Feb. 19, 2015
| PENN STATE @MISSISSIPPI STATE | |
| Saturday, Feb. 21 - Sunday, Feb. 22 | |
| MSU Softball Field | Starkville, Miss. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
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Game Notes | StatisticsGame 1: Live Stats | AudioGame 2: Live Stats | AudioGame 3: Live Stats | Video |Watch ESPN App
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Off to its best start in six seasons, the Penn State softball team will look to continue its early success in 2015 when it travels to Starkville, Miss., to battle the Bulldogs of Mississippi State in a three-game non-conference tilt.
The Lions (6-4) will travel to an SEC city for the second straight weekend following their 3-2 mark at the Aggie Classic in College Station last weekend.
Both teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. and then conclude the series with a 2 p.m. date on Sunday. Live stats as well as audio will be available for both games on Saturday and the series finale can be watched live on the SEC Network plus via the Watch ESPN app.
SERIES NOTES
HERE'S TO GREAT BEGINNINGS
Penn State has gotten off to its best start in six years, following a 3-2 weekend at the Aggie Classic in College Station, where it featured a pair of wins over Missouri State and an upset of No. 22 and tournament host Texas A&M. The last time the Nittany Lions had at least six wins after their first 10 games was in 2010, when they started the season 9-4 after a baker's dozen of contests. Below is a look at the last six times Penn State has had at least a half dozen wins following its first 10 games over the course of the last 15 seasons.
Year 10 gms 13 gams Final Rec.
2015 6-4
2010 7-3 9-4 29-22
2008 6-4 8-5 34-22
2006 7-3 10-3 39-17
2005 6-4 8-5 36-23
2001 6-4 9-4 34-28
2000 6-4 8-5 38-19
SPOTLESS
Sophomore pitcher Marlaina Laubach has been dominant this season in the circle with her perfect 0.00 ERA. In four appearances she has pitched a total of 18 innings, not allowing an earned run and only giving up four hits, while striking out nine and walking five. Her triple zero's leads the B1G when it comes to earned run average and she also tied for the most games finished with her four.
BRACKPOOL'S BOMBS
Sophomore first baseman Kristina Brackpool has three home runs in her first 10 games and is on pace for 17 this season. Last year she only hit two dingers the entire 49 game season, so she has already surpassed her career high and will be looking to add to that total this weekend in Starkville.
CUTS LIKE A KNIEF
Junior Lexi Knief's ability to cut through opposing pitching this year has been remarkable. Despite missing four of the first five games of the season due to injury, she leads the team in batting average (.389), and is tied for the team lead in doubles with a pair. Her three RBI is tied for fourth most on the team, but one of them accounted for a walk-off win, last Saturday against Missouri State.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Mississippi State is getting some of that from voters of the two Top 25 softball polls this week as the Bulldogs, off to a 9-1 start have received 15 Top 25 votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll and another half dozen in the ESPN/USA Softball poll. The Dawgs were undefeated in their first nine contests in 2015, but then dropped a 4-3 decision to Illinois this past weekend on their home field to halt the streak.
HISTORIC UPSET
Penn State's upset of No. 22 Teas A&M on its home field was no doubt a landmark win for head coach Amanda Lehotak but it was not actually her first win as PSU coach over a ranked opponent. Last season, the Lions downed No. 21 LSU 6-5 on their home field during the Tiger Invitational. Last season Penn State went 1-8 against ranked opponents and are 1-1 thus far in 2015.
FRESHMEN FAST STARTS
Penn State freshmen have started off their first season in the Blue and White on the right foot as a number of them got off to hot starts. This past weekend catcher Alyssa VanDerveer added to her home run total with her second long ball of the season and first-year pitcher Jessica Cummings picked up her first collegiate win in the circle with a decision against Missouri State on Saturday. Fellow freshman Mollie Sorenson ranks third on the team with four RBI, while Gianna Arrizurieta is tied for the team lead in doubles with a pair.
TRAVEL TESTED
Penn State will play its first 24 games on the road before the weather warms up and it's able to play the season's first games at Nittany Lion Softball Park at beard Field. Last season the Lions were 6-15 through their first 21 games on the road, featuring stops in Arizona, Mississippi, Florida and Virginia before returning to Happy Valley.
NEW NAMES AND NUMBERS
2015 brings with it a new season but also some new names and numbers to the Penn State program. This season a half-dozen freshman litter the Lion lineup and roster as Jessica Cummings (#1), Mia Monopoli (#13), Rebecca Ziegler (#15), Gianna Arrizurieta (#21), Mollie Sorenson (#22) and Alyssa VanDerveer will all call Happy Valley home for the first time. Junior transfer Erin Pond (#2) also makes her debut in the Blue and White.
SOPHOMORE SEASON
Although it's been a while since head coach Amanda Lehotak was a sophomore playing at Ole' Miss, she enters her sophomore season on the bench as the leader of the PSU program. In her first season the Lions went 14-35 with a 5-18 B1G mark. Here's a look at how second year coaches have fared at Penn State over the years.
Coach Year Rec. Pct.
Pat McTarsney 1966 2-2 .500
Pat McTarsney 1975 8-7 .533
Sue Rankin 1983 25-13 .658
Rob Petrini 1998 21-28-1 .430
Amanda Lehotak 2015 6-4 .600
* Pat McTarsney returned to coaching after a one year hiatus in 1973.
ROUGH ROAD
Penn State's 2015 schedule is a challenging one, with 56 games on the slate against opponents in conferences such as the SEC, ACC and the Big 12. The Lions will take on a total of four teams (Michigan, Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri in the Pre-Season Top 25 as well as another four (Wisconsin, Mississippi State, James Madison, Northwestern) who are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 polls.
NATIONAL PROGRAM
This season the Lions boast a total of 18 players from states other than the Commonwealth. Two from Hawaii, one from Washington and five from California dot the western edge of the States, while four from N.Y. and N.J. join other ones from Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and Florida to make-up the eastern part of the country. Three Pennsylvanians (Marlaina Laubach, Christy Von Pusch and Mary Ward) bring some in-state pride to the program while, one from Arizona and another from Texas add unique flair to an already diverse group.
A HALF CENTURY OF TRADITION
Penn State softball is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, making it the oldest program among the schools in the power five conferences (ACC, B1G, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC). The Lions started up in 1965 under head coach Pat McTarsney and went 2-2 in their first season with wins against Elizabethtown and Wilson colleges. PSU defeated both in-state schools by a combined 46-4 score. The second oldest program among the power five is Arizona State, which began play just two years later in 1967.