UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball christens its 14th season at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field this weekend, as the Nittany Lions get set to host four teams in the third annual Penn State Softball Invitational. The Nittany Lions welcome Lehigh for a pair of contests in addition to single games against Cornell, Canisius and Binghamton beginning Thursday and concluding Sunday, March 14 through 17.
GAME INFORMATION
Lehigh at Penn State | Thursday, March 14 | 5:30 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Lehigh at Penn State | Friday, March 15 | 4 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Cornell at Penn State | Friday, March 15 | 6:30 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Canisius at Penn State | Saturday, March 16 | 4 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Binghamton at Penn State | Sunday, March 17 | 3 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
PARKING & PROMOTIONS
Beginning in the 2024 season, all Penn State softball home contests will be FREE to the public. Seating preference is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking for all Penn State softball games will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University parking permits will be permitted to park at softball games for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access. For softball games, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through the ParkMobile app, or by clicking here. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day before each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle.
FOLLOW ALONG
All five Penn State softball contests, in addition to the seven neutral site games on the schedule at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+. For links to view all 12 contests, visit the Penn State softball schedule page at GoPSUsports.com, or, to view Penn State's games, click the links above. Live stats provided by the Pennsylvania State University and StatBroadcast are available at the Penn State softball schedule webpage.
QUICK HITS
PSU is fresh off the most challenging week of its 2024 schedule to date, with the Blue & White participating in nine contests in a six-day span during the team's annual spring break road trip. The Nittany Lions picked up a quartet of victories and added five contests against quad-one opponents in the NCAA RPI during its stay in Texas. The Blue & White stand as one of the strongest extra-base hitting teams in the nation through the early portion of the 2024 season. PSU ranks second in the Big Ten and 34th nationally in doubles per game with a 1.71 tally in the statistic, while simultaneously leading the league and ranking 14th in Division I with 0.38 triples per game. Junior right fielder Haylie Brunson leads the squad with nine doubles, while senior second baseman Emily Maddock paces the team in triples with three so far this year.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Head coach Fran Troyan guides Pennsylvania-rival Lehigh into the weekend's tournament managing a 7-10 overall record. The Mountain Hawks are fresh off a 4-1 performance at a tournament hosted by UC Santa Barbara, with wins over Utah Tech and UCSB. Lehigh is led by first-year utility Peyton Sward's .390 batting average and junior pitcher Maria Urban's 2.83 ERA. Under the direction of head coach Julie Farlow, Cornell arrives in Happy Valley maintaining a 2-7 overall record following a quartet of consecutive losses against George Washington and George Mason. Lauren Holt leads the team in the batter's box with a .500 average, four homers and 21 RBI, while Maxine McCraw and Madalyn Covelli have evenly split the pitching duties with 23.2 innings apiece.
The Canisius Golden Griffins, led by head coach Kim Griffin, enter the weekend managing a 4-7 overall record. Canisius is 3-2 in its last five contests, logging wins against George Washington, Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne. Gianna Fazzolari and Rosie Gomez lead the way with a pair of homers each this year, while junior pitcher Kate Wiggins leads the team in ERA with a 2.33 mark. Led by head coach Jess Bump, Binghamton visits the Blue & White boasting an 11-7 start to the 2024 campaign heading into its first matchup with a Power Five opponent on Sunday. The Bearcats are led in the box by Brianna Santos' .333 average and Shelby Carvalho's four dingers, while Brianna Roberts paces the squad in the circle with a 2.49 ERA this season.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Despite being within three-hour's driving distance, Penn State and Lehigh will meet in softball for the first time in history Thursday. The Nittany Lions and Cornell prepare for their fifth all-time fixture on Friday evening, with the Blue & White maintaining a 3-1 lead in the series. PSU is 2-1 against the Big Red in University Park, with the lone loss coming in a 4-3 setback last year at Beard Field. Penn State and Canisius gear up for their fifth all-time meeting this weekend and the third meeting in Happy Valley. Penn State leads the series by a 3-1 margin, highlighted by a dominant 7-0 home victory in last year's Penn State Softball Invitational. PSU and Binghamton get set to square off for the second time in history this weekend, with Penn State bringing home a 6-2 victory in the only prior contest in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 26, 2004.
BACK TO BEARD
Penn State kicks off its 14th season of competition at the Big Ten's premier softball venue, Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The Blue & White have played and practiced in the facility in every season since the 2011 campaign. PSU has not lost a non-conference home opener since March 20, 2019, going 2-0 in non-B1G home-opening matchups under head coach Clarisa Crowell. The Nittany Lions are just two wins shy of picking up their 100th program victory on Beard Field, with the Blue & White booking a 98-105-1 record on its home turf all-time. PSU owns 28 victories at the facility dating to Crowell's first season in 2021. PSU has played in 56 home-opening games in its 59 varsity seasons to date, with PSU playing zero home games in 1967, 1968 and 2020. The Nittany Lions are 35-21 in home-opening matchups all-time. Last season, the Blue & White recorded a 10-5 finish on Beard Field highlighted by a pair of Big Ten Conference series victories in addition to a midweek rivalry win over Pittsburgh.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Instagram and X @PennStateSB.
