UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team finished its shortened 2020 season 11-15 overall. While the team didn't get to finish what it started, there were still positives to take away from the early stretch. Head coach Amanda Lehotak spoke about the 2020 season at her final media availability of the season. Here are five takeaways from the session.
Team Chemistry
This season the team was as connected as its ever been. From off-the-field activities like junior Dani Fey hosting a weekly taco night at her house on Tuesdays, to watching The Bachelor as a group on Mondays, the team made an effort to bond.
Maybe just as key as the time itself, the players took it upon themselves to build that bond without being asked to. Lehotak noticed how much the players cared for each other and how they worked on building genuine relationships.
"Little things like that create a championship culture," Lehotak noted. "Those are things they came up with and were really authentic, which I thought was incredible."
Team Performance
The team was just starting to click before the stoppage during the Clearwater Spring Break Invitational in early March, where it tallied a 3-3 record.
No matter the result, the team consistently got better with each passing game. Penn State routinely had seven underclassmen on the field, which allowed the young players to gain experience while developing their skills.
"What would've impressed you in-person would have been their resiliency," Lehotak said.
This year's group of players complemented each other, as the team had power hitters throughout the lineup and a versatile pitching staff. That was put on full display when Penn State played South Florida in its final game on March 11.
The team held a top-30 South Florida team to one run and was competing against one of the top pitchers in the country, Georgina Corrick, and got four hits off her. Lehotak noticed the momentum changing for the team.
"We were starting to play really good softball right when it ended," she said.
Pitching
The pitching staff was led by sophomore Bailey Parshall, who made 20 appearances and pitched eight complete games. Parshall was heating up as the season progressed, as she won seven games, had a 2.51 ERA and struck out 129 batters.
Parshall was confident heading into Big Ten play and was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week before the season ended. Despite the season ending early, Lehotak expects Parshall to grow even more moving forward.
"Very rarely are you healthy, feeling good and ready to go then the season gets taken away," Lehotak said. "I expect her to be even better going into next year."
Sophomore Kylee Lingenfelter and freshman Vanessa Oatley were also a part of the pitching staff that could match up well against opposing lineups. Lingenfelter and Oatley both made ten appearances or more and had an ERA below 4.20.
"It was probably the best pitching staff we've ever had," Lehotak said.
The deep rotation allowed Lehotak and the team to use a lot of different looks against opponents, and that skill and confidence would have only improved as the year went on.
Standout Players
The Nittany Lions had several players jump off the stat sheet early in the 2020 campaign.
Freshman Kaitlyn Morrison started every game for the team at shortstop and made her mark at the plate. Morrison routinely batted at the top of the lineup, where she had a .271 batting average, 23 hits and ten walks.
Sophomore Melina Livingston also made an impact for Penn State this season by consistently getting on-base and driving in runs, batting .274, tallying 20 hits and 14 RBI.
"With them getting such valuable experience, it's only going to pay off," Lehotak said.
Redshirt junior Kennedy Legg battled back this season from injury and gave the team a steady presence in the lineup, as she batted .299, had 20 hits and 13 walks.
All three players consistently contributed to help Penn State compete.
"They're our staple and our foundation," Lehotak said of the young group.
Seniors
While the senior class played with the mentality of "play like it's your last game," their final season ended without warning and without taking the field once at Beard Field.
Despite the disappointing end, the seniors remained mentally tough through it all. And provided the team with leadership by setting the tone with their actions on and off the field.
"We couldn't ask for a better senior class in terms of character, work ethic and student representatives of Penn State," Lehotak said.
Hannah Shields, a senior and State College, Pennsylvania native, helped the team be better by having a great work ethic, love of softball and love of the local community. Shields is just one example from the four-member senior class, a group that includes Amanda Grieco, Christa Wagner and Destiny Weber, that Lehotak coached and is sad to be losing.
"Hannah being a local kid, I think she was great for our program," Lehotak said. "I'm just sad that I don't get to honor them on Beard Field."
