UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State softball team, under first-year head coach Clarisa Crowell, is ready for its final series of the 2021 season, playing host to No. 23 Minnesota at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field, May 14-16. Friday's game and the back half of Saturday's doubleheader will both broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (pxp) and Sammy Nettling (analyst) on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
- Game 1: Friday, May 14 | 6 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network
- Game 2 (DH): Saturday, May 15 | 4 p.m. ET | Live Stream ($)
- Game 3 (DH): Saturday, May 15 | 7 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network
- Game 4: Sunday, May 16 | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stream ($)
- Live Stats for all games available via GoPSUsports.com
SERIES HISTORY
- Playing a Big Ten-only schedule in 2021, Penn State will face familiar opponents all season long.
- The Nittany Lions are set to play a four-game series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Friday's game on national television will start at 6 p.m. Game one of Saturday's doubleheader will be at 4 p.m. before game two starts at 7 p.m. on BTN. The series and season finale on Sunday is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
- Penn State leads Minnesota in the all-time series, 39-23.
- The two teams have not met since the regular-season finale in the 2018 season. Penn State won game one, 2-1, in eight innings before Minnesota won the next two to take the series.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State played Michigan State in East Lansing for its final road series of the 2021 season in a rescheduled doubleheader Tuesday after the original series was postponed back in mid-April out of an abundance of caution.
- In game one, junior pitcher Kylee Lingenfelter picked up the victory in the circle with a career-best seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
- Four Nittany Lions also had multi-hit games in game one as the offense totaled 10 hits: redshirt senior Kennedy Legg, juniors Ally Kurland and Melina Livingston, and sophomore Maggie Finnegan. Finnegan also had a RBI as did senior Dani Fey with a RBI double down the left field line.
- Junior Claire Swedberg scored the eventual winning run for Penn State in the top of the seventh on a dropped third strike.
LINGENFELTER LEADS DEFENSE
- Junior Kylee Lingenfelter was calm, cool and collected in the circle Tuesday in game one against Michigan State.
- The right-handed pitcher recorded a career-high seven strikeouts en route to the victory, including the seventh strikeout as the final out of the game with the bases loaded.
- The Punxsutawney, Pa., native twice got herself and the defense out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh as the Spartans tried to force extra innings or come away with a walk-off win.
KURLAND POWER AT THE PLATE
- Junior Ally Kurland has been a power hitter for the Nittany Lions this season, with 10 or her 19 hits coming as multi-base hits, including a team-high five doubles and four home runs.
- The Burke, Va., native had her best weekend of the season against Rutgers, April 9-10, totaling five hits and four RBI in the series with a .500 batting average and impressive 1.300 slugging percentage.
- The catcher hit two home runs against Rutgers in the same game for the first multi-home run game for an individual player since Destiny Weber hit two at Alabama last season (2/22/20). It also ties a program record.
- Kurland leads the Nittany Lions with 11 RBI. She also has a team-high six multi-hit games this season and is on a tied season-long three-game hit streak.
SENIOR DAY
- Senior Day, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association, is on Sunday, May 16 ahead of the series finale against Minnesota.
- The program will honor its three seniors pregame: Logan Black, Dani Fey and Kennedy Legg.
ON DECK
With no Big Ten Tournament in 2021, Penn State concludes the 2021 season this weekend.