April 16, 2015
| PENN STATE vs. MARYLAND | |
| Friday, April, 17 - Sunday, April 19, 2015 | |
| Maryland Softball Stadium| College Park, Md. | |
| Live Stats | BTN2Go (Fri.) | BTN (Sun.) | |
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Game Notes | Statistics (PSU) | B1G StatsUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Fresh off its doubleheader sweep of Ohio State Wednesday night, the Penn State softball team will travel south of the Mason Dixon Line to take on Maryland in the first meeting between the two schools as B1G foes.
The three-game series kicks-off Friday night with a 6 p.m. first pitch time and then continues on Saturday and Sunday with single games at 1 p.m. and 11 a.m. in College Park. The series finale on Sunday will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.
The Nittany Lions enter the series at 23-20 overall with a 6-8 B1G mark while the Terrapins come into the matchup sporting a 23-19 record and at 5-7 in their new conference.
SERIES NOTES
SERIES HISTORY vs. MARYLAND
Penn State and Maryland have met for a total of 11 times previously dating back to the 1999 season, with the Nittany Lions owing a 9-2 overall record over the Terps. This weekend's match-up will mark the first time the two have met as Big Ten opponents though. The last time these two schools met was in 2009 as non-conference opponents when the U of M was in the ACC. the Lions and Terrapins split that two game set, with Maryland taking the series finale. the Blue and White has won the last six of seven meetings with its new conference rival and coincidentally enough PSU took the first three meetings with the Terps between `99 and 2000.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland enters the three game series having dropped three-straight following its series sweep at the hands of Illinois last weekend. The Terps are 23-19 overall and 5-7 in the B1G and have lost four of their last five as well as six of their last eight contests. This comes after starting the season 5-2 in tournament play. The U of M began it's first ever Big Ten Conference slate with a 3-1 mark before losing six of the next eight B1G games.
The Terps' offense is spread out quite well with four different players leading in the major categories. Pitcher/Outfielder Hannah Dewey has the highest batting average (.342) as well as the best on base percentage (.556), while infielder Corey Schwartz is tied for the most home runs (11) and has the most runs scored (40). OF Erin Pronobis has driven in the most runs on her team (40) and also claims 11 long balls on the year.
In the circle it's the Kaitlyn Schmeiser show as she leads all UM hurlers in wins (17), ERA (3.31), batting average against (.253), strikeouts (144), innings pitched (158.2) and complete games (8).
QUICK HITS
- The Lions have now hit a total of six grand slams this season following Kristina Brackpool's second of the year, she joins Alyssa VanDerveer (2), Shelby Miller (1) and Reina Furuya (1) in the grand slam tally this year.
- With its doubleheader sweep of Ohio State Wednesday night, PSU has amassed six Big Ten victories for the first time since the 2012 season. That year Penn State went 9-5 in the conference and 18-32 overall. The Lions reached the half dozen win plateau in the B1G for five straight seasons, stretching from 2008-12.
- Freshman Alyssa VanDerveer continues her hot hitting, the backstop/DP leads the team in long balls with 10, the last time a PSU player had double-digit home run totals was 2013 when Cassidy Bell stroked 20.
- This will be Penn State's first trip to College Park since 2007, when it split a two game set with the Terps.
B1G DEBUT
The Nittany Lions will make their debut on the Big Ten Network this season after missing their regularly scheduled appearance last Wednesday vs. Ohio State following a rain out. The series finale vs. Maryland, slated for 11 a.m. Sunday will be televised live on the BTN. It will mark the first time since the 2013 regular season finale vs. Illinois that the Blue & White were on the national network. Sunday's contest will also be Maryland's first on the BTN as a conference member.
GRAND PRESENCE
The Nittany Lions have hit an impressive six grand slams during the 2015 season. Two came in the doubleheader sweep of Bucknell (Apr. 1) and another pair followed in the same game and the same inning no less, the top of the fourth in the series finale vs. Wisconsin (Apr. 4). The latest grand salami happened in a mid-week doubleheader with Ohio State (Apr. 15), when Kristina Brackpool went deep for the second time this season with the bases loaded. In all four Blue & White batters have hit HR's with the sacks jacked this season. Below is a look at the official tally, when they were hit and who against.
| Player | No. | Date(s) | Against |
| Alyssa VanDerveer | 2 | Apr. 1/ 3 | Bucknell Wisconsin |
| Kristina Brackpool | 2 | Apr. 1/15 | Bucknell Ohio State |
| Shelby Miller | 1 | Apr. 4 | Wisconsin |
| Reina Furuya | 1 | Apr. 4 | Wisconsin |
HI2TORY IN GRAND FASHION
Staying with the grand slam theme, Penn State became just the sixth team in recorded Division I NCAA softball history to hit a pair of grand slams in one inning as it plated a total of nine runs in the top of the fourth during its 15-5 five inning mercy rule victory over Wisconsin, Apr. 4. Shelby Miller hit the first grannie with no one out and then Reina Furuya, who led off the inning with a double, came to the plate with just one out and already five in, in the inning and slammed another bases loaded homer to achieve the historic feat. The rare occasion has become less rare with each passing season as this is the third year in-a-row it's been accomplished, but the first time a team has done so in the fourth inning of play.
MVP - MOST VERSATILE PLAYER
One could argue that Macy Jones is her team's most valuable player but there is no doubt that she is in fact Penn State's most versatile as she has starred in the field, circle and batter's box this season. Jones is the only member of the Blue & White pitching corps who yields the aluminum and she has done so quite successfully as she has compiled a team best 22 walks and is second on the team in on base percentage (.461) and slugging percentage (.630). Her 30 RBI is second best on the squad and her eight longs balls rank her third. She also leads the pitching staff with a 3.12 ERA and has a team low 16 walks in 14 appearances.
CUTS LIKE A KNIEF
Junior Lexi Knief's ability to cut through opposing pitching this year has been remarkable. She leads the team in batting average (.414), doubles (10), and on base percentage (.473). The centerfielder is slugging an impressive .534 on the season, fourth most among her teammates.
PUT ME IN COACH
Macy Jones is the only Nittany Lion to have started and played in all 43 games this season. She has split time in between the circle and the outfield and has even seen a little time at first base, making one start and 13 relief appearances in the circle and 42 starts in the field. Freshmen Mollie Sorenson and Alyssa VanDerveer are the next closest iron women, as Sorenson has played in 42 of 43 total contests in 2015, with 40 starts. VanDerveer has started and played in 42 contests as either the backstop or designated player with the exception of one game at first base.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
The 2015 season is looking a lot like years from the past, that's because Penn State has now officially reeled off 23 wins in a season for the first time since 2011, when it compiled a 31-24-1 record during Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field's first season. With its series win vs. Wisconsin last weekend, Amanda Lehotak's squad will reached 20 wins in a season for the 26th time in program history.
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 | Record | Pct. |
| Pat McTarsney | 1966 | 2-2 | .500 |
| Pat McTarsney | 1975 | 8-7 | .533 |
| Sue Rankin | 1983 | 25-13 | .658 |
| Robin Petrini | 1998 | 21-28-1 | .430 |
| Amanda Lehotak | 2015 | 23-20 | .535 |
* Pat McTarsney returned to coaching after a one year hiatus in 1973
NEW NAMES AND NUMBERS
2015 brings with it a new year but also some new names and numbers to the 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.
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 instate 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.