Feb. 24, 2012
Series Notes | 2012 Yearbook | Facebook | Twitter | Nittany Lion Softball Park
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --Penn State softball travels south for the four-game Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. beginning Saturday. The Nittany Lions take on Notre Dame and James Madison on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Penn State then challenges host North Carolina (2 p.m.) and James Madison (4:30 p.m.) on Sunday at Anderson Field.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (1-3)
Games 5-8: February 25-26 • Anderson Field • Chapel Hill, N.C.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, 10 a.m. vs. Notre Dame:
Saturday, 8 p.m. vs. James Madison:
Sunday, 2 p.m. at North Carolina:
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. vs. James Madison:
SERIES INFORMATION
VENUE: Anderson Field (500)
COVERAGE: GoPSUsports.com GameTracker
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. UND: 2-1 (Last: 3/12/09, PSU 1-0, 8 inn.)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. JMU: 1-0 (Last: 3/23/03, PSU 3-0)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. UNC: 9-7 (Last: 2/27/11, UNC 3-0)
NEXT SERIES: Mar. 2-4 at Citrus Classic, Kissimmee, Fla.
SERIES STORIES
• Nittany Lions travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the Carolina Classic
• The Lions are 9-7all-time in Chapel Hill, going 2-2 last season
• Penn State faces Notre Dame for the fourth time ever, JMU for the second and third meeting and North Carolina for the 17th meeting all-time
• Kailyn Johnson earned Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team honors at LSU
• Nittany Lions went 1-3 at Tiger Classic, beating then-No. 22 LSU
• Head coach Robin Petrini leads Penn State for the 16th year
• Penn State returns eight starters from a year ago, including top seven hitters
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame (1-4) played in the always tough Campbell/Cartier Classic hosted by San Diego State and University of San Diego. Laura Winter pitched most of the innings going 16.2, but taking three losses with a 4.20 ERA. She also went .429 at the plate with a double, while Dani Miller hit .375 with two homers and a team-high six RBI. Alexa Maldonado also hit .375 tallying a homer and a double with two RBI. Amy Buntin is also a threat at the plate, hitting .357 last week with a double and three RBI in four starts. The Irish hitters went .272 for the weekend with four doubles, a triple and three homers. The pitching staff had an ERA of 3.43 with a .295 average against, striking out 30 with 12 walks.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
James Madison went 2-1 in the rain-shortened Elon Phoenix Classic in North Carolina. Jasmine Butler was the start with a 5-for-7 effort including a triple and three runs scored. Sarah Mooney hit .400 with three RBI as the Dukes hit .325 as a team against Presbyterian, Elon and Bucknell. For the weekend, the Dukes had eight extra base hits including four doubles and three home runs. JMU was strong in the circle with an ERA of 1.33 and a .238 average against. Mooney was most impressive with a shutout going 7.2 innings, striking out 10. Reba DePriest (1.11 ERA, .200 BAA) pitched 6.1 innings of work while Heather Kiefer went 4.0 innings with a 5.25 ERA and a .400 BAA.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
North Carolina (9-0) has ripped through the early portion of the season, earning a ranking of 24 by USA Softball and the first team out of the NFCA Top 25. Strong pitching (1.21 ERA, .192 BAA) coupled with powerful hitting (.350, 16 doubles, 11 RBI) has made the Tar Heels a threat to win the ACC. Led by two veteran pitchers, Lori Spingola (0.62 ERA, 34 IP) and Sara Bucholz (2.02 ERA, 17.1 IP), UNC has a one-two punch to shut down opposing offenses. Spingola is already 6-0 with 54 strikeouts in six appearances, while Bucholz has 18 Ks in her four games, going 3-0. Sophomore Logan Foulks (.529) is one of four hitters batting above .400 in the early portion of the year. Foulks has three homers and 12 RBI with a .926 slugging percentage and getting on base at a clip of .567. Amy Nece (.500), Ally Blake (.483, 4 doubles, 3 HR) and Jenna Kelly (.429, 2 HR, 9 RBI) have begun the year on a hot start.
TIGER CLASSIC REVIEW
Penn State opened the season in fine fashion, upsetting then-No. 22 LSU in its home ballpark, 5-3, to begin the Tiger Classic. Penn State used five runs in the fifth inning to create a 5-1 lead. The five-run, two-out rally was capped by Kasie Hatfield's three-run double to right centerfield. Lisa Akamine pitched all seven innings to earn the victory over the Tigers. Unfortunately for Penn State, the timely hitting was not available over the next two days of the tournament, dropping a 4-2 game to Lousiana Tech, while leaving 11 on base, and falling to LSU (1-0) and Michigan (12-1). What also failed the Nittany Lions were seven errors in the field that led to six unearned runs during the weekend. Kailyn Johnson was named to the Tiger Classic All-Tournament team thanks to her .364 average and 5.33 on-base percentage. Akamine posted a 1.85 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched while holding opposing batters to .195 at the plate.
RETURNING TO CHAPEL HILL
Penn State heads back to Anderson Field for the second consecutive year, following a 2-2 effort in 2011. Overall, Penn State is 9-7 in four previous treks to the Carolina Classic with the best tournament coming in 2007 (3-1). PSU first visited North Carolina in 2005, going 2-2, the first of three .500 marks.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Two Nittany Lion softball student-athletes were honored by CollegeSportsMadness.com on Wednesday, Jan. 4 on its preseason All-Big Ten teams. Senior pitcher Lisa Akamine and junior outfielder Cassidy Bell were placed on the second team.
PERFECT FALL BALL
Nittany Lion softball enjoyed a successful Fall Ball season, going 8-0 in two home tournaments, while out-scoring opponents 43-4. Penn State's bats were alive, hitting .283 with four home runs, while the pitching staff boasted a 0.25 ERA in its eight contests. Penn State's first tournament was hosted at Beard Field in the Nittany Lion Softball Park as PSU rolled to a 5-0 win over Bucknell and a 9-1, six-inning triumph against Delaware on Sept. 17. The following day, Penn State downed Bucknell, 2-0, before handing Lock Haven an 8-2 defeat. Danee Collett collected eight hits, batting .727 with four doubles, a homer and six RBI. In the circle, Lisa Akamine dazzled, going 10.2 innings allowing just two hits and two walks with 17 strikeouts against 39 batters.
During the second weekend of play (Oct. 1-2), rain and cool temperatures played havoc with the schedule as all games were moved inside to Holuba Hall with a makeshift field. Akamine was again the star in the circle, spinning 15 innings of scoreless ball and striking out 23 of the 55 batters she faced with just four hits against. Kailyn Johnson was the leader at the plate, hitting .600 with a double and a homer for four RBI in Penn State's 4-0 weekend. PSU downed Cleveland State, 1-0, in eight innings, before defeating Colgate on Saturday. The Nittany Lions bounced local squads, Indiana (Pa.), 9-1, and Saint Francis, 5-0, to cap the 8-0 Fall season.
NEW CROP OF NITTANY LIONS
Penn State formally announced its seven incoming Nittany Lions from the high school ranks on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. Joining the Nittany Lions as freshmen in the 2012-13 academic year are Taylor Abeta (San Diego, Calif.), Reina Furuya (Waikele, Hawaii), Shannon Good (Horseheads, N.Y.), Karlie Habitz (Santa Clarita, Calif.), Macy Jones (Ashburn, Va.), Lexi Knief (Ramsey, N.J.) and Christie Von Pusch (Bryn Mawr, Pa.).
"The 2012 class is one of the largest classes we have ever signed and just oozes with talent," Head coach Robin Petrini said. "They are all very bright young ladies that understand the commitment, drive, and determination it takes to be successful in the classroom and on the field as a student-athlete at Penn State. We are very excited about what each one brings to our roster and we are eager to see them succeed throughout their careers."
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State takes next weekend off but returns to the diamond Feb. 25-26 at the Carolina Classic. PSU will face off against Notre Dame, James Madison twice and host North Carolina.
--NITTANY LIONS--