UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team (10-11, 0-0 Big Ten) will play its first game in the Keystone State as the Nittany Lions travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pitt Panthers (11-8, 1-2 ACC). The in-state rivals will clash on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The game will air on the ACC Network.
SERIES HISTORY
- Wednesday's matchup will be the 23rd all-time matchup between the Nittany Lions and Panthers. Penn State holds a 15-7 record all-time against Pitt.
- The two teams have already met this season during the Northern Lights Southern Nights Tournament. The Nittany Lions shut out the Panthers 1-0 with senior pitcher Bailey Parshall allowing three hits and striking out 12 in a complete game effort.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
- Pitt is 11-8 on the 2022 season, including a 1-2 record in ACC conference play. The Panthers opening ACC series came against No. 3 Florida State, where Pitt upset the Seminoles, 7-5, in the series finale.
- Last time out, Pitt participated in the Lady Bison Classic in Nashville, Tenn., where the Panthers went 2-1 with wins against Bowling Green and Houston Baptist.
- Cami Compson and Haylie Brunson lead the offense for Pitt. Compson is hitting a team-leading .364 with 20 hits, 14 RBI, and is tied for the team lead with three home runs. Brunson leads the Panthers in hits with 21 and is batting .344 with a team high five doubles.
- Dani Drogemuller is the mainstay in the circle for the Panthers. The redshirt freshman is 6-3 on the season with a 1.59 ERA through 66 innings pitched. She is sixth in the ACC with 71 strikeouts on the season. She pitched a complete game during Pitt's upset over No. 3 Florida State, allowing only one earned run.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Nittany Lions' last stop of their spring break trip came in Newark, Delaware, where Penn State played a doubleheader against the Blue Hens. The two teams split the series, with the Lions winning the first game, 1-0, before dropping the second, 6-4.
- In the first game, Bailey Parshall recorded her fifth shutout of the season and limited the Blue Hens to only three hits. The difference came from a Cassie Lindmark solo shot, which was her third home run of the season and gave Penn State the 1-0 victory.
- The bats were lively for both teams in the second game of the doubleheader. Ally Kurland hit her team-leading seventh home run of the season and Lindmark continued her hot hitting on the day, notching three hits and two RBI. The Blue Hens pushed their lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin.
- Cassie Lindmark went a scorching 4-for-6 on the day to improve her team-leading batting average to .409, continuing her hot start to her Nittany Lion career.
QUEEN B
- Senior Bailey Parshall continues to be the standout leader on the Penn State pitching staff so far in 2022. Parshall leads the Nittany Lions with a 6-3 record and a 1.83 ERA over 76.1 innings pitched.
- She is 36th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten in strikeouts with 83.
- Parshall recorded her fifth shutout of the season in the Nittany Lions' 1-0 victory over Delaware. She leads the Big Ten and is fourth in the nation in shutouts.
- The gem of Parshall's season is her perfect game against FIU Feb. 18. The perfect game was the fifth in program history and second to be a seven-inning perfect game. Parshall's perfect effort is the first for Penn State since Missy Beseres blanked St. Francis (Pa.) in five innings on March 30, 2005.
- This was also the 14th no-hitter in Penn State history and first since Ashley Esparza shutdown Illinois in a 13-0 win in five innings on April 5, 2008.
LINDMARK LEADS THE WAY
- Junior Cassie Lindmark has solidified herself as the most potent offensive weapon the Nittany Lions have in 2022.
- After transferring to Happy Valley from Kentucky, Lindmark has been the leader of the Penn State offense. The catcher from Lyons, Illinois leads the Nittany Lions in batting average (.409) and hits (27). She is sixth in the Big Ten in batting average and seventh in hits. Her on base percentage (.487) is also the eighth best in the Big Ten.
- Last weekend, Lindmark was on fire in the batter's box against Delaware. Lindmark went 4-for-6 in two games, hitting two doubles and notching two RBI in the second game alone. She also recorded her third home run of the season in the first game for the game's only run.
KURLAND KILLIN' IT
- Along with Lindmark, senior Ally Kurland has been swinging the bat with a purpose as of late. She leads the Nittany Lions in slugging percentage (.768), doubles (9), and home runs (7).
- Kurland is second in the Big Ten in doubles, third in home runs, sixth in slugging percentage and third in total bases (53).
- At the Carolina Classic, the catcher/designated player hit .438 with five runs scored, nine RBI and a 1.188 slugging percentage thanks to three doubles and three home runs.
- On March 4, Kurland rocked a grand slam in the seventh inning as part of a 12-0 victory over North Carolina. She is the first Nittany Lion to hit a grand slam since Toni Polk against Purdue on April 5, 2019.
- Kurland also had a career-high six RBI off of her two-run double and grand slam against the Tar Heels. Her six RBI are tied for the third-most in program history and the most by a Penn State player since Alyssa VanDerveer had a school-record seven RBI against Fordham on February 27, 2016.
- Kurland is the first Penn State player with five or more RBI in a game since Rebecca Ziegler have five RBI against Virginia Tech on February 19, 2017.
NEAR PERFECTION IN THE FIELD
- Penn State's defensive game so far in 2022 has been one of the best in the entire country.
- The Nittany Lions' .976 fielding percentage is the best mark in the Big Ten and the 19th best mark in the entire country.
- Twelve Nittany Lions have a perfect fielding percentage this season.
- The Nittany Lions also have six shutouts, which is the third best mark in the Big Ten.
ON DECK
- Penn State returns home to the comfy confines of Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field to host the Penn State Invitational from March 18-20.
- The Nittany Lions will host UMass Lowell, Rider, and Cornell in a weekend packed with 10 games.
- All Penn State games will be broadcasted on B1G+ ($). All other games will be streamed on Lion Vison through gopsusports.com for free.