Rob Yodice noticed something different about his teammates on the Penn State baseball team during practice this week.

"I think guys are a little more comfortable now that we've played seven games," the Nittany Lions' junior catcher said. "Everybody is pretty upbeat and positive."

Upsetting the then-No. 1 team in the land may have a little to do with that, too.

A week after giving North Carolina its first loss early in the season, and nearly doing it again, Penn State will look to keep those smiles going against another team currently in the top 25.

The Lions will kick off a three-game set against the No. 25 Wichita State Shockers at 4 p.m. today in Wichita, Kan. Both teams will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Today's contest will also mark the beginning of a taxing eight-day stretch that will see Penn State (2-5) play seven games -- all on the road -- in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Although, after last weekend's performance against the top-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, the Lions may be starting to relish the visitors' role they have been regulated to all season long.

"It definitely gives us a boost," junior outfielder Brian Ernst said. "Anytime you go into a venue like that, with the No. 1 team in the country, and not only knock them off once, but play them tough for all three games, [it] speaks volumes about our team.

"Our confidence is definitely high after that series."

One thing that doesn't have the Lions' smiling, however, is the amount of errors the team has committed throughout its first seven games.

In last Sunday's rubber match with North Carolina, Penn State was in a position to steal a second victory and win the weekend series. But three errors nixed any thoughts of that and ultimately allowed the Heels to eke out the series-clinching 5-4 decision.

The Lions have made 12 errors this year -- eight of them coming in four games during opening weekend -- while their opponents have been guilty of committing 15.

If there is a silver lining to be found in all of Penn State's fielding gaffs, it's that it has seen much improvement in the fielding department, which has caused the total errors to slowly drop off.

"The more we get outside, the better we are going to be," Ernst said.

Ernst noted that fielding ground balls and pop-ups in Holuba Hall has protected the Lions from Happy Valley's harsh weather, but it has put them at a disadvantage because the hops and bounces off of the turf are far different than the ones they receive on a real diamond.

"You can't compare anything to an actual field," he said. "The more we get to play outside though, the better [we'll get at] fielding."