Nittany Lions Travel to Baton Rouge to Battle in LSU Invitational
Penn State to challenge No. 6 LSU, Nicholls and Southern Miss in five-game weekend in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. – Penn State softball continues its season-opening non-conference travels and heads to SEC country this Friday through Sunday, February 21 through 23, as the Nittany Lions get set to take part in the LSU Invitational from Tiger Park against Nicholls, No. 6 LSU and Southern Miss.
The Nittany Lions will open the weekend tournament on Friday with a twin bill against Nicholls and LSU, at 11:30 a.m. (ET) and 4:30 p.m. (ET), respectively. Penn State will battle Southern Miss at noon (ET) and Nicholls at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, closing things out with a noon (ET) meeting with Southern Miss on Sunday.
Follow the Action
Penn State’s scheduled matchup against LSU on Friday afternoon will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Penn State’s four remaining games against Southern Miss and Nicholls will not be streamed. Fans are encouraged to follow along with the Penn State softball social media channels for live updates against the Colonels and Golden Eagles. Live stats for all games will be available at the Penn State live stat hub provided by StatBroadcast, or on the Penn State softball schedule webpage. Tickets for the tournament are also available through LSU’s ticketing vendor, LSUtix.net, or the university’s official ticketing resale partner, SeatGeek.
QUICK HITS
Penn State returns to action following a 2-3 week of performances at USF’s Fonseca Memorial Tournament last weekend in Tampa, booking victories over Loyola Chicago and St. John’s by a combined 16-2 differential on Saturday, February 15. The Nittany Lions have been bolstered by a trio of breakout student-athletes in Brooke Klosowicz, Natalie Lieto and Jenna Nelson through the early portion of the 2025 season. Klosowicz and LIeto lead the way with a 1.256 and 1.091 OPS, respectively, while Nelson is off to her strongest individual start to a season in her career, hitting at a .360 rate with nine hits and six runs scored in 10 starts.
TAMPA TWO STEP
Penn State continues its extended season-opening trip away from Happy Valley in non-conference competition after spending each of the last two weeks in the Tampa metro area to participate in the NFCA Leadoff Classic followed by The Fonseca Memorial Tournament at USF. PSU opened the season with a 3-7 record after battling some of the nation’s strongest opposition, highlighted by a trio of matchups against nationally ranked foes. At the dish, Penn State was led through their Tampa travels by the duo of Brooke Klosowicz and Natalie Lieto, who both boast a .429 batting average. Klosowicz stands as the team leader in home runs with two and also boasts the best OPS on the roster among regular starters with a 1.256 mark in the category through two weeks. Penn State’s new-look pitching staff maintains a 3.50 ERA through the first two weeks of work, with senior right-hander Mady Volpe leading the way with a 1.84 mark in the statistic. Freshman righty Abigail Britton also mustered the first Nittany Lion shutout of the year in a 4-0 win over St. John’s on February 15.
Penn State vs. Nicholls
3-7 | 0-0 B1G
5-6 | 0-0 SLC
Introducing Nicholls
ABOUT THE COLONELS
Led by first-year head coach Ron Frost, the Nicholls Colonels head into competition this weekend in Baton Rouge boasting a 5-6 overall record highlighted by a doubleheader midweek sweep of Alcorn State Wednesday night that featured a pair of run-rule results. The Colonels are still hunting for their first power conference win of the year, falling to nationally ranked Tennessee in a 5-0 affair last week. On the diamond, Claire Sisco leads the way with a 1.121 OPS while pitcher Averi Paden paces the team in ERA (3.75) and strikeouts (13).
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State will meet Nicholls in softball for the first time in each program’s respective history on Friday afternoon in Baton Rouge. The Nittany Lions will battle a representative of the Southland Conference for the ninth and 10th times this weekend, with PSU splitting its all-time series against the league by a 4-4 tally. The Blue & White will battle the SLC for the first time since booking a 3-2 win over Northwestern State on Sunday, March 3 of last year.
Penn State at #6 LSU
3-7 | 0-0 B1G
10-0 | 0-0 SEC
Introducing LSU
ABOUT THE TIGERS
LSU is off to one of its strongest starts to a season in recent memory, with the Tigers rattling off a quick 10-0 start with multiple nationally ranked wins in the process. LSU will participate in its third consecutive weekend at home this week, with head coach Beth Torina’s squad boasting a unanimous top-10 ranking from the four major outlets, highlighted by a No. 6 placement in the NFCA Coaches Poll. LSU is led on the field by .536 hitter Danieca Coffey and a pair of student-athletes with three homers apiece in Maci Bergeron and Tori Edwards. The Tigers boast a dynamic pitching staff highlighted by a pair of pitchers who have surpassed 20 innings in the circle this year, namely Jayden Heavener and Sydney Berzon.
STORY OF THE SERIES
The Nittany Lions and Tigers will meet on the diamond for the 11th time ever in a series that dates to the 1998 season. LSU boasts a 6-4 lead over the Blue & White, with eight of the 10 meetings between the two squads coming at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge. PSU and LSU will play for the first time since February 11, 2017, a run-rule victory for the Tigers at home in Baton Rouge. The Nittany Lions will seek their first win in the series since a 7-3 road victory on February 10 of that year.
Penn State vs. Southern Miss
3-7 | 0-0 B1G
3-7 | 0-0 SBC
Introducing Southern Miss
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Veteran head coach Natalie Poole leads Southern Miss into its weekend trip to Louisiana with a 3-7 overall record, including a 5-4 midweek win over Jackson State at home. The Golden Eagles already boast a signature win on the season, taking down in-state foe Ole Miss in a 2-1, 10-inning bout in Hattiesburg. USM is led in the box by Maddie Weeks’ .818 OPS and pair of home runs, while Kayla Giardina is tied for the squad’s lead in wins with one, in addition to pacing the team in both ERA (5.09) and strikeouts (18).
STORY OF THE SERIES
The Blue & White will battle Southern Miss for the fourth time ever this weekend in Baton Rouge, with the Nittany Lions boasting an unbeaten 3-0 record against the Golden Eagles in a series which dates to 2001. PSU will face Southern Miss in Louisiana’s state capital for the third time ever and second time in regular season action, with PSU taking the most recent test between the two teams by a 3-0 margin on March 1, 2008.
Penn State vs. Nicholls
3-7 | 0-0 B1G
Penn State vs. Southern Miss
3-7 | 0-0 B1G
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.