PENN STATE vs. No. 4 MINNESOTA
| | | | 22-29 (8-12, B1G) | 48-3 (19-1, B1G) |
| Friday, May 5-Sunday, May 7 | Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field University Park, Pa. | Tickets | Promotions |
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May 4, 2017
PENN STATE CLOSES OUT 2017 REGULAR SEASON WITH NO. 4 MINNESOTA
The Penn State softball team will cap of its 2017 regular season campaign Friday, May 5-Sunday, May 7 when it welcomes the No. 4 Golden Gophers of Minnesota to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for a three-game Big Ten Conference series. The Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers are set for game one of the series Friday, May 5 at 6 p.m. and will play game two live on the Big Ten Network Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. Penn State will celebrate its six seniors Sunday, May 7 prior to the 1 p.m. game against Minnesota.
CATCHING THE GAME AT HOME
Fans who are unable to make it out to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field can watch Friday and Sunday's games love on GoPSUNow, while Saturday's game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with Lisa Byington and Carol Bruggeman on the call.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MINNESOTA
The weekend series will mark the first time that the two teams have met on the field since the 2014 season with Minnesota taking all three games. The Golden Gophers hold the 38-18 all-time series advantage and are 14-8 when playing Penn State in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their first win over Minnesota since the 2012 campaign when it won two games.
PENN STATE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2017
The Nittany Lion's games against No. 4 Minnesota will mark the fifth ranked opponent that Penn State has played in the 2017 campaign. The Blue and White opened up the 2017 season with a 7-3 victory over then-No. 4 LSU before earning a 2-1 victory over No. 25 Ohio State at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The Nittany Lions have also taken on then-No. 8 Washington and then-No. 19 Michigan on the road in the 2017 campaign.
DUBOIS LEADING THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE AT THE PLATE
Sophomore Tori Dubois has made a name for herself in her second season donning the Blue and White. The starting left fielder is currently hitting at a .362 clip for the 2017 season and even more impressively a .492 clip in Big Ten Conference games. Dubois has turned on her hitting since B1G play opened as 31 of her 51 total hits have come against conference opponents, which leads the league. Furthermore, 19 of Dubois's 29 total RBIs have come in Big Ten Conference games. Last week, the Mt. Vernon, New Hampshire native tallied seven hits and drove in four RBIs in 16 at-bats for a .438 batting average and an .875 slugging percentage. Dubois also drew two walks and scored four runs for Penn State, while notching two multi-hit games and two multi-RBI contests.
LAUBACH BECOMES ALL-TIME APPEARANCE LEADER
With her relief appearance against Maryland, senior Marlaina Laubach became the all-time pitching appearance leader for Penn State, making her 135th career appearance donning the Blue and White. The Northampton, Pennsylvania has made 93 career starts with 45 wins in 589.1 innings in the circle. Laubach's 589.1 innings ranks No. 6 all-time, while her 318 strikeouts rank seventh in Penn State softball laurels.
NITTANY LIONS MOST SUCCESSFUL WHEN...
Penn State has struggled in the first inning with keeping the opposition from scoring but work well being behind as it is outscoring its opponents in both the second inning and the sixth inning. The Nittany Lions have established themselves as the cardiac kids, outscoring opponents 30-9 in the sixth inning. Furthermore, Penn State has been very successful with bases loaded, hitting .362 as a team with Sam Shananhan and Shelby Miller hitting .667 when the bases are juiced.
CUMMINGS HOLDS STRONG IN HOME STATE
Junior Jessica Cummings returned to her home state of Maryland for Penn State's three-game against the Terrapins. The Owings, Maryland native got the ball for game two of the series, pitching 10.2 innings with six strikeouts in the 2-1 loss. The junior right-handed hurler brought her earned run average down by an entire point after her almost 11 inning outing, giving up just two runs and six hits.
SENIOR PROFILES
The Penn State softball team will recognize the careers of six student-athletes this Sunday against Minnesota. Below is a brief recap of their four-year careers donning the Blue and White.
- Kristina Brackpool - Brackpool has appeared in 180 games with 169 starts for the Nittany Lions. The Valencia, California native currently ranks ninth in Penn State home run laurels with 19 home runs in her career donning the Blue and White. Brackpool has tallied 143 career hits and driven in 106 RBIs to ranks No. 7 in Penn State laurels. Brackpool will graduate in 2019 with a degree in kinesiology.
- Jessica Haug - After walking on in the 2016 campaign, Haug has appeared in 28 games with six starts in her senior season. The Jamison, Pennsylvania native was named a 2016 NFCA scholar-athlete and is graduating with a degree in recreation, park and tourism management.
- Marlaina Laubach - In her latest appearance, Laubach broke the career appearances record with her 135th career appearance and has made 93 starts to tie for No. 3 all-time. The right-handed pitcher ranks No. 6 all-time in innings pitched (589.1) and seventh in strikeouts (318). Laubach will graduate with a degree in psychology.
- Shelby Miller - Miller has made 199 appearances with 197 starts in her career as a Nittany Lion. The Sugar Land, Texas native ties for second in Penn State career RBI laurels with 118 and has tallied 189 career hits to rank 13th all-time. Miller also ranks No. 10 all-time with 16 career home runs and 30 doubles. The starting third baseman will graduate with a degree in kinesiology.
- Mia Monopoli - After redshirting her freshman year, Monopoli appeared in 65 games with 48 starts donning the Blue and White. The San Francisco, California native has tallied 27 career hits, including six doubles and one home run. Monopoli earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and will graduate with a degree in advertising.
- Sam Shanahan - Shanahan made 87 appearances with 71 starts for the Nittany Lions, notching 20 hits and driving in 10 runs. The Seattle, Washington native had 59 putouts in the outfield and 43 assists. Shanahan is an Academic All-Big Ten honoree and will graduate with her degree in nutritional science.
LOOKING AHEAD AT THE B1G TOURNAMENT
The Nittany Lions could finish anywhere from the No. 6 seed to the No. 13 following the weekend series against No. 4 Minnesota. The only way Penn State could finish in the six spot is it sweeps Minnesota, Indiana takes the series from Michigan State, Maryland wins one game over Wisconsin and Iowa or Northwestern sweep the weekend. If Penn State were to go 2-1 against the Golden Gophers, the best it could finish is the No. 7 seed as long as Maryland wins the series against Wisconsin. Finally, if the Nittany Lions were to go 0-3 against Minnesota it could finish as high as the No. 9 seed and as low as No. 13 seed. The only way the Blue and White could be left out of the tournament is if Northwestern goes 3-2 on the week, Purdue sweeps Nebraska and Rutgers sweeps both Maryland and Michigan.
ON DECK
Penn State will wait to find out its seeding in the 2017 Big Ten Conference Tournament which will begin Thursday, May 11 at the University of Michigan.
