Hours before yesterday's game, Penn State pitchers Ryan Stobart and Drew O'Neil sat in the visiting locker room getting dressed.

"Hey man," Stobart said to his teammate, "I think you tied the save record."

"Oh yeah?" O'Neil said, jokingly. "Cool."

On the mound for his team's 3-1 and 5-2 victories Saturday against Ohio State, O'Neil earned his fourth and fifth saves of the season, ushering his name into the Penn State record books. His most recent save gives him 16 for his career, passing the previous record of 15 held by former Lion Clint Eury.

O'Neil, known by his teammates as the "Save King", guided the Nittany Lions (7-14, 2-2 Big Ten) to a four-game split against the Buckeyes (12-8, 2-2 Big Ten), lowering his earned run average to 0.96. Penn State was in line for the series win, but fell to the Buckeyes in yesterday's finale, 2-0.

"I wasn't really thinking about the save record, I was just happy to get the win for the team," O'Neil said. "My fastball was working for me in the 'pen, and I just tried to go out there and do exactly what made the starters so effective which was staying to the inside of the plate."

The trip to Columbus was the first Big Ten series for the Lions. The Buckeyes tagged starting pitcher Seth Whitehill for eight runs in the first, Friday, en route to a 15-0 win.

Whitehill's performance was the only blemish on the mound for Penn State over the weekend, as starters Mike Wanamaker and Mike Lorentson both earned tight victories during Saturday's doubleheader.

After allowing less than three runs in both games, their outings paved the way for O'Neil, whose trademark tilted brim and deceiving split-finger fastball marked him on the hill.

For the series O'Neil pitched 2.3 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out three.

Last season, O'Neil was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round of the MLB draft, but was not awarded a spot on the roster, forcing the right hander to come back for another season in Happy Valley.

Though Penn State coach Robbie Wine admitted he wasn't aware of his achievement, he knows it's quite a comfort having leaders on the field.

"I think the biggest accomplishment for Drew was the fact he did this in just two years," Wine said. "Having him out there is such a benefit for us. Our team rallies behind him, because we know we have a leader in him."