It seems almost like a cruel trick, an unfortunate twist of fate.

Just as the temperatures began to rise and the calendar turned, it snowed again.

Because of the vast amounts of winter weather, the Penn State baseball team has seen eight games canceled so far this season. Its first two series of the year, a two-game set at Charlotte on Feb. 16 and a three-game tilt at Virginia the following weekend, were called off due to snow and rain.

To make up for the lost contests, the Nittany Lions added an extra game to their April 1 series against Bucknell, which was ironically canceled because of snowfall. Penn State also added an extra game to its April 30 matchup with James Madison.

Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang has said all season that the current format to collegiate baseball imposes a West Coast and Southern bias against schools in the northeast region. Teams in the warmer climates can begin practice and can start playing outside several months before their northern counterparts.

After seeing their first two series canceled, the Lions opened their 2003 slate at Arizona State, which stood at No. 4 in the polls and had already played 22 games.

At his pre-season press conference on the eve of the trip to Tempe, Ariz., Hindelang likened the Lions' situation to having the Philadelphia Phillies open against a seasoned Arizona Diamondbacks team and the daunting duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. He now laughs and says that the baseball team faces a situation like outdoor practice for the basketball team.

"It's almost like asking the basketball team to practice outside," Hindelang said. "It's like saying, 'O.K., you've got these nice, warm, indoor facilities, but you have to go practice outside."

Penn State senior second baseman and tri-captain Mike DeRenzo said that the unusually cold weather makes it difficult for fielders and for players to keep their arms loose in the field. He also said that mid-week games are a valuable tool to hitters, allowing them to face opposing pitchers and get live at-bats.

"Going back and forth from warm to cold, your arm's not as loose for throwing," DeRenzo said. "But that's just the reality of Big Ten baseball."

While the lost games present an interesting situation for fielders, Penn State pitching coach Randy Ford said the cold weather isn't too hard for pitchers, but rather for the other eight fielders who see much more sporadic action.

"We haven't had any weather where the [pitchers] haven't been able to work up a sweat," Ford said. "Once you get to the point where you can get a little sweat going, you're going to be alright."

Similarly, the uncertain schedule hasn't had an adverse affect on the pitcher's mentalities. With snow on the ground and a start looming, Ford says a pitcher must continue to approach the game as if he's starting and wait to relax until someone makes the decision to cancel the game.

"I think it's an obstacle you have to deal with," Ford said. "You always go into it with the idea it's going to be played. It's a lot like a relief pitcher."

After Sunday's game against Ohio State at Beaver Field, Hindelang laughed at a question about how cold and windy the series had been and if it would continue to be a problem.

"I can control many things," Hindelang said, "but the weather isn't one of them."