UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State softball has had multiple bright spots and strong performances this season, and while many of the players making those plays have been familiar to fans for years, eight new freshmen have filled out the roster and highlight reel all season long for the Nittany Lions.
"Whenever you have freshmen that can come in and contribute right away that bodes well for the future," Penn State head coach Amanda Lehotak said. "It's exciting and it's great for the future."
Lehotak is proud to say she has consistent freshmen starters, believing experience is the best way to get comfortable with college softball and improve as a player.
Among these freshmen is Melina Livingston, a Detroit native and the starting shortstop for this young Nittany Lions team. To the surprise of many, her spot on the roster is not the only new role she has played this season.
"I am really proud of her because she is completely out of position," Lehotak said. "For her, it's about going and having fun and making the routine plays."
Considering herself "little" and "made for the outfield," Livingston has enjoyed seeing action on the field and taking every opportunity to improve her game.
"I got here and Lehotak was like 'You're going to play shortstop,'" Livingston said. "My main thing is finding a way to get on the field and find a way to play so if this was my opportunity I am going to go all at it."
At the plate, Livingston has adjusted well too. She posts a .350 batting average that consistently leads the Nittany Lion offense, even though she sits in the ninth spot in the order.
Lehotak said that while her average would make you think she should move higher in the order, Livingston was made for that nine spot. They have tried switching Livingston's spot before, but she was never as dominant as she is rounding out the lineup.
Sitting at the three spot in the order is Chelsea Bisi, a freshman from Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She posts a .327 batting average and leads the team with nine home runs.
Bisi attributes her early success to the coaching staff, especially hitting coach Alisa Perrin, who made sure their preseason training prepared them at the plate.
With all the preparation from coaches and veterans, Bisi said there is always still a shock making the transition to Division I softball.
"We all had an idea of what it would be like," Bisi said. "From travel ball or high school, if you are not mentally there for a play the ball always finds you."
Livingston and Bisi knew they were going to play college softball, but Penn State was not their first destination. Both girls previously committed to other schools, before realizing everything she dreamed of was at Penn State.
"I was committed to La Salle through high school. Because you commit so early, it wasn't what you wanted it to be," Livingston said. "Coach Lehotak gave us the opportunity to play at a Big Ten school and, for me, there was no way I could say no."
"The whole community at the games, I knew I had to be a part of that," Bisi added.
Community and family were everything for freshman pitcher Bailey Parshall as well. The Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania native is also a Penn State legacy, having grown up surrounded by Nittany Lions.
Having a "leg up" and understanding the culture of Penn State, the choice was easily made when Parshall was given the choice. She had not played in her first high school softball game before she committed.
"When they gave me the offer I immediately accepted it," Parshall said. "The whole family concept hyped it up and now that I am here I feel like we live up to that tradition."
While Penn State holds up their end of the bargain, so does the team. Both the coaching staff and the seniors create an environment that Parshall said translated to success on and off the field.
The Nittany Lions have certainly had a season full of ups and downs, however Lehotak and this squad are confident this is just the beginning of more success that is to come.
"They keep getting better and better," Lehotak said. "The mistakes that they're making this year they won't make them next year."
