UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team opens its season this weekend at the Felsberg Invitational in Miami, Florida. Head coach Amanda Lehotak, senior Destiny Weber, junior Dani Fey and sophomore Bailey Parshall talked about the upcoming season Tuesday at their weekly media availability. Here are five takeaways from the session as Penn State looks to take on 2020.
Team Culture
Coming into this season, the team has focused on creating a connected culture, an environment that everyone wants to be a part of while finding a way to remain competitive.
That goal comes together a day at a time.
"Instead of focusing on a big picture, we come in every single day and focus on what the mission is at that moment in time," Weber said. "Using that competitive team environment, it'll really give us an advantage this coming season."
Next Up
Sophomores Chelsea Bisi and Melina Livingston are two returning players looking to step up this year. Bisi, who was second on the team with a .313 average and led the Nittany Lions with 37 RBI, and Livingston, who finished third in batting average in 2019 hitting .310, both had successful freshman seasons, where they made an impact on the field and Lehotak expects them to build off that success this season.
"You got to look at Chelsea Bisi, one of our best returning players from last year. Offensively she's doing her role," Lehotak said. "Melina Livingston had a great freshman year, so we look for her to step up offensively in that role."
With 10 newcomers and eight returning starters, the team has a mix of talented young players and veterans, who have gelled together, to replace key players from last season.
"We have some very talented freshman so talent-wise, I think we have filled those roles," Lehotak said. "Everybody is leading in their different ways and I think that's why you're seeing the closeness this year with the team."
Offseason preparation
A new voice joined the Penn State softball program this offseason, and it is already paying dividends for the Nittany Lions.
Sam Carter took over as the new performance enhancement coach for the team and has been building team chemistry with the student-athletes. As the team has adapted to Carter's fitness routines, it has also worked on bat control as it prepares to face tougher competition.
"Being able to have more barrel control is a game changer, especially with the schedule that we have this season because we have harder pitches coming at us with more spin on them," Fey said.
Locating pitches was another thing the team worked on to prepare for its upcoming opponents.
"I personally worked on my pitches, moving the ball through space, working all my pitches through all the zones and then in the weight room I tried to build muscle in my legs to get stronger to throw harder," Parshall said.
Leadership
During the offseason, the team went on a retreat where it worked on leadership skills, chemistry and being competitive. While everyone wants to do their part and excel in their role on the team, the retreat set the foundation for the group to come together and put the team first.
"We're working on creating a cultural Tribe 55, not just a get in, do your job and focus on yourself then get out," Weber said. "It's really about the mission and what the collective wants."
Regional Expectations
The team is looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011. Reaching NCAA Regionals is the team's ultimate goal. Despite the long-term goal, Lehotak said focusing on being present, taking care of business each day and bringing a championship mentality to everything is how the team can be successful moving forward.
"There's a long season," Lehotak said. "We're going to have our ups and downs through the season but our end goal is to try and take the program to the next step and that's to go to the postseason."
The Nittany Lions start that journey 2:30 p.m. Friday vs. the Cal Bears at the Felsburg Invitational in Miami, Florida.
