Penn State Travels to Michigan State for B1G OpenerPenn State Travels to Michigan State for B1G Opener
Craig Houtz

Penn State Travels to Michigan State for B1G Opener

Opens in a new window SB Michigan State Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team hits the road again, this time traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to face Michigan State in the first conference series of the season. The Nittany Lions and the Spartans will play a three-game series, with game one pushed up to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22 and both Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.

FOLLOW ALONG
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SERIES HISTORY

  • Penn State has the all-time series advantage over Michigan State, 37-28.
  • Last season, the Spartans won the series, taking two of the three games over the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley.
  • The series is tied 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

  • Michigan State is 10-16 heading into conference play.
  • Charla Echols leads the Spartans at the plate with a .377 batting average while Ebonee Echols leads the team with a .609 slugging percentage and 19 RBI.
  • In the circle, Alli Walker and McKenna Gregory have each made 19 appearances. Walker holds a 3.25 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched.

NO WALK ZONE

  • Junior transfer pitcher Hannah Shields leads the nation in walks allowed per seven innings.
  • The State College area native has given up just two free bases in 33.0 innings pitched.

DINGER CITY

  • Penn State has hit 17 home runs through the first 27 games, including four multi-home run games.
  • Against Robert Morris on March 20, the Nittany Lions hit three home runs in a single game for the first time since the 2017 season when they did against Rutgers at home on April 21, 2017.
  • Those three home runs also all came in the same inning for the first time since the 2016 season when Penn State last did so against Maryland on April 15, 2016.
  • Freshmen classmates Ally Kurland and Chelsea Bisi lead the team with four dingers each.

MAGIC NUMBER 3

  • Penn State is 12-0 this season when scoring three or more runs.

10 RUNS IS A LOT

  • Penn State has scored 10 or more runs in three games this season, the most double-digit scoring games since the 2017 season.
  • The Nittany Lions' 10 runs in the third inning against Robert Morris on March 20 is the most in a single inning in the Amanda Lehotak era.

FRESHMEN DUO COMBINES FOR SHUTOUTS

  • The Penn State pitching staff has shut out three opponents in 2019 via the work in the circle by freshmen Kylee Lingenfelter and Bailey Parshall.
  • Lingenfelter and Parshall combined to shut out Duke, 6-0, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Feb. 15, Florida A&M, 2-0, in the Madeira Beach Invitational on March 3, and Saint Joseph's,  6-0, in the USF Tournament Series on March 9.
  • Junior transfer Hannah Shields also owns a complete shutout of her own against Robert Morris on March 20.
  • It marks the first time since the 2017 season that Penn State has had four shutouts in the same season.

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 (106) and has three games with 10+ strikeouts.
  • Parshall struck out 15 Detroit Mercy batters on March 2 to tie the program record for most strikeouts in a single game.
  • Parshall is third in the conference and 17th in the nation in total strikeouts as of March 13.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD

  • Senior Tori Dubois has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball.
  • To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

300 CAREER WINS IN THE LEHOTAK FILE

  • Head coach Amanda Lehotak enters her sixth year under the helm of Penn State softball.
  • Lehotak recorded her 300th career win as the Nittany Lions took down Central Michigan on March 3 of the Madeira Beach Invitational and now has a 307-380 career record.
  • Lehotak tallied her 100th win at Penn State in the 2018 season and now has a 119-174 record with the Nittany Lions.

ON DECK
Penn State will stay on the road for a mid-week revenge contest at in-state foe Pitt on Wednesday, March 27 at 5 p.m. The Nittany Lions will then return home for their conference home opener at Beard Field, playing host to Wisconsin, March 29-31.