A season that began with several big question marks has yielded only positive answers so far for the Gophers baseball team.

The Gophers open the Big Ten portion of their schedule today (at Penn State) with a 15-5 record and a No. 16 ranking in the RPI ratings.

The Gophers have relied on improved situational hitting -- batting .344 with runners in scoring position -- and an outstanding bullpen (8-0 with a 3.10 ERA) for their best start since 1998 and their highest RPI ranking in years.

"We had to rebuild the front end of our starting pitching and replace [closer] Andy Peters," said Gophers coach John Anderson, "and we had to replace the right side of our infield and find a starting catcher.

"I think our pitching has been the biggest surprise. Ethan Vogt has been a big surprise and emerged as our No. 1 starter. Josh Oslin has settled into the closer role. And Kyle Carr, Tyler Oakes and Bill Johnson have done a good job."

Vogt, a transfer from Ridgewater Community College who was 7-0 with a 1.96 ERA in the Northwoods League last summer, is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA. A 6-3 junior righthander from Sauk Centre, Minn., he pitched a seven-hit shutout over Hartford in his last start.

Oslin, a senior from Mora, Minn., has four saves and a 1.29 ERA in eight appearances.

Gophers pitchers have a 3.62 ERA, and opponents are hitting only .258 against them.

Offensively, senior Mike Mee is hitting .479 -- the highest average through 20 games by a Gopher since 1998 -- and true freshman Derek McCallum is hitting .396.

"Mike has really gotten off to a good start," said Anderson. "Derek has been a huge surprise. One big thing has been our hitting with runners in scoring position. The last couple of years, it had been down in the .260 area. We told the team we needed to hit at least .300 with runners in scoring position. We've had a lot of two-out RBI."

Sophomore Matt Nohelty, named to the freshman All-America team last season, is hitting .386 with 11 stolen bases.

The Gophers were picked to finish third (behind Michigan and Ohio State) in the Big Ten preseason poll by Baseball America.

"I think we'll be in the mix," said Anderson. "Michigan has the most back, but any one of three or four teams can win the league."

Penn State, which split a four-game series with the Gophers in Minneapolis last season, is 4-13. The Gophers will be the first Big Ten team to play in Penn State's new baseball stadium.