Earlier this season, Furman coach Ron Smith talked about the Penn State baseball team before a weekend set, saying, "their record is no indication of how good they really are."

Heading into Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions are 4-16, so it would be hard to believe that after 20 games their record wouldn't be an indicator of how good they are.

Until, that is, a look is given to the schedule that the Lions have played over the last month and change. Their non-conference schedule was bookended by trips to No. 24 Tulane and No. 10 Arizona State, both squads that were in the College World Series last season.

But, Penn State's toughest trip so far may have come two weeks ago against Smith's Furman team, when the Lions had a 10-hour bus ride to Greenville, S.C., and arrived at their hotel at 1 a.m. -- 13 hours before the start of a doubleheader.

"I've put them through a very, very tough schedule this season," Penn State coach Robbie Wine said. "The trip down to Furman was brutal ... but we are going to have to face that somewhere if we want to be that championship team."

Penn State is 1-6 in one-run games, a stat that might have something to do with the tough non-conference schedule. The Lions' opponents' record during it was 194-124 (.610). Compare that to rival Ohio State's opponents' win percentage (.509) and that might explain the Buckeyes' 11-6 record. Plus, the Lions haven't played a game within 500 miles of Happy Valley.

But this is the life of a baseball team above the Sun Belt.

"I wasn't worried about record, and I told them that it's how we've been competing game-in and game-out, and that's been there," Wine said. "We haven't made clutch hits. We haven't made clutch pitches, but that happens. Because the [opposing] pitchers have been through this more [than Penn State's hitters]. Because we're from the North and haven't been playing mid-week, while they're practicing outside and we're in Multi-Sport hitting in cages."

What the Lions can count on is that their pitching staff will be well-tested and mentally prepared when the conference season opens tomorrow against Minnesota, as they have been in just about every situation.

Senior Alan Stidfole leads the staff with 36 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA, while the No. 2 starter at the beginning of the season, junior Craig Clark, has struggled a bit with a 6.45 ERA and an 0-4 record. Still, he leads the team in strikeout-to-walk ratio at almost a 4.5-1 and has saved a few runs with his tremendous pick-off move, nailing three baserunners this season.

In the bullpen, the opening day closer, Gary Amato, has left a lot to be desired with a five-plus ERA in 9.2 innings. Amato has been solid at keeping runners off the bases, but when they have gotten on, he has had a hard time keeping them from scoring. Though he has allowed only 13 baserunners, he has been tagged with six earned runs.

But Amato's struggles have been negated by the presence of a cagey veteran, junior Matt Ogrodnik, and the breakout performance by freshman Scott Kelley. Ogrodnik has been especially solid with a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances.

"I like where we're at right now," Penn State pitching coach Jason Bell said. "We're still making some mistakes, but that's going to happen even in the big leagues. A catcher's going to set up outside and a pitch is going to go inside. Physical mistakes are going to happen. Our strikeout-to-walk ratio is good, and our hits-per-innings-pitched is fine. We just have to avoid the mental mistakes."

With the difficult schedule, the Lions still believe they are contenders for the conference crown, but with a record that's 12 games under .500, could this team actually be ahead of last year's squad?

"By far, by far," Wine said. "There is more talent on this team, and we're further ahead. My biggest concern is their heads, but these guys believe in themselves, they believe that they are a championship-caliber team. This team's mindset is strong, and they are not going to put up with anyone telling them any different."