This weekend's road trip should test every aspect of the Penn State softball team's game and will force the Nittany Lions to prove they can win any style of game.

Penn State (21-13, 3-1 Big Ten) heads to Iowa City, Iowa for games at 6 tonight and 1 p.m. tomorrow against the Hawkeyes (31-17, 6-4). Then, the Lions will pack their bags and head 250 miles east to Champaign, Ill. for a Sunday doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. against the Fighting Illini (26-16, 5-3).

Penn State will have a difficult task this weekend when it faces two opponents as different as Iowa and Illinois.

The contrast in styles between the Hawkeyes and Illini is akin to the difference between baseball in the American and National Leagues.

In this instance, Iowa would be the defensive-minded National Leaguers. The Hawkeyes rely on pitching and run-manufacturing to win games. Among the Big Ten leaders in ERA (1.98) and two other pitching categories, Iowa has allowed two runs or less in 26 of its 31 wins, including 11 shutouts.

Illinois, on the other hand, invites slugfests with a lineup as powerful as any offense in the country. At times, the Illini have used the longball to score at will -- last season, a walk-off grand slam to secure a sweep of Penn State.

Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said that last year's classic finish has become the norm in the annual series.

"Penn State is experienced and has a lot of confidence and talent," Sullivan said. "Every year we've been in the conference, we've had good battles with them because they're always a good, balanced team."

The Illini, meanwhile, lead the entire NCAA in slugging percentage and dominate in home runs (71, six more than second place). They also rank amongst the nation's elite in runs scored (6.8 per game) and batting average.

Sullivan attributed her squad's offensive outpouring to experience and increased discipline at the plate -- the Illini lead the Big Ten in walks.

"We're dedicated. We work day in and day out on making ourselves better complete players," Sullivan said. "Probably, most importantly has been our confidence at the pate. Our confidence grew the most and now we expect to hit, but you're only as good as your next game so we can't sit on our stats."

Illinois' dominance in the Big Ten is even more impressive than its national ranking. The Illini lead the conference in eight offensive categories and boast four of the top-10 players in home runs, RBI, total bases, runs and slugging percentage.

With the mind-boggling numbers being posted by the Illinois bats and the Iowa pitchers, opponents can become intimidated. But, Penn State pitcher/utility player Jenn Reynolds said the Lions are up for the challenge.

"We have been hitting the ball really well, so we're ready to go out and battle against Iowa's pitching," she said. "Against Illinois, we [pitchers] just obviously need to hit our spots and pitch with control. And we have a great defense, too, so we're ready for both challenges this weekend."