UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team, under seventh-year head coach Amanda Lehotak, is set to open the 2020 season at the Felsberg Invitational, hosted by Florida International University in Miami, Fla., Feb. 7-9. The Nittany Lions will face Cal, host FIU, Syracuse and Michigan State.
GAME INFORMATION
- Game 1: Penn State vs. Cal – Friday, Feb. 7; 2:30 p.m.
- Game 2: Penn State at FIU – Friday, Feb. 7; 5 p.m. | Watch: CUSA.TV
- Game 3: Penn State vs. Syracuse – Saturday, Feb. 8; 10 a.m.
- Game 4: Penn State vs. Michigan State – Saturday, Feb. 8; 12:30 p.m.
- Game 5: Penn State vs. Cal – Sunday, Feb. 9; 10 a.m.
- Live Stats available for all games at fiusports.com.
SERIES HISTORY
- Penn State has met up on the field with all four of its opening weekend opponents.
- The Nittany Lions will seek their first win over Cal as the Golden Bears hold a 3-0 all-time series edge. Friday will be the first game between the two teams in over 10 seasons (2009).
- Penn State and FIU will meet for the second-straight season after meeting up in the Madeira Beach Tournament last March. The Panthers hold the advantage at 2-1 with the 3-2 win in 2019.
- The Nittany Lions and the Syracuse Orange also meet for the second consecutive season after splitting two games at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in 2019. Penn State has the 8-4 all-time series advantage.
- Penn State and Michigan State will meet in a single nonconference game that does not count toward Big Ten standings. The Nittany Lions have a 37-29 all-time series advantage after winning two of three games last season in a Big Ten Conference series.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
- Cal completed the 2019 season with a 28-27 overall record. The Golden Bears have 11 newcomers in 2020 but return 2019 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honoree Makena Smith.
- FIU also finished the 2019 season just above .500 with a 26-25 overall record.
- Syracuse returns senior ace Alexa Romero and junior Gabby Teran, who ranks 10th all-time in Orange history with a .320 career batting average. They posted a 21-32 overall record in 2019 under first-year head coach Shannon Doepking.
- Michigan State went 16-34 in 2019 but return three of its top five hitters. Spartan head coach Jacquie Joseph is in her 27th season at the helm.
ROAD WARRIORS
- Penn State will open the 2020 season with 30-straight road games before playing a home contest at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field.
- The Nittany Lions participate in six road tournaments to start the season, three of which are in Florida.
- Penn State will play 41 of its 56 scheduled regular-season games away from home.
OFFENSIVE PROWESS RETURNS
- Penn State returns three of its four top hitters from 2019 in senior Destiny Weber and sophomores Chelsea Bisi and Melina Livingston, all of whom registered above a .300 batting average a season ago.
- The Nittany Lions also return eight home-run sluggers from last season who hit 32 of a program-record 49 home runs.
BISI BOMBS
- Sophomore hitter Chelsea Bisi returns in 2020 after a stellar freshman campaign that saw her receive Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors as well as her name in several single-season program record categories.
- Bisi hit a team-high 13 home runs in 2019, tied for third-most dingers in a single season with former teammate Toni Polk who also hit 13 homers last season.
- The righty from Latrobe, Pa., also batted in 37 runs as a rookie, good for No. 11 in a single season.
WE'RE PARSHALL TO BAILEY'S STRIKEOUT SUCCESS
- Lefty ace Bailey Parshall made a name for herself as a freshman in 2019, setting single-season records for appearances (45) and saves (5).
- The Belle Vernon, Pa., native struck out 184 batters last season, good for eighth all-time in a single season. She struck out a tied single-game high 15 batters against Detroit Mercy on March 2, the most since Lisa Akamine did so in 2010.
- Parshall finished 52nd nationally and eighth in the Big Ten in total strikeouts and first in the conference and 13th nationally for total saves.
- She also finished in the top-60 nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (7.7 - 56th) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.00 - 59th).
COMPETITIVE SCHEDULE
- Penn State will face eight 2019 NCAA Tournament teams during the 2020 season, including Women's College World Series participant and preseason No. 1-ranked Alabama.
- Chattanooga, Louisville, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Saint Francis, and South Florida all made NCAA Regional appearances last season.
- In the preseason polls, Alabama, Northwestern and Michigan are all ranked in every one while Ohio State, Louisville and South Florida picked up votes.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
- Penn State softball welcomes 10 newcomers for the 2020 season, including eight freshmen, one transfer and one walk-on.
- The freshmen include Maggie Finnegan (McHenry, Ill.), Michelle Leone (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.), Grace Marsalo (Morgantown, Pa.), L.A. Matthews (Concord, N.C.), Kaitlyn Morrison (South Park, Pa.), Vanessa Oatley (South Kingstown, R.I.), KT Rex (Toledo, Ohio), and Kailee Smith (Hagerstown, Md.).
- Lehotak's freshmen signing class was ranked No. 11 by Extra Inning Softball, while four recruits we ranked as top-100 players (Matthews - 59; Oatley - 73; Morrison - 96)
- The Nittany Lions also added junior transfer Logan Black, a right-handed pitcher from Creighton, and sophomore walk-on Shelli Rivard.
FAMILIAR FACES
- In addition to the new faces, Penn State returns 15 letterwinners from the 2019 season, including Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree Chelsea Bisi.
- Bisi (Latrobe, Pa.) is joined by sophomore classmates Lilia Crouthamel (Allentown, Pa.), Ally Kurland (Burke, Va.), Kylee Lingenfelter (Punxsutawney, Pa.), Melina Livingston (Detroit, Mich.), Bailey Parshall (Belle Vernon, Pa.), and Claire Swedberg (Lake Villa, Ill.).
- Junior returners include Dani Fey (Bangor, Pa.), Kennedy Legg (Keller, Texas) and Haley Vallejos (Chandler, Ariz.) while the senior class totals five members with Amanda Grieco (Basking Ridge, N.J.), Hannah Shields (State College, Pa.), Madey Smith (Washington, N.J.), Christa Wagner (Plainville, Mass.), and Destiny Weber (Grafton, Ohio).
ON DECK
Penn State goes back to Florida, this time Orlando, to participate in the UCF Knights Classic, Feb. 14-16, for the second-straight season. The Nittany Lions will face Villanova and Florida Atlantic twice each and Iowa State once.