May 16, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State softball outfielder Alyssa Sovereign (La Canada, Calif.) was tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week for her outstanding play in a 4-0 span that put the Nittany Lions back into the NCAA Tournament.
The freshman rightfielder earned her first Big Ten award thanks to a .455 batting average in games against Ohio State and Northwestern. Sovereign went 3-for-6 in the doubleheader at OSU with four RBI, which included the game-winning sacrifice fly in the nightcap to secure PSU's first sweep in Columbus.
Two days later, Sovereign kept her hot-hitting ways going as she posted a 2-for-5 series with an RBI and a run scored against Northwestern. Sovereign's steady play helped Penn State secure its first ever sweep of the Wildcats.
For the season, Sovereign has been the Nittany Lions' third-best bat in the lineup with a .268 average and 41 hits. Sovereign has posted nine doubles, second most for PSU, to accompany three homers, a triple and 22 RBI, good for third on the squad.
Penn State hosts Fordham on Friday in a NCAA Regional game at 5:00 p.m. following a 2:30 p.m. matchup between No. 13 seed Oregon and Albany. The double-elimination regional will continue through Sunday.
Fans can purchase tickets starting Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office during normal business hours (Monday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) and until Friday at Noon. Tickets may also be purchased over the phone at (814) 865-5555. Tickets may also be purchased at the Nittany Lion Softball Park one hour prior to the day's game time.
All-session tickets for general admission adults will be $25 with a student/youth price at $15. Groups of 15 or more will be $12 a person. Daily ticket prices will go $10 for general admission adult, $6 general admission student/youth and $5 per person in groups of 15 or more. Groups may contact Joel Diamond at (814) 867-2557 ahead of time.
Penn State is hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 1983 at its new state-of-the-art Nittany Lion Softball Park. The Nittany Lions (29-22-1, 11-8-1 Big Ten) qualified for its first NCAA Regional since 2007 as an at-large bid and one of three Big Ten squads (Michigan, Indiana).
--NITTANY LIONS--