Control was not something that the Penn State baseball team's pitchers had this weekend.

In the three-game series against No. 4 Arizona State, Nittany Lion pitchers surrendered 26 walks and hit seven batters in addition to the 40 hits they gave up.

Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said that he hoped in the first weekend outside that control wouldn't be a problem, but he expected it.

"Everyone pitched, from seniors to freshmen," Hindelang said. "Everyone got their feet wet, some did better than others. We struggled with control."

Hindelang attributed the high number of hit batsman to a couple of different reasons. He said that part of the problem was due to the lack of control.

Hindelang added that throwing inside is a part of college baseball and sometimes a hit batter happens. In college baseball, some players are coached to lean into pitches, Hindelang said. Many of the Arizona State players tend to stand very close to the plate, so the Lions were trying to keep them honest by throwing inside.

Sophomore Josh Palm, who pitched four innings on Sunday, said that it happens when throwing inside to opposing players.

"The one time a pitch got away from me," Palm said. "One time a changeup slipped out of my hand and there was nothing I could do."

Hindelang felt that everyone who pitched on Sunday did a good job, which left him with a good taste in his mouth. Palm threw four innings and gave up five runs while walking three batters. Jim Farrell pitched two innings and gave up five runs. Despite the fact that the Lions gave up 10 runs combined between Farrell and Palm, Hindelang said that the game remained close, before the Sun Devils won 11-7.

"It was competitive from the first pitch of the game to the last pitch of the game," Hindelang said.

Palm said that the pitchers' biggest problem was falling behind the hitters. When a pitcher falls into a hitters' count, he is forced to throw fastballs and that's when batters have the advantage.

The pitchers were anxious to get outside and finally pitch, which contributed to the inconsistencies with control.

"It's tough to stay within yourself," Palm said. "Sometimes you try to do too much, or to make the perfect pitch."

Hindelang said the transition from the turf to the dirt has been a factor for his pitchers. He said that going from a moveable fiberglass mound inside to a dirt mound outdoors, and from sneakers to spikes takes time to adjust.

Despite their lack of control this weekend, Hindelang remains optimistic that the pitchers will improve and grow from their experience on the West Coast.