UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Nittany Lion softball team hosted Rutgers in a three-game series this weekend, and while the schedule looked like any other series, their was a deeper importance for the home team.
It was Blue-White weekend, which means plenty of Penn State alumni were in attendance for a weekend full of contests in multiple sports around campus, and that included some former softball players who got to hang out with the team prior to its doubleheader Saturday. The pregame interactions gave the games extra meaning for the Nittany Lions.
"It was special," head coach Amanda Lehotak said. "We love playing on Blue-White weekend. It's such an atmosphere, you wake up and wherever you are in State College there's a lot of energy. I think we had the most alumni come back that we've ever had before. They gave the pregame speech and then they got to meet the kids, hit and have a catch on the field. We love it."
The players also appreciated the time together with the former Nittany Lions.
"We heard from a couple of the alumni before the game and told us just how lucky we are to have these beautiful facilities, this beautiful school to attend and the loyal fans," freshman infielder Claire Swedberg said. "It made me feel so grateful, especially today, to play in front of them and show them who we are and the fact that we play for them every day. It made me feel really lucky to have them come talk to us and it was a great experience to meet them."
Junior infielder Destiny Weber felt a similar way.
"I think it was good for them to come back and it was nice having them here," she said. "I think we focused more on having fun and enjoying the moment because sometimes you get caught up in how serious stuff seems."
Despite not being able to grab a win from the weekend, there was a noticeable energy coming from the Penn State dugout, even in the final inning of a series that didn't go their way. Lehotak said the players took it upon themselves to make sure they kept their energy up.
"They are the ones that had a meeting," she said. "They were like 'This is not what we do, we're a high-energy team and it's all about (fighting) to the last pitch."
Swedberg thinks the energy was as good as it has been all season.
"Today especially, our dugout was absolutely insane." she said.
Lehotak says the leaders on the team were responsible for the high-level energy.
"We believe that you play for one another," she said. "Christa Wagner, Delaney Elling, Meghan Williams, they're such great leaders and they're so selfless, so it's that energy that they bring and they were pretty phenomenal today."
Although the 0-3 weekend hurts the overall record, the Big Ten is so tightly packed the Nittany Lions are still in the mix. The team is not worried about their ability to bounce back moving forward.
"Just having such great teammates around us, I think it really helps us bounce back from this kind of weekend," Swedberg said. "Of course it's disappointing, but I have full confidence our team, our pitching staff and our hitters are going to bounce back and we're going to get some wins next week."
Weber echoed her teammates beliefs.
"We focus on one day at a time. This weekend wasn't good but tomorrow we'll come in and work hard." she said.
Lehotak is on the same page on her team and is feeling confident as well.
"They're the most resilient group I've ever had and they're fighters," she said. "They're never going to quit."
The team will look to get back on track next weekend during a trip to College Park where they will face Maryland in a three-game series. The series will start on Friday, April 19, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
