Penn State and Northwestern have taken similar paths to this weekend's Big Ten series, which begins at 4 p.m. today in Evanston, Ill. But both sit in different positions in the conference standings.

The Nittany Lions faced their toughest early-season schedule in years. A 20-game non-conference road trip that included games against powerhouses Tulane and Arizona State was maybe too tough, Penn State head coach Robbie Wine now admits.

Northwestern coach Paul Stevens pitted the Wildcats against equally formidable opponents, like top-25 team Kentucky, along the course of its own 20-game road non-conference season.

The thinking of both coaches was to prepare their teams for Big Ten play by facing some of the nation's best. Heading into conference play, the records of Penn State (4-16) and Northwestern (3-15) reflected the level of competition.

"They started off the season the way we did," Penn State center fielder Garrett Field said.

But now?

"They got on track in time for Big Tens, so hopefully we can steal some of their momentum," Field said.

The Wildcats (12-20, 9-3 Big Ten) are currently in first place in the Big Ten, taking three out of four games in each Big Ten series against Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Penn State (11-23, 5-7) is tied for seventh in the conference, one game back of Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.

All of those teams are tied for fourth with .500 records.

"We always think of it as we're one good series away from being in third place," first baseman Cory Wine said. "Once you get to that spot, you want to keep moving up to second and first. We just need to go out and try to win three or four."

The Lions are coming off a split at home with Michigan State that featured three extra-inning games and a win in the bottom of the ninth of the final game of the four-game series.

Penn State averaged almost eight runs per game during the weekend.

"Last couple games we put up 10 runs or so," right fielder Brian Ernst said. "We're going to try to do that again."

Penn State also gave up an average of just under nine runs last weekend, most of them earned by a bullpen that was left depleted by series end, forcing shortstop Scott Gaffney to assume pitching duties, which he had done sparingly last season.

"Guys were worn out," Penn State pitching coach Jason Bell said. "But we'll be rested up and fully loaded down there, ready to go."

The Lions will start Alan Stidfole, Mark Wyner and Craig Clark, along with Seth Whitehill, who will be making consecutive Big Ten starts for the first time in his career.

Northwestern, meanwhile, boasts starting pitchers Dan Brauer and George Kontos, two juniors that Bell said give the Wildcats a chance to win whenever they are on the mound.

Brauer, who leads the Big Ten in strikeouts, Kontos and reliever Dan Schwartz have accounted for more than half of the innings pitched by all Northwestern pitchers this year.

The Penn State coaching staff is also concerned with the amount of errors the team has committed lately: eight against Michigan State, and 11 in a four-game set versus Iowa two weekends ago.

"Offensively, [Northwestern] has got some guys that can hurt you if you make mistakes," Bell said. "The one thing we need to cut down on is giving them extra outs. They're the type of team that you give them five outs in an inning, they're going to take advantage of it. We have to limit our errors and just play solid baseball."

Notes

Robbie Wine was on a recruiting trip and absent from practice this week ... Cory Wine is batting .422 in his last 13 games ... Gaffney has a career-long 10-game hitting streak.