- Game Notes
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., March 3, 2007-
Penn State Travels to California for Spring Break
The Nittany Lions return to California having won four of their last five games. Penn State first travels to Fresno State for the Bulldog Classic on March 9-11. The Lions will open tournament action against Colorado State at 4:30 p.m. PT on March 9 and then will play the Rams again at 11:30 a.m. before meeting Brigham Young at 2:00 p.m. on March 10. The Lions will conclude the Bulldog Classic on March 11 with games against Toledo and host Fresno State, at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively. All Bulldog Classic games will be available on GameTracker. Penn State then heads south to Fullerton for the Judi Garman Classic. The Lions will take on host Cal-Fullerton at 6:15 p.m. and DePaul at 8:30 p.m. on March 15 and then conclude round robin play against Texas at 11:15 a.m on March 16. Penn State will then play in either the championship or consolation bracket on March 17 and 18 depending on the pool results.
| Jen Acunto |
Record Against Bulldog Classic Opponents
Penn State first played Colorado State in 1987 and holds a 1-1 series record against the Rams. The last meeting came on March 5, 1989 with a 3-0 Colorado State victory at the UNLV Lady Rebel Classic. This will be the first meeting between Penn State and Brigham Young. It will also be the first game between Penn State and Toledo.
Record Against Judi Garman Classic Opponents
The Nittany Lions have dropped both games played against Cal-Fullerton, most recently in 2003, when the Titans defeated Penn State in NCAA tournament action, 8-0. The Lions are 0-4 against DePaul, dropping two 1-0 decisions last season in Hawaii. It will be the first meeting between the Lions and the Longhorns. Penn State last played at Cal-Fullerton in the Kia Klassic in 2005. After dropping their first two games to DePaul (1-4) and Washington (4-6), the Lions won their last four in a row, defeating Nebraska (3-2 and 7-1), UNC (2-1), and Long Beach State (6-4).
Up Next: Four Game Homestand
After a week off, Penn State will play its first home games of the 2007 season. The Lions will open Nittany Lion Field with a doubleheader against St. Francis (Pa.) on March 28. Big Ten play will begin with games against Wisconsin on March 30 and 31 and a doubleheader with Minnesota on April 1.
Nittany Lions Capture Miken Classic Title
Penn State bounced back from a tough weekend in California to win the FAU Miken Classic. The Lions went 4-1 in the tournament with the only loss coming to Florida Atlantic in round robin play. Penn State opened the tournament with a 10-1 drubbing of Columbia and then fell to Florida Atlantic in the bottom of the seventh inning, 1-0. The Lions won their next three games, defeating Bethune-Cookman to close out pool play, 7-1, then beating Columbia in semifinal action by a score of 6-2. Penn State avenged its Friday night loss to the host Owls with a 7-0 victory to capture the tournament title. Over the course of the tournament, Penn State outscored (30-5) and outhit (46-18) its opponents.
| Jenn Reynolds |
Reynolds Dominant in Miken Classic Run
Junior pitcher Jenn Reynolds (Clovis, Calif.) dominated in the circle to lead the Nittany Lions to the FAU Miken Classic Championship. In five games, she pitched 23 innings with an ERA of 0.61, including three complete games. She pitched a one-hitter in a 10-1 rout of Columbia to open the tournament and pitched another one-hitter in Penn State's 7-0 shutout victory over Florida Atlantic in the championship game. Reynolds was also a force to be reckoned with at the plate. The California native had six hits and seven RBI over the weekend, and her most impressive performance came against the Owls of FAU. Reynolds belted a three-run double in the first inning and followed it up with a two-run homer in the fifth, tying a school record for RBI in a game with five.
Welcome Home
Seven Nittany Lions will be returning to their home state of California over spring break. Four members of the junior class, Ashley Esparza (San Pedro, Calif.), Jenn Reynolds (Clovis, Calif.), Rebecca Bautista (Elk Grove, Calif.) and Hollee Haines (Riverside, Calif.) are having a homecoming. Sophomore Danielle Kinley (Carlsbad, Calif.) and freshmen Jackie Hill (San Jose, Calif.) and Kimi Wong (Goleta, Calif.) also hail from the golden state.
Softball and Baseball "Meet the Team Night" Set for March 29
Penn State's baseball and softball teams will host "Meet the Team Night" on March 29 from 7-9 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Fans will be able to interact with the teams and coaches in a number of activities, as well as get an inside peak at Penn State's newest facility. Nittany Lion players from both squads will lead fans on an exclusive tour of the park and locker rooms, while students eighth grade and under can have the unique experience of hitting in the batting cages. Both teams will be available for autographs and photos.
Esparza, Kinley Continue Hot Hitting
Sophomore Danielle Kinley and junior Ashley Esparza continue to lead the team in hitting, with Kinley having a team-leading 19 hits and five doubles and Esparza close behind with 16 hits. Kinley also leads the team in batting average, hitting .442 (19-43). She had six hits this weekend, including two doubles, one in each game against Florida Atlantic. Esparza finished with five hits, also connecting on two doubles, one in each game against Columbia.
Jackie Hill Out Indefinitely
Freshman pitcher Jackie Hill is out indefinitely after breaking bones in her right hand on Feb. 24 against Washington. The freshman had a 1-1 record in two starts. In her four appearances in the circle, Hill had a 2.27 ERA in 12.1 innings of work. Hill also saw action in the infield, starting three of the five games she appeared in.
Kinley named Big Ten Player of the Week
After leading Penn State to a 3-1 record in the Carolina Classic, sophomore outfielder Danielle Kinley was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 12. She finished the weekend with a team-leading .727 (8-of-11) batting average, three doubles and six RBI. She went 3-for-3 with the bases loaded and 5-for-6 (.833) in RBI opportunities. Hollee Haines earned Penn State's last player of the week nod on March 27, 2006 after leading the Lions to a 4-1 record in East Carolina's Pirate Invitational.
Esparza and Kinley named to Carolina Classic All-Tournament Team
Danielle Kinley earned All-Tournament accolades after going 8-for-11 (.727) with a 1.000 slugging percentage. She brought in the game-tying run against N.C. State and did it again against East Carolina the next day. Ashley Esparza hit two homeruns, including the game winner against East Carolina on Sunday. She finished the weekend with three RBIs. The Nittany Lions were one of three teams with two players on the All-Tournament Team, only No. 2 Tennessee had more with three players.
Kinley Breaks Single-Game Hits Record
With her perfect five-for-five performance against North Carolina, sophomore Danielle Kinley broke the Nittany Lions record for hits in a game, previously four. Held by 20 people before Kinley's performance Feb. 11, the outfielder's name now appears at the top all alone.
Fabulous Five
Five players have started every game for the Nittany Lions so far this season. Senior Meghan Wolfer (Northampton, Pa.) has heard her name at the beginning of each game, along with juniors Ashley Esparza, Jen Acunto (Hollywood, Fla.) and Hollee Haines (Riverside, Calif.). Sophomore Danielle Kinley has also started each game.
| Hollee Haines |
Petrini In 11th Season
Head coach Robin Petrini is her 11th campaign with the Nittany Lions this spring and has a 323-258-1 through the the young 2007 season. The Penn State bench boss is coming off her squad's highest win total last season, a year that also saw her record 300 career wins in a doubleheader sweep of Bucknell on April 11. A 1983 graduate of Utah State and an All-America nominee, Petrini has taken Penn State to six of its seven NCAA Tournaments as a program and also led the Lions to seven Big Ten Tournaments over the past eight years.
14 Letterwinners Return
Penn State returns 14 letterwinners to a team that racked-up a program-best 39 wins last season. Lost are regulars ace pitcher Missy Beseres, outfielder Leigh Murray and infielder Destinie Chavez, but Robin Pertini's team returns a host of other talents to fill the holes in the line-up. All-region selections Ashley Esparza and Jen Acunto return to anchor an infield that will also include junior All-Big Ten selection Jenn Reynolds. A fixture behind the plate for her first two seasons, Hollee Haines returns again at catcher. Outfield regulars sophomore Danielle Kinley and seniors Jen Williams (Stillwater, Okla.) and Meghan Wolfer also return in the mix for the Lions.
Familiar Scenery
Three of the Lions' 18 players this year are from the greater State College area. Seniors Kelsey Francisco (State College, Pa.) and Kari Lucas (Centre Hall, Pa.) were joined by Danielle Noll (Bald Eagle, Pa.) on this year's roster to give the Lions even more local flavor this season. Overall six Penn State players hail from the Keystone State. The only state with more players on this year's Nittany Lion roster is California with seven.
Lions Face Challenging 2007 Slate
Head coach Robin Petrini has put together one of the toughest schedules in the country this season. Penn State will play seven ranked foes, including two Big Ten teams, No. 8 Northwestern and No. 13 Michigan. Three Lion opponents are also receiving votes. The Nittany Lions opened the season against Tennessee, the top-ranked team in the country. This weekend, the Lions will take on No. 8 Texas and Cal-Fullerton, Fresno State and DePaul, who are all receiving votes. The team returns 14 letterwinners and Petrini said, "I intentionally scheduled it that way because I thought this group would be ready to take on that kind of schedule."
Forest Adds Fresh Look
Jocelyn Forest became the Lions' newest addition to the coaching staff when she accepted the assistant coaching post at Penn State over the summer. A 2002 California graduate, Forest was an All-American for the Golden Bears while leading the squad to a National Championship in 2002. This past summer, Forest pitched for the third consecutive season for the New England Riptide of the NPFL. She earned Championship series MVP honors after leading the squad to its first-ever league title. Forest will primarily work with the pitchers after serving a one-year stint at Boston University last season. She joins long-time assistant Jen McIntyre on the staff. McIntyre, a 1998 Penn State graduate, is in her sixth year with the Nittany Lions.