In preseason practice inside Holuba Hall, Robbie Wine knew something had clicked within Jordan Steranka.

Wine made a point of going to his freshman third baseman and making sure he understood his role and his potential impact on the Penn State baseball team.

"Young guys don't know their role, where they fit into the club," Wine said. "But I wanted him to know that he's got a chance at breaking some records here. I think from that point on, he kind of relaxed and he's just playing his game."

Steranka's game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth against Bucknell Wednesday night capped off a night in which he reached base all six times and recorded four hits for the second consecutive game.

He picked up two RBI on a triple in the bottom of the second to help pad Penn State's early lead. And when the Nittany Lions fell behind, mounted a comeback and tied things up, the first-year left-handed hitter stepped up to the plate in the ninth and prevented extra innings.

Southpaw Russell Seidell stood on the mound for Bucknell in the game-deciding situation, but even with the lefty-lefty matchup, Steranka thought his earlier success might prompt a free pass. Instead, a first-pitch breaking ball sat right where he wanted it.

"I knew they would come after me my first couple at-bats," Steranka said. "But I was kind of surprised at the end there they didn't walk me. They made a mistake with the ball up, and I hit it pretty well."

The final hit nearly bumped Steranka's average up to the .400 mark. He entered the game ranked 11th in the Big Ten in hitting with a .374 average and raised it to .396 against the Bison.

Tuesday at practice, Steranka spoke about how well he's been seeing the ball at the plate lately, and it continued Tuesday as he extended his hitting streak to 13 games.

"I've got a lot of confidence right now and the ball seems really big," he said. "So I'm really relaxed up there."

Junior relief pitcher David Lutz praised his first-year teammate for his work ethic, adding that Steranka has put in a lot of work in the batting cages.

"I'll tell you what, it's awesome to watch, and it's as enjoyable from the dugout as it is from the stands," Lutz said with a laugh. "He's always been a hard worker and everything since he's been here in the fall.

"So I mean it's just great to see him succeeding."