UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. for its final road series of the regular season. The Nittany Lions will face No. 22 Michigan for a three-game series, April 26-28, at the Wilpon Complex and Alumni Field. First pitch times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live Stats: All games
SERIES HISTORY
- Michigan holds the all-time series advantage, 66-7.
- Last season, Michigan swept the series in Happy Valley, 3-0.
- Penn State is seeking its first win over Michigan since 2007.
SCOUTING THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
- Michigan is 34-11 overall and 16-1 in Big Ten play, earning a No. 22 ranking in the USA Today / NFCA Coaches Poll.
- Lexie Blair leads the Wolverines at the plate with a .423 batting average and a team-high 63 hits.
- In the circle, the Wolverines boast a team ERA of 2.10 while Meghan Beaubien is 22-4 with a 1.85 ERA in 166.1 innings.
DINGER CITY TURNED PROGRAM RECORD
- Penn State has hit 45 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.
- 12 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 four 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).
AIN'T NO PARTY LIKE A HOME RUN PARTY
- Senior Toni Polk and freshman Chelsea Bisi continue to pace the Nittany Lions with 12 home runs each.
- The duo has combined for seven of Penn State's 12 multi-home run games.
- Their 12 home runs each ties the No. 4 spot on Penn State's single-season home run record with Shannon Salsburg (1995).
WEBER STEPS UP
- Junior Destiny Weber has been phenomenal at the plate for the Nittany Lions in the last handful of games.
- Weber leads the team in batting average, hitting .358 with six multi-hit games.
- The Grafton, Ohio, native nearly hit for the cycle on April 24 against Bucknell, with a double, triple and home run in the contest.
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 69.0 innings pitched.
MAGIC NUMBER 3
- Penn State is 21-6 this season when scoring three or more runs.
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 (165) and has three games with 10+ strikeouts.
- Parshall's 165 strikeouts is enough for No. 10 in the program's single-season strikeout list, passing Lisa Akamine who struck out 162 in 2010 to crack the top-10.
- 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.
ON DECK
The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for the final series of the regular season. Penn State will host Indiana, May 3-5, at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. First pitch times are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Sunday will be Senior Day as Penn State recognizes its five seniors on the team.