Early in March, during a spring break swing through Texas, Penn State catcher Matt Harter got crossed up by a pitch and ended up taking a fastball squarely on his wrist.

The impact of baseball on bone was pretty savage and, initially, Harter's teammates feared the worst, namely a broken wrist that would sideline Harter for a considerable amount of the season.

But they were forgetting one important thing. This was Matt Harter that got hit, and Matt Harter doesn't miss games.

Harter recovered and didn't miss a beat. Big surprise.

Harter has been a rock behind the plate his entire career for the Lions (16-12) and tonight at 7 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md., near the home of the Maryland Terrapins (16-18), Harter will once again lead the Lions into battle on the road.

It will be Harter's 28th start in 29 games this season after starting 56 of last season's 57 games, remarkable statistics for a catcher.

"He's a workhorse, he's just an animal," Lions ace Sean Stidfole said. "I don't know how many other teams have catchers like him, guys that can catch both games of a doubleheader and things like that."

In this past weekend's four-game series versus Northwestern, Harter had a tough time at the plate. He did hit two home runs, including a game winner, but that was about it. Overall he went 3-14 and struck out six times.

But that barely matters. The true measure of Harter's value was put clearly into focus during Saturday's second game. After catching 18 grueling innings, Harter still had enough left in the tank to hit the last pitch of the game out of the ballpark.

That just shows that Harter's value to the team can't be measured in stats. It's the intangibles; it's the defense and most of all it's being able to always know that No. 5 will always be ready to go, no matter what.

"Catching 18 innings like that, its pretty draining," Harter said. "The coaches help you out. They start to call the pitches and things like that, but I can't say it's easy."

Tonight against Maryland, the Lions will especially need Harter as they send freshman Craig Clark to the mound for only his second start.

"It's very important for Craig to have an experienced catcher like Matt," Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said. "Matt's been through the wars, and he's very calm; he was a freshman once too, and he knows what Craig is going through."

In the Terrapins, Clark will be facing a struggling team. They are 2-10 in ACC play and were just swept by N.C. State this weekend. However, Maryland will be no pushover.

"Can you imagine being in the ACC?" Hindelang said. "It's N.C. State one week, then Clemson, then Florida State. It just never ends. They're a fine team, and it'll be a tough game."

Maryland does have a potent lineup. Four Terrapins are hitting over .300 and one, Brian Jarosinski, has hit 12 home runs this season.

For Penn State, with a freshman pitcher on the mound and a crucial Big Ten series at Minnesota looming on the horizon, nothing is certain.

"It's human nature not to be as up for a non-conference game like this," Hindelang said. "But it's still a game, and we want to win. We will go after Maryland as hard as we can."