VESTAL, N.Y. - Winners of four in a row and five of six, Binghamton baseball heads to University Park to face Big Ten member Penn State on Wednesday. The Bearcats (7-14) and Nittany Lions (11-12) will play a single game at 6:30 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

After a sluggish start to the 2016 season, BU has responded with strong play of late. Over the weekend, BU swept a three-game series at Maine to open America East play with a 3-0 mark. It was the first time in the program's Division I tenure that it swept a series in Orono. In the last six games (5-1), BU's pitching staff has posted a miniscule 0.67 earned run average.

Senior second baseman Reed Gamache is hitting .381 in that six-game stretch and sophomore catcher Jason Agresti and junior first baseman Brendan Skidmore each have six RBI over that same span. The Bearcats have four players with double-digit RBI totals for the season: Gamache (17), Skidmore (15), senior third baseman David Schanz (11) and second-year shortstop Paul Rufo (11). Skidmore and junior outfielder Darian Herncane share the team lead with four home runs apiece.

The Bearcats' team defense has also been stellar. Binghamton ranks 18th in the nation with a .979 fielding percentage and the team has turned 19 double plays in 21 games (63rd in nation). Agresti and junior Eddie Posavec have combined to throw out 15 of 34 baserunners with Agresti nailing half of those attempting to steal.

Freshman Nick Gallagher (1-2, 9.28 ERA) will be the first of a predetermined series of pitchers who will throw at Penn State. He pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win in last Tuesday's 14-2 victory over Bucknell. 

Binghamton and Penn State have played once before - on April 4, 2012. The visiting Bearcats lost 8-2 in that game, also played in University Park. The teams were scheduled to play last April but weather forced a cancelation.

With its 6-1 home win over Youngstown State on Tuesday, Penn State is off to its best start since the 2011 season. The team's pitching ERA is 3.48. The Nittany Lions have limited eight opponents to three runs or fewer. The team is 4-2 in one-run games - already a higher total than all of last season.

This spring, PSU started 2-6 but has won nine of its last 14. They are 5-1 at home. The 2016 team returned five position starters and 13 pitchers from an 18-win season of a year ago.