March 15, 2012
Series Notes | 2012 Yearbook | Facebook | Twitter | Nittany Lion Softball Park
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --Penn State softball travels West to take part in the prestigious Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton this weekend. The Nittany Lions play No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette (2 p.m. ET) and No. 7 Oklahoma (8:30 p.m. ET) on Friday before taking on Fresno State (6:30 p.m. ET) and BYU (8:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday. The Nittany Lions finish their time in California on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET against Fullerton.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (7-13)
Games 21-25: Mar. 16-18 • Garman Classic • Anderson Fields • Fullerton, Calif.
SCHEDULE
Friday, 2 p.m. vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Friday, 8:30 p.m. vs. Oklahoma
Saturday, 6:30 p.m. vs. Fresno State
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. vs. BYU
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. vs. Cal State Fullerton
All times Eastern • GameTracker may not be available for all games due to wireless internet coverage. Twitter (@PSULionSoftball) will be updated.
SERIES INFORMATION
VENUE: Anderson Family Fields
COVERAGE GoPSUsports.com GameTracker (selected games)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. ULL: 0-2 (Last: 3/5/04, ULL 7-1)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. OU: 1-2 (Last: 3/18/11, PSU 5-2)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. FSU: 1-3 (Last: 3/17/11, PSU 1-0)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. BYU: 1-0 (Last: 3/10/07, PSU 17-4, 5 inn.)
ALL-TIME RECORD vs. CSF: 1-2 (Last: 2/15/08, CSF 8-0, 5 inn.)
NEXT SERIES: Mar. 24-25 at No. 19 Michigan
SERIES STORIES
• Nittany Lions travel to Fullerton, Calif. for the Judi Garman Classic
• Penn State faces a strong field consisting of Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma, Fresno State, Brigham Young and Cal State Fullerton
• Alyssa Renwick leads the team with a .349 average on a team-high 22 hits
• Lauren Yao hit .538 last weekend with two doubles and three RBI
• Nittany Lions went 1-4 at USF Under Armour Classic Classic, capping their Spring Break trip at 5-7
• Penn State is 2-2 against ranked teams this year with wins over LSU and Auburn
SCOUTING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette (22-0) brings its undefeated record to Fullerton buoyed by its powerful hitting. The Ragin' Cajuns are hitting .366 this season with 36 doubles and 30 home runs in 22 games for a slugging percentage of .576. More impressive, the Cajuns are getting on base at a clip of .464 and are currently 46-for-48 in stolen bases. Christi Orgeron leads the offense with a .438 average, nine home runs and nine doubles for 44 RBI. Matte Haack (.403, 8 doubles, 6 HR), Paige Cormier (.375, 7 HR, 28 RBI). Overall, the Cajuns have four hitters over .400 and nine of 10 batters hit at least .300. In the circle, ULL is led by Ashley Brignac (9-0, 2.38 ERA, 71 K .225 BAA) and Jordan Wallace (10-0, 2.44 ERA, 51 K .173 BAA)
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
The seventh-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (20-3) have won their last 11 games before this weekend's action. Last year, Penn State knocked off the then-ninth ranked Sooners, 5-2, behind the arm of Jackie Hill and 13 base hits including Cassidy Bell's lead-off home run. This year's Oklahoma squad returns do-everything pitcher Keilani Ricketts (10-3, 0.96 ERA) who has hit .390 with six home runs and 15 RBI this season. Jessica Shults has been OU's best hitter boasting a .464 average with seven home runs and 24 RBI. Lauren Chamberlain is the Sooners' biggest long-ball threat with nine dingers and a team-best 30 RBI.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Fresno State (18-9) is on a three-game winning streak and has won five of its last six. FSU is paced by a .292 overall average, a 2.24 ERA and a .203 average against. Stesha Brazil has been hitting .381 with seven doubles, three triples, three homers and 19 RBI to lead the Bulldogs. Michelle Moses packs power at the plate and in the circle guided by her 10-homer, 22-RBI effort thus far and her 9-7 overall mark with 125 strikeouts and a 1.92 ERA. Mackenzie Oakes is 7-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 58 innings of work.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Brigham Young (13-7) rebounded from a 1-2 start to win 12 of its last 17 games including the past four-in-a-row last weekend in San Diego. The Cougars are hitting .291 at the plate led by Delaney Willard who has seven homers and 27 RBI, while hitting .500 and slugging .966. Stacie Toney (.434) has five doubles and two homers wtih 15 RBI as the only other double-digit RBI producer. In the circle, BYU has a 3.32 ERA and is susceptible to the long ball, allowing 21 homers thus far. Hannah Howell (3.35 ERA) is the staff ace with 17 appearances, a 6-4 record, 56 strikeouts in 71 innings pitch. Caroline Umphlett also takes care of pitching duties with a 2.62 ERA in 34.2 innings, going 5-1 with a 2.55 average against.
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (12-14) serve as hosts once again to one of the finest tournaments in the country. The Titans have won three of their last four games prior to this weekend. The lineup hits .283 with 10 home runs and relies on its speed (34 SBs) to help produce runs. Ashley Carter (.367, 13 RBI) and Morgan LeMond (.345, 12 RBI) top the Titans for average, while the power lies in Anissa Young (5 HR, 16 RBI) and Nicole Johnson (4 HR, 13 RBI). In the circle, Desiree Ybarra (7-7, 4.02 ERA, 85.1 IP, 51 K, .327 BAA) and Aly Fascetti (5-6, 6.18 ERA, 71.1 IP, 18 K, .363 BAA) lead the Titan pitching staff.
SPRING BREAK TOURNAMENT FINALE
Penn State finished its Spring Break trip at the USF Under Armour Showcase (Mar. 9-11). The Nittany Lions exploded for eight runs in an 8-7, eight-inning win over Virginia Tech. From there, PSU couldn't find the timely hits in four successive losses to nationally-ranked USF, Central Connecticut, USC Upstate and Rutgers. In both the CCSU and USC Upstate games, Penn State had the bases loaded in the seventh, but fell by a run in both situations. Lauren Yao paced the Nittany Lion offense with a .538 average on two doubles, two runs and a team-high three RBI. At one point, Yao strung together six straight hits in official at-bats. Lisa Akamine hit .400, while throwing 24.2 of the 35 innings pitched.
CITRUS CLASSIC WRAP UP
Penn State had a tough beginning to the Citrus Classic (Mar. 2-4), losing 13-1 to Virginia before winning four straight. During the winning streak, Penn State beat LIU Brooklyn (8-2), N.C. State (5-3), Lipscomb (4-3) and No. 19 Auburn, 2-1, in nine innings. While PSU lost to Illinois State, 1-0, in the tournament finale, the Nittany Lions had their most positive weekend yet. Lisa Akamine went 3-1 in 21 innings of work with 20 strikeouts, while Alyssa Sovereign tallied two home runs, two doubles and four RBI on .333 hitting. Lauren Yao also hit .333 with a double and three RBI, while Alyssa Renwick went .33 with four runs scored and three RBI.
CAROLINA CLASSIC RECAP
The Nittany Lions came away from the Carolina Classic (Feb. 25-26) with a 1-3 record in four hard-fought games. Penn State fell 6-3 to Notre Dame, coming back from 3-0 down, only to have a three-run home run by UND in the sixth prove to be the difference. PSU fought back in the nightcap on Saturday, beating James Madison 5-4 after trailing 3-0. Sunday wasn't as kind to the Lions as a six-run sixth pushed North Carolina past Penn State, 11-3, and JMU held off a furious five-run rally by the Nittany Lions to win 10-8 in nine innings. For their efforts, Alyssa Renwick and Kailyn Johnson earned Carolina Classic All-Tournament Team nods. Renwick hit .500 with seven hits, while Johnson belted a homer and hit over .300 at first base. Johnson has now been on two straight all-tournament teams to start the year.
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.
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 returns East to open Big Ten play starting Saturday, Mar. 24 at Michigan with a doubleheader. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines will finish the three-game series Sunday, Mar. 25 with a single matchup.
--NITTANY LIONS--