Jim Farrell isn't accustomed to this.

Going back to his days pitching at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo., Farrell is used to winning. From Regis Jesuit to Otero Junior College to arriving in Happy Valley last year, Farrell's worst record to end the season was 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA.

And after a junior campaign at Penn State for which he was named to the All-Big Ten third team with a 7-3 record, Farrell was rewarded this season by being made the Nittany Lions' No. 1 starter.

But pitching on Fridays this year has been anything but rewarding.

After 10 starts, Farrell's record is 2-7, he has a 5.87 ERA, and he has dropped his last five decisions. His last win was March 20.

The Lions will face Illinois (16-21, 7-9 Big Ten) this weekend, and as the season draws to a close every game and every start becomes critical.

It's with this in mind that Farrell takes the hill tonight in Champaign to try to turn around his season.

"For me, I'm halfway through the Big Ten season and I haven't been doing as well as I wanted to," Farrell said. "It's basically gut-check time and the team needs me to do well. For us to be successful I have to put some games together, so if I stay back and have a good outing [tonight], I think I'll be alright."

The Lions (20-18, 9-7) are coming off of a disappointing two-game home split with last-place Iowa last weekend, with Farrell taking the loss in Friday's game.

Still, Penn State trails Big Ten leaders Michigan and Minnesota by just a game, and is tied with Ohio State and Purdue for third.

While the Lions are still in the thick of things, the logjam in the standings means there is precious little room for error in the final 17 games of the regular season.

And if Farrell finds his 2003 form, it would go a long way to helping Penn State's postseason aspirations.

Based on what he saw last Friday, Penn State baseball coach Joe Hindelang said part of Farrell's problems stem from his mechanics.

"He is struggling," Hindelang said after the loss to Iowa. "Mechanically, he was rushing and wasn't getting to a real good balance position. His elbow isn't getting above his shoulder and he's shot-putting the ball. And when that's the case, he's not going to get the downward break to his real good slider."

Apart from that, Farrell has been consistently facing tougher competition this season, including every other Big Ten team's ace. Last season, Farrell made most of his starts on Sundays, often against a team's fourth starter.

"Going on Fridays, it's a great honor, but I haven't taken advantage of it," Farrell said.

But he still has time.