The Penn State Nittany Lions ran the gauntlet of Top 25 teams last week, taking down the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers 3-2 before dropping all three games on the road to the No. 15 UCLA Bruins. Here are the biggest storylines from last week.
Bubble chances seemingly out the door
After getting swept by the Bruins last weekend, the Nittany Lions are no longer likely to earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament with three weeks left in the regular season. As a team that is 25-17 overall and a member of the Big Ten, Penn State won't be given much leeway, especially considering who they have beaten so far this year.
The Nittany Lions are 3-5 against Quadrant 1 teams, according to WarrenNolan. Their signature Big Ten series win was against Indiana on the weekend of March 7-9 at home, and since then, Penn State has struggled to put together resume-building victories.
Prepping for the postseason
Each game last week felt like a win-or-go-home situation for the Nittany Lions, especially with the first two contests. Their game against No. 17 West Virginia last Tuesday was a back-and-forth defensive battle with strikeout after strikeout. On Friday, when one team struck, the other struck back as it came down to the bottom of the ninth inning. No. 15 UCLA walked off Penn State via a fielding error to first base with the bases loaded and one out, which felt like a true NCAA Regional elimination game.
Signs of growth from year to year
Despite getting swept and going 1-3 overall last week, Penn State showed growth with the way they competed in three of the four games. The victory over the Mountaineers last Tuesday was the Nittany Lions' first ranked win under head coach Mike Gambino. The Bruins' sweep of the Nittany Lions was just the first time Penn State was swept this season, and the Nittany Lions have only been swept twice in two years in the Mike Gambino era.
Chasing history as a program
The Nittany Lions have been killer on the base path this season, leading the Big Ten in stolen bases with 90. Penn State ranks 36th at the NCAA Division I level in stolen bases, tying with Belmont, Jacksonville State, Kent State, and Tarleton State. As for the program itself, the Nittany Lions are now one steal away from tying the Penn State single-season team record at 91, which was set in 2000. With 11 games left in the regular season, the Nittany Lions are well on their way to clearing that mark.