This early in the season, Penn State baseball coach Robbie Wine is more concerned with coming up with a definitive starting lineup than whether his team wins or loses.

The Nittany Lions (0-3) began the season with three different lineups in three losses to No. 10 Tulane last weekend. Twenty-five players saw at least some playing time against one of the country's best teams.

During this weekend's Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C., Wine expects to use one group against three different opponents. The Lions face host team East Carolina at 5 p.m. today, North Carolina State at 10 a.m. tomorrow and West Virginia at 10 a.m. Sunday.

"We're going to solidify a lineup," Wine said from the temperate climate of Holuba Hall where the Lions practice. "There was a lot of things that went on last weekend. We just wanted to see what guys were made of. We realized that some of the freshmen weren't quite ready yet, and I think in the same aspect, we have some older guys that maybe started wondering where they stand with the team."

One older guy that had an impressive weekend was senior left fielder Lance Thompson, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week for his performance in the three games against the Green Wave, in which he batted .417 with a home run.

Thompson believes that it was important to get the young players experience against Tulane but is looking forward to a consistent lineup.

"If I know who I'm batting after, who's batting before me, I can better prepare for what I'm going to need to do or what's going to be expected of me in my at bat," Thompson said, using himself as an example.

The Lions plan to use different combinations in the field, but the same group of players each game. Either sophomore Brian Ernst or junior Travis Laird will start in center field, depending on who is the designated hitter. Outfielder Matt Lewis can fill the designated hitter spot if not playing the field, as can catchers Joe Blackburn and Aaron Greenfield, who are currently battling for the starting catcher's role, which Wine said he hopes to solidify this weekend.

"We're going to go with what I hope to be our main lineup," Wine said. "The order may change a little bit, but we're going to put a combination of offense and defense out there and we're going to let it go."

The Lions are not only looking to cement a batting order and defensive lineup but also improve pitching. Wine plans to keep last weekend's three-man rotation of senior Alan Stidfole, sophomore Mark Wyner and junior Craig Clark, but would like to see all the pitchers cut down on walks, which were prevalent last weekend.

Wyner, tomorrow's probable starter against No. 20 North Carolina State (9-1), played last season for the Mountaineers (3-0), who the Lions face Sunday.

"It's going to be nice seeing everybody," Wyner said, but added he only talks to a few of his ex-teammates every now and then. "If I get a chance to pitch in that game, it's just another game, it's another team, it's no one special."

He is more concerned with seizing the opportunity to get better against quality opponents, as is his coach.

"Win, lose or draw, if we play solid baseball," Wine said, "we hit cutoffs, we get bunts down, catch pop-ups, the routine fundamentals. If that happens, we'll be happy. And I think if we do that we'll win."