The success of the first two years of the Mike Gambino era raised expectations for Penn State baseball to levels we haven’t seen in a long time. Between making waves with earning the commitment of star Japanese prospect Genei Sato, the success of Dollar Dog Night bringing record crowds, and the founding of a new student section, all signs pointed towards a steady ascent for a long-dormant program.

“We think this is the deepest roster we’ve had here, and it’s the toughest schedule,” Gambino said a few weeks ago after the team’s home opener against St. John’s. “This is the first schedule that really gives us a real chance, as far as the RPI goes, to get in, which is something I’ve really been pushing hard on.”

But progress isn’t always linear, and Gambino and his team are learning that the hard way. With that tougher non-conference schedule to open the season, the Nittany Lions are just 7-16 and sitting outside the top-200 in the RPI after a 9-0 loss against Bucknell at home on Wednesday. There have been bright spots and occasional signs of brilliance, but it’s been a grueling start to the season.

“It’s just been a funky couple of weeks,” Gambino said on Wednesday. “We got a food bug running through us, and during this stretch, we’re trying to figure out who’s going to be available to play each day.”

The issues that the team has had have gone beyond illness, keeping guys sidelined. There have been days when it seems like the lineup is clicking top to bottom, but others when they’re leaving ducks on the pond all night long. They’ve held a steady weekend rotation through six weeks, but the results have been inconsistent as well. Some outings, they’re untouchable; some, they just can’t seem to get back in the dugout. The defense has had warts all season long.

There’s a lot of talent that makes you optimistic that they can hit a groove and get a win streak going. Michael Anderson is well on pace to break the program’s single-season home run record, while fellow transfer Spencer Barnett is still sporting an OPS over 1.000. When you surround those two with guys like Cohl Mercado, Jayden Davis, Jack Porter, and Bryce Molinaro, who’ve shown sparks of brilliance this season and last, you should have a hitting core that can more than compete in the Big Ten.

Baseball games are won and lost with the little things. Getting hits with runners on base, not giving your opponent free passes with walks, playing clean defense, not making outs on the bases, etc. When Penn State is at its best, it’s doing all of that and then some, but it’s had too many games in this first chunk of the season where one or two areas of fundamental baseball have alluded.

There was a game against Purdue last weekend where Colin Fitzgerald was tagged for nine runs, but only three were earned due to four errors. There are days like Wednesday, when the Nittany Lions went 1-for-14 with runners on base and were unable to score once, despite frequently putting multiple runners on base. There are days when things are going fine until someone comes out of the bullpen and is just unable to consistently throw strikes. It happens to everyone during the ebbs and flows of a baseball season, but the more it happens, the bigger hole you’re digging for yourself.

But it’s important to note that Penn State has not only played a tougher schedule than in years past, but has also done a lot of traveling, playing games in Arizona and the Bahamas, with only six of its 23 games coming at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Warmer days are ahead, with plenty of Dollar Dog Nights and weekend series where Section 814 can really start to impact games.

“It’s pretty cool. The guys love it, we all get excited about it,” Gambino said about the turnout on Tuesday in the chilly weather. “It’s Section 814, but also the other 2,500 people tonight here. As we’re trying to build a championship-caliber program, we need the support from the fans. It comes up in the transfer portal, it comes up with high school recruiting, it’s program changing.”

“I thought it was great,” said Anderson. “The energy is there the whole game, which is great. They’re awesome, and I’m happy for them to come out and show love.”

“Section 814 really gets into the game,” Molinaro said. “Having them there definitely rallies our team and gets us fired up.”

Coach Gambino’s teams have always seemed to peak at the right time, and after delivering two of the team’s best seasons in recent memory, there’s reason to believe him when he says there’s a lot better baseball left in his Nittany Lions.

“There’s a lot left in this ball club,” he said. “Our best baseball is in front of us.”