UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team, under third-year Head Coach Clarisa Crowell, is set to open the 2023 campaign at the JU/UNF Invitational hosted by Jacksonville University, Feb. 17-19. The Nittany Lions will face Cleveland State, UNF, Bethune-Cookman, Jacksonville, and Memphis.
SERIES HISTORY
· Penn State has faced Cleveland State twice including a February 2022 matchup with the Vikings in Miami, Fla. where the Nittany Lions emerged victorious 4-2 making them 2-0 against Cleveland State.
· The Nittany Lions have faced UNF once before falling to the Ospreys 2-1 at the beginning of the 2016 season.
· Penn State has faced Bethune-Cookman once before during the 2007 season. The Nittany Lions beat the Wildcats 7-1.
· Penn State has faced off with Jacksonville five times before holding a 3-2 record all-time. The Dolphins edged out the Nittany Lions 3-2 in their last matchup during the 2018 season.
· Penn State and Memphis will play each other for the first time on Sunday during the JU/UNF Invitational.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
· Cleveland State, like Penn State, will open their 2023 campaign during their Friday meeting in Jacksonville. The Vikings enjoyed their best season in a decade last year winning 22 games and making a deep run in to the Horizon League Championship.
· UNF will face Penn State on the backend of a doubleheader Friday night following a 2-1 opening weekend. In 2022, the Ospreys won 42 games and look to follow that strong season with another behind consistent bats like senior Shannon Glover who slashed a team leading .337/.359/.533-line last year.
· Bethune-Cookman began their season last weekend at Florida Atlantic University and exited Sunday afternoon winning one of their five matchups. Last season the Wildcats were 24-26, however, they were 17-7 within the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
· Jacksonville University emerged from their opening weekend 3-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of Syracuse. The Dolphins look to bounce back from a rough 15-win 2022 campaign by building upon opening weekend momentum at home.
· Memphis went 0-5 to begin their 2022 season at the SDSU Season Kickoff this past weekend. Despite their record, fifth year senior Sam Ibison hit .455 in her 11 at bats and looks to spark her squad this weekend in Jacksonville.
2022 RECAP
· The Nittany Lions finished with a 32-22 record, registering12 shutouts and 32 wins, the most by a Nittany Lion squad since 2008.
· Penn State finished the 2022 campaign with a 25-win improvement from the previous season, marking the biggest turnaround for a team in NCAA Division I. Head coach Clarisa Crowell was named ECAC Coach of the Year.
· Penn State won eight-straight games during the season and earned a conference sweep against Purdue. It marked the first time the Nittany Lions secured a Big Ten sweep since the 2016 season.
· Penn State reached the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions finished with a 13-10 conference record, finishing above .500 in league play for the first time since 2016.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
· Lefty ace Bailey Parshall (Belle Vernon, Pa.) enters the 2023 season with 607 career strikeouts, which ranks third in program history. She needs just 139 K's to become the all-time strikeout leader at Penn State.
· Parshall also ranks in the top 10 in program history in victories (41), shutouts (14), complete games (44), innings pitched (559.1), and saves (7).
· Parshall isn't the only one etching her name into Blue and White lore. Senior Kylee Lingenfelter (Punxsutawney, Pa.) ranks just behind Parshall in appearances with good for ninth all time.
COMING BACK FOR MORE
· Penn State brings back several key pieces from the 2022 campaign. Parshall and Lingenfelter in the circle will be joined by senior Vanessa Oatley (South Kingstown, R.I.) who contributed a 3.25 ERA in 28 innings of work last season. Sophomore Lydia Spalding (Youngstown, Ohio), who was 2-0 in 24 innings last season, also returns to Happy Valley after an impressive rookie campaign.
· Outfielder Lilia Crouthamel (Allentown Pa.) returns for her fifth season with the Nittany Lions after recording a .988 fielding percentage last season and smashing two grand slams.
· Senior Michelle Leone (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) recorded career highs in hits (31) and RBIs (16) during the 2022 campaign. She also added five multi-RBI games and seven multi-hit games.
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BEHIND THE PLATE AND AT THE PLATE
· Senior Catcher Cassie Lindmark (Lyons, Ill.) looks to build upon a career year for the Nittany Lions where she earned All-Big Ten second team honors. She was also an NFCA Great Lakes All-Region third team and an NFCA All-American Scholar recipient after leading the Nittany Lions at the plate with 64 hits, including 16 doubles and seven triples while batting .400.
· She added to her impressive numbers at the plate by commanding the backstop recording 273 putouts and a .997 fielding percentage.
NEW KIDS IN TOWN
· The Nittany Lions look to add depth to the squad this year with the addition of several high-profile freshmen. Sisters Jillyan and Jordyn Jochims (Rocklin, Calif.) joined the Blue and White sporting defensive and offensive player of the year awards while both being named captain of their high school ball clubs. Jenna Nelson (Las Flores, Calif.) follows the twins from the West after leading her team to league championships in 2019,2021, and 2022. She was also named offensive player of the year in 2021.
· Closer to home, pitcher Paige Maynard (Shady Spring, W. Va.) adds to a formidable rotation in the circle this season. She was ranked the No. 25 best pitcher in the class of 2022 by Extra Innings and No. 66 overall. She was named to the all-state first team last year before coming to Happy Valley.
WHAT'S NEXT
· The Nittany Lions head to Charlotte, N.C. next weekend for a five-game slate featuring Charlotte, Kent State, Georgia Tech and Boston University.
--NITTANY LIONS--