Wednesday night, as the janitor looked on from the opposite end of Holuba Hall, members of the Penn State baseball club finished a three-hour practice by running sprints.

Not simple wind sprints, but 60-yard dashes against the stopwatch. It was at this point that Penn State baseball club coach Dan Day reminded his team that these unusual drills, for a baseball team, were preparing them for an unusual weekend.

Penn State (11-3, 6-0 New Penn) plays a rare tripleheader starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Beaver Field against New Penn-newcomer Lafayette (0-4, 0-4).

"For all we know they could be the New York Yankees," Day said jokingly about the Leopards, a team the Nittany Lions did not play last season.

Lafayette's four losses to Rutgers and Pennsylvania by a combined 48-4 would say otherwise, but Penn State is preparing for anything.

This will be the third attempt Penn State makes at playing its first home game.

At this point, with just 14 games played in two months, location of venue is not a concern.

"We just want to play," Day said. "Whether we travel or we are home, it doesn't matter."

When the Lions have played this season, they have performed well. Penn State has outscored opponents 137-51, with a 95-13 edge in conference play. The team brings a nine-game win streak into this weekend.

With such overwhelming success, Penn State has the dubious task of actually having to try to stay focused.

"Coming off of the last six games, it's easy to get over-confident," Penn State pitching coach Buck Kicinski said. "[Practice] is to remind them to do what we came here to do."

Three practices per week plus time in the weight room are the tools the coaches have to use to keep players on top of their game. The three losses, still a sting to many, are reminders of what happens when they don't stay focused. In a weekend where the saying, "A team is only as good as its bench," will be more evident than ever, Penn State needs every player to be ready for any situation.

"Physically we are ready," Kicinski said. "But we have to keep mental focus. That will be the taxing part -- keeping everyone mentally sharp."

That is where the sprints fall into the equation.

The concept was simple Wednesday night: A series of intra-squad scrimmages would take place. If a pitcher walked a batter, he ran. If a batter struck out, he ran. It's just enough motivation to keep people on course and in the game.

"We are still working hard in practice," Day said. "We are still preparing like it's the first game. Even if it seems like we are punishing them, we are trying to take them to the next step."