WACO and SAN MARCOS, Texas – Penn State softball prepares for the final four games of its annual spring break road trip, as the Nittany Lions square off against the No. 19 Baylor Bears and Texas State Bobcats. PSU faces Baylor at Getterman Stadium in Waco on Wednesday, March 6 at 6 p.m. (ET), followed by a three-game series against Texas State from Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos on Thursday and Friday, March 8 and 9.
GAME INFORMATION
RV Penn State at #19 Baylor | Wednesday, March 6 | 5 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
RV Penn State at Texas State | Thursday, March 7 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
RV Penn State at Texas State | Friday, March 8 | 5 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
RV Penn State at Texas State | Friday, March 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
FOLLOW ALONG
Wednesday night's game at Baylor will take place at Getterman Stadium in Waco, Texas, with Thursday and Friday night's tilts against Texas State set for Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. Tickets for all four of Penn State's contests against Baylor and Texas State are available at the links above. All four Penn State games will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+, with Wednesday night's game at Baylor streamed via Big 12 Now and ESPN+. Live stats, provided by Baylor University and Texas State University, are available at the links above or on the Penn State softball schedule webpage.
QUICK HITS
The Blue & White currently sit at the top of the Big Ten Conference standings and stand atop the league following the NCAA's first RPI report of the 2024 season earlier this week. Penn State stands as the 16th-ranked team in the nation per the RPI, with the next-closest team in the conference, Ohio State, sitting at No. 49. PSU senior shortstop Kaitlyn Morrison picked up her first Big Ten Conference weekly accolade on Monday, March 4, with the veteran Nittany Lion earning recognition as the league's Player of the Week. Morrison became PSU's third B1G Player of the Week honoree since 2015. Penn State's offense ranks as one of the strongest extra-base hitting teams in the nation, with the Blue & White leading the Big Ten and ranking ninth nationally in triples per game with a 0.47 mark while simultaneously ranking second in the league and 25th nationally with 1.82 doubles per contest.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Led by veteran head coach Glenn Moore, the Baylor Bears enter Wednesday night's contest with an 11-3 overall record, with an additional game scheduled against Sam Houston State on Tuesday night. The Bears boast nationally ranked wins against Louisiana, Oregon, UCLA and Missouri in addition to booking a series sweep against PSU's common opponent Morgan State. Baylor stands as the NFCA's 19th-ranked team nationally and sits 26th in the inaugural RPI of the 2024 campaign. In the batter's box, Shaylon Govan is the team's leader in batting average with a .436 mark while contributing a home run and team-high-tying six RBI. RyLee Crandall leads the team in innings pitched with 34.0 and ERA with a 1.44 tally.
The Texas State Bobcats, under the leadership of veteran head coach Ricci Woodard, come into Thursday and Friday's three-game set with a 17-6 overall record. Texas State currently stands as a quad-one opponent in the first RPI of the year, earning the nation's No. 19 mark in the NCAA's inaugural release. The Bobcats own a victory against PSU's common opponent Northwestern State, as well as a 1-0 loss to second-ranked Texas in San Marcos last Wednesday, February 28. Texas State is led by Ciara Trahan's .394 average in the batter's box, as well as slugger Sara Vanderford's quartet of homers and 18 RBI. Jessica Mullins leads the way in the circle, logging a 0.82 ERA this spring.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State gets set for its second all-time meeting against the Baylor Bears this Wednesday, as the Nittany Lions seek to avenge an 8-1 loss to Baylor on March 16, 2014, in Clearwater, Florida.
In PSU's only prior contest against the Bears, the Nittany Lions saw a 2-for-3 effort from Texas-native and then-freshman Shelby (Miller) Reynolds, who logged her first collegiate double in the game.
The Nittany Lions prepare for their third all-time meeting with Texas State and first contest in 33 seasons, with the Blue & White boasting a 2-0 record against the Bobcats entering Thursday's series-opener. PSU last faced Texas State on March 8, 1991, in College Station, Texas, booking a 7-1 victory in neutral competition. All four contests against PSU's Lone Star State-based opponents this week will take place in true road environments for the first time. PSU's prior three combined games against Baylor and Texas State took place in neutral site tournaments in Florida, Texas and Nevada.
THIS IS TEXAS, AND IT STILL AIN'T HOLD 'EM
The Nittany Lions are fresh off an impressive 4-1 weekend of performances at the 2024 Longhorn Invitational hosted by the University of Texas. PSU booked a pair of victories over the Tarleton Texans, with single-game wins against Hofstra and Northwestern State in addition to a loss at second-ranked Texas. Penn State's 2024 roster further cemented its place in history on Sunday in the Lone Star State's capital, improving to a program-record 15-1 overall through its first 16 games on the calendar after its second win over Tarleton. The Nittany Lions surpassed the 1982 team's record start of 13-1 with their pair of results on Sunday. The Blue & White closed out the three-day tournament with a Monday night contest at No. 2 Texas, with the Longhorns recording a 7-1 victory against PSU without the services of freshman phenom Bridget Nemeth in the circle.
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.
