Lance Thompson isn't the most imposing person when he strides into the batter's box.

Opposing pitchers are more likely to sweat when they see the conventional heart of the Penn State baseball team's lineup step up to the plate. And with their dimensions, it's hard to blame them.

Designated hitter Scott Gummo is a hulking 6-foot-1, 240 pounds. First baseman Clint Eury stands at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and intimidates at the plate and on the mound as a closer. Catcher Matt Harter, who has rotated in and out of the cleanup spot, has a 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame.

So one can imagine when all 5-feet, 8-inches, and 175 pounds of Thompson comes to bat somewhere in the middle of those three that he might get overlooked. Don't tell that to Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang.

"When he comes up to the plate, I get all excited," Hindelang said. "He's rarely fooled on a pitch; he doesn't really swing at bad pitches, but he had been at the beginning of the season."

Despite some early struggles, Thompson, a sophomore left fielder, has picked up both his offensive and defensive play since the Big Ten season began two weekends ago, cementing a solid spot in the lineup.

"It's really boosting my confidence," Thompson said of his recent play. "Coming into [the Big Ten season] I wasn't hitting too well, but I'm seeing the ball real well and being aggressive at the plate."

With Penn State down 4-2 in the final frame with two outs in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Thompson singled home Mike Milliron to start an improbable Penn State rally. Thompson crossed the plate as the tying run on Harter's walk-off home run just a batter later.

"His hands are so quick," Hindelang said. "His brain knows that he can wait for the ball to be on top of him before he makes his decision. So he walks a lot because he can wait longer. He has given us an added dimension that he gave us last season."

Last season, Thompson led the Lions as a freshman in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage -- .357, .455 and .591, respectively. What had been a concern last year was his fielding. And while he has three errors this season, Hindelang said that his overall defense is much improved.

"He came back from the summer and he lost significant weight," he said. "We didn't tell him to. His speed picked up and defensively; he's become very good. He's in great shape and has been taking care of his body."

Last season Thompson rarely played in the field because the coaches were concerned about his defensive play. This season, however, the situation has reversed entirely as he has been brought in occasionally as a defensive replacement.

"They told me I needed to improve myself in the field if I wanted to play out there," Thompson said.

And with his improvement comes more attention from opposing pitchers. Because as he's proven so far, if he gets overlooked in the lineup, he's going to make teams pay.