UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team (3-6) goes back to the Sunshine State for the Knights Classic, Feb. 23-24 in Orlando, Fla. The Nittany Lions will face Coastal Carolina, host UCF, Pitt and Louisiana Tech.
GAME INFORMATION
- Game 10: Penn State vs. Coastal Carolina - Saturday, Feb. 23, 10 a.m. | Live Stats
- Game 11: Penn State at UCF - Saturday, Feb. 23, 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Watch ($)
- Game 12: Penn State vs. Pitt - Sunday, Feb. 24, 9:30 a.m. | Live Stats
- Game 13: Penn State vs. #RV Louisiana Tech - Sunday, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. | Live Stats
*All games played at UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Florida.
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State has met up on the field with all four weekend opponents.
- The Nittany Lions are 1-3 all-time against Coastal Carolina, with the last matchup coming in the 2017 season.
- Penn State is 2-1 against host UCF and will face the Knights for the second-straight year. Last season UCF won, 7-2, in the Houston Hilton Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas.
- Penn State holds the 13-6 advantage over in-state foe Pitt. Pitt won, 7-1, in the 2017 season and last season's game was cancelled due to weather.
- The Nittany Lions are seeking their first victory over Louisiana Tech as they are 0-3 against the Bulldogs but have not seen them since the 2012 season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- Coastal Carolina enters the weekend 9-1 and are riding a nine-game win streak. Taylor Sweigart leads the Chanticleers in hitting (.370) while Courtney Dean is right behind batting .357 with a team-leading four home runs, 11 RBI, and .857 slugging percentage.
- Host UCF is 4-4 after two weekends of play. Tamesha Glover leads the Knights with a .476 batting average while Breann Vasquez leads the team in the circle with two complete game shutouts.
- Pitt is 1-8 through the first part of the 2019 season, including five losses to Big Ten teams. Brie Horrell leads the team in hitting (.455) and is tied for the lead in home runs (2) and RBI (5).
- Louisiana Tech is receiving votes in week two of the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll with its 10-1 start to the season. The Bulldogs boast a team batting average of .349 with eight of their top-nine regulars batting .300 or better.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State went 2-2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Durham, N.C., Feb. 15-17.
- The Nittany Lions swept day one with a 3-2 win over Syracuse and a 6-0 shutout of Duke.
- Freshman left-handed pitcher Bailey Parshall struck out a career high 13 of 25 Syracuse batters faced in game one, tying for fourth-most in a single game in program history.
- Classmates Melina Livingston and Ally Kurland hit their first collegiate home runs on the weekend while senior Toni Polk added another.
- As a team, Penn State led all teams in the tournament with 26 hits in four games.
FIRST SHUTOUT SINCE 2017
- Penn State shut out Duke, 6-0, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Feb. 15.
- It marks the first time since the 2017 season that Penn State has shut out its opponent when they last did so against Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
WE'RE PARSHALL TO BAILEY'S STRIKEOUT SUCCESS
- Freshman left-handed pitcher Bailey Parshall has made an immediate impact in the circle for Penn State.
- The Belle Vernon, Pa., native leads the team in total strikeouts (39) and has only walked seven batters in 29.2 innings pitched.
- Parshall struck out 13 Syracuse batters on Feb. 15, the most in a single game by a Nittany Lion pitcher since 2010 and the fourth-most in a single game in program history.
- Parshall is fourth in the conference and 21st in the nation in total strikeouts.
ROAD WARRIORS
- Penn State will open the 2019 season with 25 straight road games before they play a home contest at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
- The Blue and White participate in five road tournaments to start the season, four of which are in the Sunshine State.
- The first weekend in the Sunshine State features the Nittany Lions in the FGCU Kickoff Classic, Feb. 8-10 in Fort Myers, Fla. The team will face Ball State and Kent State twice and host, Florida Gulf Coast, once.
- From there, the team will make their third-straight appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Feb. 15-17 in Durham, N.C. facing Syracuse and Duke twice each.
- Penn State then travels back to Florida for the Knights Classic, Feb. 23-24 in Orlando to face Coastal Carolina, host UCF, Pitt and Louisiana Tech.
- The final trip to Florida includes a 10-day stint during spring break. The team will first play in the Madeira Beach Tournament, March 1-3 against Boston College, Florida International, Detroit Mercy, Florida A&M and Central Michigan. Penn State will then play a mid-week doubleheader against Penn and Villanova on March 6 in Clearwater, Fla. before appearing in the USF Tournament March 8-10 against Holy Cross, South Dakota State, Central Michigan, Saint Joseph's and Toledo.
COMPETITIVE SCHEDULE
- Penn State will face four 2018 NCAA Tournament participants during the 2019 season in Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Saint Francis.
- In week two of the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll, Indiana is now ranked No. 19 after going undefeated in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
- Michigan, Louisiana Tech and Ohio State are also receiving votes.
ON DECK
Penn State travels once more to Florida for a 10-day spring break trip. The Nittany Lions will play 12 total games in the Clearwater area, including stints in the Madeira Beach Tournament and USF Tournament.