UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Amanda Lehotak, will travel to Fort Myers, Florida, for 2019 opening weekend at the FGCU Kickoff Classic. The tournament runs Friday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 10 and is hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University. The Nittany Lions will face Ball State and Kent State twice and host, FGCU, once.
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1: Penn State vs. Ball State - Friday, Feb. 8, 2:30 p.m.
Game 2: Penn State at #RV FGCU - Friday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Penn State vs. Kent State - Saturday, Feb. 9, 12:15 p.m.
Game 4: Penn State vs. Ball State - Saturday, Feb. 9, 4:45 p.m.
Game 5: Penn State vs. Kent State - Sunday, Feb. 10, 9 a.m.
*All games played at FGCU Softball Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.
*Live stats available via fgcuathletics.com.
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State has met up on the field with all three of its weekend opponents.
- The Nittany Lions are 2-10 all-time against the Ball State Cardinals. The last meeting between the two teams was on March 6, 2010 when the Cardinals won, 1-0, in Clearwater, Fla.
- The Nittany Lions are undefeated against the FGCU Eagles, with a 2-0 record. The last meeting between the two teams was on March 14, 2010 when Penn State won, 4-2, in Clearwater, Fla.
- The Nittany Lions and the Kent State Golden Flashes are familiar opponents, meeting 46 times in program history. Penn State holds the edge with a 28-18 overall record, including two victories last season in State College.
ROAD WARRIORS
- Penn State will open the 2019 season with 25 straight road games before they play a home contest at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
- The Blue and White participate in five road tournaments to start the season, four of which are in the Sunshine State.
- The first weekend in the Sunshine State features the Nittany Lions in the FGCU Kickoff Classic, Feb. 8-10 in Fort Myers, Fla. The team will face Ball State and Kent State twice and host, Florida Gulf Coast, once.
- From there, the team will make their third-straight appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Feb. 15-17 in Durham, N.C. facing Syracuse and Duke twice each.
- Penn State then travels back to Florida for the Knights Classic, Feb. 23-24 in Orlando to face Coastal Carolina, host UCF, Pitt and Louisiana Tech.
- The final trip to Florida includes a 10-day stint during spring break. The team will first play in the Madeira Beach Tournament, March 1-3 against Boston College, Florida International, Detroit Mercy, Florida A&M and Central Michigan. Penn State will then play a mid-week doubleheader against Penn and Villanova on March 6 in Clearwater, Fla. before appearing in the USF Tournament March 8-10 against Holy Cross, South Dakota State, Central Michigan, Saint Joseph's and Toledo.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Penn State will play 17 schedule games on 13 dates inside the friendly confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
- After a 25-game road game swing, the Nittany Lions will face Robert Morris for a home-opener doubleheader on Wednesday, March 20.
- The Blue and White will host their first conference series of the season March 29-31 against Wisconsin.
- Penn State is 67-74-1 at Beard Field in its eight year existence for a .475 win percentage.
COMPETITIVE SCHEDULE
- Penn State will face four 2018 NCAA Tournament participants during the 2019 season in Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Saint Francis.
- Michigan is ranked No. 19 in the NFCA/USA Today pre-season polls while Ohio State and Florida Gulf Coast are receiving votes.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
- Penn State softball sees 10 newcomers for the 2019 season, including eight freshmen and two transfers.
- The freshmen include Bailey Parshall (Belle Vernon, Pa.), Lilia Crouthamel (Allentown, Pa.), Kylee Lingenfelter (Punxsutawney, Pa.), Melina Livingston (Detroit, Mich.), Anna Deshaies (Kennett Square, Pa.), Claire Swedberg (Lake Villa, Ill.), Chelsea Bisi (Latrobe, Pa.), and Ally Kurland (Burke, Va.).
- The Nittany Lions also added two transfers to the squad in pitcher Hannah Shields (State College, Pa.) from Delaware State and infielder Jade Williams (Fairfax Station, Va.) from Kent State.
FAMILIAR FACES
- In addition to the new faces, Penn State returns 14 letterwinners from the 2018 season, including Second Team All-Big Ten honoree Tori Dubois.
- Dubois (Mt. Vernon, N.H.) is joined by fellow senior classmates Madison Shaffer (New Castle, Pa.), Paige Johnson (Clarksville, Tenn.), Toni Polk (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), and Meghan Williams (Bethlehem, Pa.).
- Additionally, seven starters return to the lineup, including Haley Vallejos (Chandler, Ariz.), Dani Fey (Bangor, Pa.), Delaney Elling (Washington, Pa.), and Christa Wagner (Plainville, Mass.).
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
- Senior leader Tori Dubois has her name plastered in the program record books heading into her final season donning the Blue and White.
- Dubois is one of just two Nittany Lions to hit three doubles in a single game, which she did against Michigan State as a freshman in 2016.
- The outfielder and utility player also currently sits at No. 15 in the record books for career batting average at .314.
- She is tied for No. 11 for career home runs with 16, nine of which came during the 2018 season.
THE LEHOTAK FILE
- Head coach Amanda Lehotak enters her sixth year under the helm of Penn State softball.
- Lehotak tallied her 100th win at Penn State in the team's series-opening win over Maryland on March 24 for a 105-161 record with the Nittany Lions.
- Lehotak sits just seven wins away from 300 career wins (293-367).
ON DECK
Penn State travels to Durham, North Carolina for its third-straight appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Callenge, Feb. 15-17. The Nittany Lions will face host Duke and fellow-ACC team Syracuse twice each.