Everything just seems to be going in favor of the red-hot Penn State baseball team.

Over the past two weeks, the streaking Nittany Lions (16-19, 9-5 Big Ten) have erased the unsavory memory of their 2-12 start by winning eight of their last 10 games.

They will look to add another victory -- and inch ever so closer to the .500 mark -- against intrastate foe Duquesne at 5:05 tonight at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Lions have enjoyed complete and utter dominance in the series that began in 1948, losing only three of the 46 all-time meetings and winning the last eight against the rival Dukes.

More importantly, Penn State has posted a 7-1 record against conference opponents and moved into sole possession of third place in the Big Ten standings, just behind perennial frontrunners Michigan and Minnesota, during its two-week run.

"We're sitting pretty," sophomore first baseman Cory Wine said.

The last 14 days haven't gone without a setback for the Lions, however.

After winning its first conference series in two seasons against Michigan State two weekends ago, Penn State served as host to Mount Saint Mary's for a mid-week tilt last Wednesday.

In the first meeting between the two schools in 102 years, the Mountaineers slugged 16 hits and scored the same amount of runs en route to a 16-8 win -- the Lions' worst home loss in their short time at The Med.

"No one is as pumped for mid-week and non-conference games as they are for Big Ten games," sophomore relief pitcher Drew O'Neil said, "so it's kind of scary when you go out there and play like we did last week."

Granted, Penn State started freshman right-handed pitcher Kayle Sickler, who surrendered six runs after just two innings in his first career start, against Mount Saint Mary's and rebounded from the blowout to sweep Northwestern this past weekend, but it still didn't make the lopsided loss acceptable.

Even though tonight's matchup with Duquesne has no effect on their place in the Big Ten, a loss would most certainly be upsetting while a win would most certainly keep the Lions' current momentum alive as they near the crucial homestretch of the conference schedule.

"We need to get that Duquesne game and keep rolling at Indiana [this weekend]," Wine said.

Despite last week's loss against Mount Saint Mary's, Penn State head coach Robbie Wine is not changing his approach to the mid-week game with the Dukes.

This season, Robbie Wine has viewed the non-conference contests coming in the middle of week as an opportunity to give in-game experience to younger players. He will do the same tonight, and will especially have his eye on some of the youngsters in the bullpen that didn't make any appearances during the recent sweep of the Wildcats.

"The guys that didn't pitch, they better step up," Robbie Wine said. "This is an opportunity for them to show us what they have."