The top two teams in the final conference standings earn a first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament, with Purdue already claiming one spot by clinching the Big Ten championship and No. 1-seed in the tournament.

“It’s our biggest weekend of the year,” Bucciferro said. “So we’ve got to come out with the same approach we have all year — it’s one game at a time, it’s one pitch at a time, it’s one at-bat at a time.”

Bucciferro, who sports a 5-3 record, said his job is to go deep enough into the game that the wear and tear on the bullpen is kept to a minimum. Having won seven of their last nine outings, the Spartans are confident and focused on execution heading into this critical series, he said.

Earning that all-important tournament bye for the second year in a row is the primary goal for MSU in its final series of the season. No matter how the Spartans fare against the Nittany Lions, they might still need help from sixth-place Ohio State, which travels to Indiana for a weekend series.

“Certainly, it’s big to get the bye; anytime you can save an arm, you feel pretty good about it,” head coach Jake Boss Jr. said. “And we’re going to need to play well this weekend — Penn State’s hot right now, they’re playing very well.”

Playing a high stakes series such as this helps build momentum for the Spartans rather than playing a Big Ten bottom-feeder as they head into tournament play as early as May 23, junior second baseman Ryan Jones said.

“I think it helps us big time,” Jones said. “When we get to the Big Ten (Tournament), you can’t take a game off or you’re done. We know every team in the Big Ten is tough, and they can beat you on any given day.”

Like many of his teammates, Jones is taking the one game, one pitch at a time approach, but said if MSU plays well enough, a sweep of the Nittany Lions could be in the cards.

Aside from an extra day of rest for the players, the bye gives MSU an opportunity to watch and scout other potential matchups’ play in the first round, Jones said.

“If we (don’t) get it, I think we’re a good enough ball club to run the table as a three- or four-seed, but we’re looking to get that two-seed for sure,” he said.

Despite its position in second place, Penn State is last in the conference in team batting with a .252 team average, in addition to being the third worst in team fielding.

One Nittany Lion who could be a difference maker this weekend is first baseman Jordan Steranka, who has the second-most long balls in the Big Ten (10), behind only Michigan’s Coley Crank.
Steranka leads the conference in doubles, is third in hits and also boasts a .364 batting average, good enough for third best in the Big Ten.

First pitch for Friday’s game two is scheduled for 3:05 p.m., and Saturday’s game three starts at noon.

“We’ll be at home, hopefully in front of some good crowds and good weather,” Boss said. “We’re definitely going to need to play well to get momentum going into the tournament and get that bye.”