Only a week ago everything was looking bleak, but the bleakness has disappeared.

The Penn State baseball team has won its last three games after losing six straight.

The Nittany Lions (14-19, 8-8 Big Ten) are heading to the Midwest to play a key four-game series against Michigan (19-16, 7-7) this weekend.

The Lions are currently slightly ahead of the Wolverines in the conference standings, as both teams have a .500 record in Big Ten play. Penn State is hanging on to the final spot for the Big Ten tournament.

"This weekend is a big weekend," Penn State left fielder Wes Reohr said. "It's a huge series, and last weekend we stepped up. Taking three of four away from home would be great."

Penn State's starting pitchers must bring their best stuff with them to Ann Arbor, as Michigan is batting .323 as a team. Leading the Wolverines is Brock Koman, who is hitting .400. The senior third baseman has 39 runs batted in, 35 runs scored and six home runs.

Joining Koman in the middle of the order is Jake Fox and Mike Sokol. Fox is hitting .362 with a team-leading 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. Sokol's average is .380 with a slugging percentage of .529 with 29 runs scored.

As good as the Wolverines' offense has been, their defense has been dismal. Michigan has the lowest fielding percentage in the Big Ten and has committed 66 errors in 35 games, slightly under two errors per game. Koman's bat covers for his lack of fielding. He has committed 17 errors, which is tops on the Wolverines.

Clayton Hamilton has been the Lions' most consistent pitcher and he will start tomorrow's game. In his four Big Ten starts, Hamilton is 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA and 19 strikeouts. The Lions' No. 2 starter, Josh Palm, has struggled in conference play, posting only one win against three losses and a 4.29 ERA. All of the Lions realize how important the games against Michigan are. Infielder Mike Milliron said that a strong four-game series would put them in control.

"It's big," Milliron said. "If we can go in and win some games, then we will put ourselves in the driver's seat."