were not particularly memorable.

He finished the '99 campaign with a 6.07 ERA in eight starts for Portland.

The hardest thing Bump had to go through happened last season. In early July of 2001, he underwent shoulder surgery that kept him out for the rest of the season. He was able to start this season, but only lasted five innings before he had to leave the game.

"I think it was just complications with the surgery," Bump said. "I was kind of weak as far as the stability in my shoulder, so we really tried to stabilize that. Once we did that I started feeling better."

It was about a month before Bump would start again. However, the post-rehab results were worth the wait.

He has started 10 games this season and has a 3.09 ERA in those games. He was also below 3.00 before his last start.

Bump's best start came against the Bowie Bay Sox on June 7, when he gave up one hit and one earned run in eight innings of play. He had a no hitter through seven innings of that game, yet he had to sit and watch Bowie take the game 3-2.

That has been one of the major problems for Bump this season. The Sea Dogs just cannot seem to put any runs on the board, a big reason why his record is only 1-3 at the All-Star break. His only victory came in a 4-2 win over the Altoona Curve on June 29 at Blair County Ballpark.

"He's been doing that the whole year since he got back (from injury); we just haven't been scoring any runs for him," Portland manager Eric Fox said after that win. "He pitched another fantastic game tonight."

The game in Altoona was an example of one of the nice things the '99 trade did for Bump. The Eastern League has three teams in his home state of Pennsylvania: the Harrisburg Senators, the Reading Phillies and Altoona. His parents take trips to each of these cities to see their son.

The Towanda native finds it most special when he plays in Altoona because it is less than an hour from State College and some of the people from Penn State can also come to see him play.

"I know he wanted to pitch well here in front of friends and family, and he did a hell of a job for us," Fox said.

Those friends include Nittany Lion Pitching coach Randy Ford and Penn State sports psychologist David Yukelson. Bump still keeps in contact with these two, but he has not been to University Park in about two years.

His years away from Penn State have given him a little perspective on his college career.

"I like it more now that I have been away from there for a while," Bump said looking back at college.

Reminiscing aside, Bump's primary focus continues to be his pitching career.

The hardships he has faced have taught him that he needs to look at the here and now and not too far into the future.

"I'm going to take one game at a time," Bump said. "I'm not looking into the future at all. I'm too old; if I look at the future I might get mad at myself."

No matter what happens he will always be remembered fondly in Happy Valley.