"Take nothing for granted."

Words written in neat, black marker on the underside of Clayton Hamilton's hat bill. More than that, though -- a mantra. Important enough for the Penn State pitcher to see it every time he takes the field.

"I've had it all year and I've had it before, it's not like a recent addition," he said. "You never know when the last day you could play will be."

And while the saying isn't a new addition for Hamilton, his current role on the Penn State baseball team certainly is. The big right-hander is accustomed to being one of the top starters in the Nittany Lions' rotation, but during last weekend's series with Purdue, Hamilton spent his time with the bullpen.

"It's tough for me," Hamilton said. "You're a starter and I've been a starter my whole career. It's tough to relieve, just for your arm. It's tough to adjust from pacing yourself through seven innings and then going just a couple innings at a time."

This, despite getting drafted last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates and deciding to return to Penn State for his senior season.

But while Hamilton has the talent that major league scouts have noticed, his stats have never been overwhelming, with his career ERA standing at 5.95 entering this season.

Despite a strong start in a Penn State win against Virginia in the second game of the season, Hamilton's ERA currently stands at 6.84. He has allowed 19 earned runs in 25 innings.

After allowing just three runs in his first two starts in a total of 10.1 innings, in his next four starts Hamilton gave up 15 runs in 13 innings, never making it out of the fourth inning.

Still, Hamilton has been a starter for the majority of his career at Penn State, getting the nod 24 times in his first three seasons of collegiate ball.

Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said that the starters are picked on a performance basis, and that pitching in relief gives Hamilton the best chance to get back into the rotation.

"Clayton's been struggling, we believe, as a starter," Hindelang said. "We named the four starters for [last] weekend, and we had him in relief so this is an opportunity for him to get back on track."

In the series-opener against the Boilermakers on Friday, Hamilton came on in the seventh inning and pitched the rest of the way in a 7-3 Purdue win. Hamilton threw 2.2 innings, allowing one run and two hits, but didn't have his best control, hitting two batters in the ninth.

"I was a little wild today," Hamilton said after the first game. "It's tough going to the pen and adjusting. I don't think I threw as many pitches as I normally would warming up. But I felt good."

Hindelang said he thought Hamilton's performance was around a six or a seven on a scale of 10, but said the staff is looking for more.

"He worked hard, he was into the game," Hindelang said. "But we believe he has dominating ability and we're waiting for some of that to surface more frequently. It's up to him to get himself back. Clayton needs now to perform when whatever he's asked to do and showcase himself to get back into the thick of things. And that's what his goal certainly is -- to be a starter."

Hamilton said that despite the move, he has tried not to think much about it and let his pitching do his talking.

"I try to just pitch and try not to worry about that kind of stuff," he said. "When you worry about that is when your mind is off what you're supposed to be thinking about and then you're not doing your job. My job is to go out there, pitch my best and that's what I'm going to leave it at. Just try and do my best no matter when I'm out there."

The Lions next game is tomorrow against St. Bonaventure at Beaver Field, and the possibility exists for Hamilton to start that game. With Hindelang using Jared Hopewell, Alan Stidfole and two other pitchers in the Boilermaker's 18-2 win on Sunday, the list of candidates to start tomorrow shrinks. As for Hamilton, he expressed hope last Friday that he would get the nod against the Bonnies, but he said he will accept the coaches' decision regardless of what happens.

"Do I want to get back in [the rotation]?" he said. "Yeah, I do. That's where I feel fits me best and I just want to help the team out any way I can."