UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State softball begins its regular season this weekend down south in Fort Myers, Florida at the FGCU Kickoff Classic. The team starts the season facing Ball State and host FGCU on Friday, before two more games Saturday and one Sunday.
Traveling down south will become a norm for the team this year, as this is the first of five weekend trips down to either Florida or North Carolina before the home season gets going.
The team has 10 newcomers this year, some being freshman and others transferring in. With a new mix of girls and different talents, head coach Amanda Lehotak is ready to showcase a new and improved unit when they hit the road.
"We are really trying to figure out what we do best as a unit," Lehotak said. "We have a different style of play this year because we have speed."
Lehotak and the rest of the team are also excited about the pitching talent they have on their roster this season.
The addition of junior transfer and State College native Hannah Shields, lefty pitcher Bailey Parshall, and Kylee Lingenfelter will deepen and diversify this pitching staff. Veterans Madey Smith and Madison Shaffer will surely add to the new talent with their experienced knowledge.
"This is an elite staff, this is the best pitching staff we have had here in my six years," Lehotak said. "We will probably give Kylee Lingenfelter the start."
Lingenfelter comes to the circle for Penn State as a 2018 4A State Champion with Punxsutawney Area High School and four-time District Champion from her high school days.
Outside of pitching, Lehotak said that the addition of hitting coach Alisa Goler has also brought some life to their hitting rotation, and an experienced group is ready for a new voice.
The Nittany Lions bring back their top seven hitters based of batting average from 2018, led by Tori Dubois, Meghan Williams and Toni Polk, three seniors that hit over .260 as juniors last spring. Dubois led that group in multiple hitting categories, finishing with a .295 average, nine home runs and 27 RBI on the year.
The combination of the young and returning talent, increased speed on the bases, and all-around time put into their game is what the team is most excited to showcase throughout their long five weeks of traveling.
While being away from family and friends is hard, the girls have their spirits up and are ready to play the game against some of the best competition the country has to offer.
"It'll be warm down there so we are excited to get down there and play on some dirt," senior pitcher Madison Shaffer said.
For the coaches, the offseason progress is what they look forward to. Taking in essentially a brand-new team and molding them for Division I softball is a tough task.
Each day will come with new opponents and challenges for this young Nittany Lions team, but Lehotak is just focused on her girls and what they bring to the field.
"Get better every week, play our game," Lehotak said. "It's about Penn State softball, about our year and about our journey."
