UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team hosts in-state foe Bucknell for a final midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, April 24 at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. Game one is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch and game two will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live Stats: Both games
Watch ($): Game 1 | Game 2
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State holds the all-time series edge over Bucknell, 30-7.
- Last season, Bucknell swept the doubleheader in Happy Valley.
SCOUTING THE BUCKNELL BISON
- Bucknell is 25-18 overall and 13-2 in Patriot League conference play.
- Freshman Allyse Volpe leads the Bison with a .398 batting average and is tied for the team lead in total hits with senior Anna Gimmestad with 47.
- In the circle, the Bison hold a team ERA of 3.02. Raeanne Geffert has seen the post time as pitcher, with 163.2 innings under her belt.
- Geffert is 14-10 with a 2.53 ERA and 152 total strikeouts.
DINGER CITY TURNED PROGRAM RECORD
- Penn State has hit 42 home runs in the 2019 season so far, setting a new program record for total home runs in a single season. The previous record was 31 set in 2006.
- 11 games this season have been multi-home run performances by the Nittany Lions, including a single-game program record six against Saint Francis on April 3.
- Penn State has had three games this season where multiple home runs in the same inning, including three in the second inning against Saint Francis on April 3.
- Freshman Melina Livingston's two home runs against Saint Francis in game two of the doubleheader on April 3 marked the first multi-home run game for a Penn State hitter since the 2016 season when Macy Jones did so against Michigan State (4/2/16).
- Chelsea Bisi and Toni Polk lead the Nittany Lions with 11 home runs each.
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 six free bases in 67.0 innings pitched.
MAGIC NUMBER 3
- Penn State is 20-6 this season when scoring three or more runs.
10 RUNS IS A LOT
- Penn State has scored 10 or more runs in five games this season, the most double-digit scoring games since the 2016 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.
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 (158) 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 sixth in the conference and 42nd in the nation in total strikeouts as of April 22.
- The freshman is averaging 8.3 strikeouts per seven innings.
- Parshall also has five saves on the season, the most in the conference and fifth in the nation.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
- Senior Tori Dubois was 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.
ON DECK
The Nittany Lions head to Ann Arbor, Mich. for their final conference road test of the regular season. Penn State and No. 22/17 Michigan will play a three-game series, April 26-28. First pitch times are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.