LINCOLN, Neb. – Penn State softball gets set for its first road series in the 2024 Big Ten Conference regular season, as the Nittany Lions head west to face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a three-game set from Bowlin Stadium beginning Friday and concluding Sunday, April 5 through 7. All three contests will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
GAME INFORMATION
Penn State at Nebraska | Friday, April 5 | 6:30 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | Tickets
Penn State at Nebraska | Saturday, April 6 | 2 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | Tickets
Penn State at Nebraska | Sunday, April 7 | 1 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | Tickets
FOLLOW ALONG
All three of Penn State's B1G road-opening contests against Nebraska will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+, the official streaming service of the Big Ten Conference. For links to view all three contests, visit the Penn State softball schedule page at GoPSUsports.com or click the links above. Live stats provided by the University of Nebraska and StatBroadcast are available at the Penn State softball schedule webpage and the links above.
QUICK HITS
The Blue & White return to work following their second Big Ten series victory of the year in two opportunities, marking the first time Penn State started the league year with consecutive series victories since the 2016 team started 6-0 with sweeps of Rutgers and Michigan State. PSU boasts the strongest RPI value in the league and a top-30 ranking nationally, turning in the No. 28 RPI in Division I while clearing second place B1G competitor Northwestern by 14 spots. The Nittany Lions boast the third-toughest strength of schedule in the Big Ten and stand as the only team in the league to go above .500 against a schedule ranked inside the top 50 most difficult in 2024. Individually, senior catcher Gaby Garcia leads the Nittany Lions with a .373 batting average at the plate and boasts the longest active hitting streak on the team, earning her way on base with a hit in each of her last 10 appearances. In the circle, freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth boasts a league-leading 1.01 ERA that ranks 13th in Division I softball. Nemeth owns the most victories in the B1G and third-most nationally with 15 this year.
CONTENDING WITH THE CORNHUSKERS
Head coaching veteran and Nebraska legend Rhonda Revelle guides Nebraska into the weekend's series boasting a 22-13 overall record paired with a 5-0 record against Big Ten Conference foes thus far in 2024. The Huskers picked up a pair of wins over Illinois to open league play before rattling off a weekend sweep of Wisconsin on the road last week. Nebraska has faced off against a grueling set of opponents, including nationally ranked opposition in Washington, Duke, UCLA, Oregon, Missouri and Utah. The Huskers' signature win of the year came in a 6-0 drubbing of then-No. 23 Oregon on Feb. 24. On the field, Nebraska is led by slugging shortstop Billie Andrews, who returned to Lincoln following All-Region and All-B1G recognition in the 2023 season. Andrews leads the team in batting average (.407), home runs (13) and RBI (32), while Caitlin Olensky leads the squad in ERA with a 3.30 mark and a 3-2 record in the circle.
STORY OF THE SERIES
One of the shortest active Big Ten Conference series on the books, Penn State and Nebraska get set for their 21st, 22nd and 23rd all-time meetings this weekend in Lincoln. Nebraska boasts a 14-6 lead since the first contest in the 2004 season saw the Huskers pick up a 3-0 victory in neutral site action in Tallahassee, Florida. PSU has not faced off against Nebraska in Central Pennsylvania since the 2016 Big Ten Tournament at Nittany Lion Softball Park. PSU is 1-6 in their last seven contests at Bowlin Stadium, picking up their only road victory against the Cornhuskers all-time with a 7-5, eight-inning victory on March 28, 2021. The most recent meeting saw the squads face off at the 2022 Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Michigan, with Nebraska picking up a grueling 3-1 victory in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
HOT HOME START
Penn State is in the midst of one of the most remarkable home stretches in program history, with the Blue & White picking up 18 wins in the last 19 contests at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. PSU has won four consecutive Big Ten Conference series at home, including a trio of sweeps dating to the 2023 campaign. Last weekend's series win over Maryland featured PSU's 12th double-digit hitting performance of the year in Saturday's 9-6 barnburner. The Nittany Lions hit a trio of homers and wiped away a 5-0 deficit in the second inning to secure the win. On Sunday, PSU called on Nemeth and Mady Volpe to keep the board clean while Liana Jones smacked the game-winning RBI double to take the series in the 12th.
THE B1G SHOW
Entering the third week of Big Ten Conference regular-season competition, Penn State leads the league in overall victories with 26 and manages the best winning percentage in the conference with a .788 mark in the category. PSU also leads the league in doubles per game (1.94) and triples per game (0.45). In addition to the team's league-leading statistics, PSU ranks second in the B1G and seventh nationally with 64 doubles, while ranking fourth in the B1G in ERA (2.81), stolen bases per game (1.21), strikeout to walk ratio (2.19) and total stolen bases (40). Individually, Kaitlyn Morrison and Maddie Gordon lead the Big Ten and rank 24th nationally with 12 doubles while Morrison paces the league in doubles per game with 0.38. Freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth owns the best ERA in the conference with a 1.01 mark while leading the league and ranking third nationally with 15 victories in the 2024 season.
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.
