| PENN STATE at JU TOURNAMENT | | | 0-6 (0-0 B1G) |
| Friday, Feb. 23-Sunday, Feb. 25 | Jacksonville, Fla. | |
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Feb. 22, 2018
NITTANY LIONS SET FOR JACKSONVILLE TOURNAMENT
The Penn State softball team will travel south for the third-straight weekend when it plays five games in the JU Tournament hosted by Jacksonville University Friday, Feb. 23-Sunday, Feb. 25. The Nittany Lions will take on UCF, Jacksonville, Western Carolina, and No. 21 JMU, playing two games against the Dolphins.
CATCHING THE GAMES FROM HOME
Fans who cannot make the trip with the Nittany Lions can catch all the action live by following along with live Twitter updates @PennStateSB while also following live stats at GoPSUsports.com.
PENN STATE AGAINST WEEKEND OPPONENTS
The Nittany Lions have faced off with three of its four weekend opponents, while meeting up with Western Carolina for the first time in program history. The Blue and White are 7-4 all-time against its weekend competition with a 2-0 record against UCF, a 3-2 record against Jacksonville, and a 2-2 record against JMU. Most recently, Penn State met up with Jacksonville in the Dolphin Invitational during the 2016 season, taking two wins. Penn State has also met up with JMU during coach Amanda Lehotak's tenure, falling in an eight-inning contest, 2-1, in the 2015 campaign in Orlando, Florida. The Nittany Lions will go up against UCF for the first time since the 2008 season when it earned a 2-1 victory in 10 innings in Clearwater, Florida.
RETURNING TO FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Head Coach Amanda Lehotak and assistant coach Sarah Sigrest make the return to Jacksonville after coaching and playing for the Dolphins. Lehotak started her career as a head coach at Jacksonville, where she coached for five seasons (2007-11), notching a 137-152 overall record, including a 44-16 mark in the 2011 campaign and an 18-2 conference record. The Dolphins won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship under Lehotak in 2011 as well as qualifying for their first-ever NCAA Division I Regional. Sigrest was a four-year starter in the circle for Jacksonville University, where she was named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year in 2011, recording a 27-7 overall record and leading the Dolphins to their first-ever NCAA Division I Regional appearance. The right-handed hurler finished her career at Jacksonville holding six school records including: wins (68), games started (96), innings pitched (634.0), strikeouts (548), opponent batting average against (.222) and fewest walks per seven innings (1.45). Sigrest pitched 46.2 scoreless innings in the 2011 campaign, finishing the year with the eighth-best earned run average in the nation (1.10) and becoming the only Dolphin pitcher to strikeout more than 200 batters in a single season.
GETTING ON BASE
The Nittany Lions showed vast improvement in one week as it carries a .316 on-base percentage through six games in the 2018 season. Freshman Dani Fey leads the team with a .500 on-base percentage, while Delaney Elling has a .400 on-base percentage and Toni Polk has a .381 on-base percentage.
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT
With a completely new look in the 2018 season, head coach Amanda Lehotak is still looking for the right lineup on both offense and defense. The team has seen a different lineup in all six contests this season with 11 field players earning starts and two pitchers. Furthermore, 16 players on the roster have seen action in the first six games of the season for the Blue and White.
PENN STATE ROAD WARRIORS
The Nittany Lions will open their 2018 season with 20 road games before they play a home contest at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The Blue and White participate in four road tournaments, kicking things off at the Sand Dollar Classic, Feb. 9-11. From there, Penn State will head to the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the second-straight season where it will take on first-year team Duke as well as Virginia Tech, Feb. 16-18. Lehotak and her squad then travel back to familiar territory for the head coach as the Nittany Lions will play in the Jacksonville Tournament, Feb. 23-25. Finally, Penn State plays a single game against Texas A&M, March 6 and will play in the Houston Tournament, March 9-11.
BLUE AND WHITE TO PLAY 24 HOME GAMES IN 2018
Penn State will play 24 of its 56 scheduled games insides the friendly confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. The home-heavy schedule will be a nice change for the Blue and White as it played only 15 of its 56 games at home in the 2017 campaign. Penn State will kick off its season with 20 away contests before opening its 2018 home campaign with a weekend series against non-conference opponent Kent State, March 16-18. The Nittany Lions hold a 61-59-1 overall record at Beard Field in its seven year existence which is good for a .504 winning percentage. Penn State will play 10 home contests in the month of March before taking on six opponents in 14 games in the month of April.
LEHOTAK BRINGS IN FIVE FRESHMEN FOR 2018
Head coach Amanda Lehotak brings in five fresh faces for the 2018 season. The 2018 freshman class includes: Dani Fey , Emily Hudgins, Erin Murray, Haley Vallejos, and Tori Hackenberg. The class consists of two infielders, one outfielder, one catcher, and one utility player.
MORE NEW FACES
Along with its five freshmen additions, Penn State has also added two transfers and two walk-ons. Junior Paige Johnson joins the Nittany Lions from Northwest Florida State, while Kennedy Legg is a mid-year transfer for Penn State from Ole Miss. Finally, sophomore Amanda Grieco and senior Ashton Mensinger walked on.
ON DECK
Penn State will travel to the Lone Star State for a spring break trip in which it will play six contests over a course of a week. The Blue and White kick off the week with a single game Tuesday, March 6 against Texas A&M before traveling to Houston for five games, March 9-11.
