UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State softball team heads to North Carolina this weekend to take part in the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., before traveling to Durham, N.C., to face off against No. 13 Duke.
As a part of the Carolina Classic, which runs from March 4-6, Penn State will play No. 12 Oregon and North Carolina (Friday), UConn and UNC Greensboro (Saturday), before ending the tournament against UNC Greensboro (Sunday). The Nittany Lions will then travel to No. 13 Duke and play the Blue Devils Tuesday, March 8.
GAME INFORMATION
- Game 1: Penn State vs. No. 12 Oregon – Friday, March 4; 1 p.m. | Live Stats
- Game 2: Penn State at North Carolina – Friday, March 4; 6 p.m. | Live Stats | ACC Network Extra
- Game 3: Penn State vs. UConn – Saturday, March 5; 3 p.m. | Live Stats
- Game 4: Penn Stats vs. UNC Greensboro – Saturday, March 5; 5:30 p.m. | Live Stats
- Game 5: Penn State vs. UNC Greensboro- Sunday, March 6; 3 p.m. | Live Stats
- Game 6: Penn State at No. 13 Duke – Tuesday, March 8; 5 p.m. | Live Stats | ACC Network Extra
Note: ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) programming is available online via the ESPN app or WatchESPN.com. Viewers must subscribe to a cable/satellite/digital provider that carries the ACC Network to view ACCNX programming.
SERIES HISTORY
- This is the seventh time the Nittany Lions are taking part in the Carolina Classic. The first time Penn State participated was in 2005 and the last time was in 2013.
- Penn State is 11-10 all time in Carolina Classic games.
- Penn State has winning all-time records against UNC (9-8) and UNC Greensboro (4-1). The Nittany Lions have not fared quite as well against UConn (3-8) and Oregon (0-6) historically.
- The Nittany Lions are 1-3 all time against Duke. The last matchup between the teams came in 2019, when Penn State lost 3-1 on Feb. 17. The earned Nittany Lions a 6-0 win Feb. 15, 2019 in a 6-0 shutout win.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
- The Ducks are flying high, coming into this weekend as the No. 12 team in the country with an 11-3 record. Two of Oregon's three losses have come against ranked opposition in No. 18 Northwestern and No. 16 Missouri, who the Nittany Lions lost to in extra innings in the season-opener. Oregon's strength comes from its defense, as the Ducks have only allowed more than four runs in a game once this season. Senior Allee Bunker has led the Ducks offensively this season, batting .380 with 19 hits, two home runs and 12 RBI, which all lead the team.
- The hosts North Carolina enter the weekend with a 10-7 record so far in 2022. Out of all the teams, they played most recently, hosting No. 19 Michigan at home on Tuesday before hosting Villanova on Wednesday. The Tar Heels were shut out by the Wolverines 8-0 before bouncing back against Villanova and winning that game 7-3. Skyler Brooks leads the UNC offense, batting an impressive .405 with 17 hits on the season. Hannah George is the gem of the Tar Heels' pitching staff, with a 1.39 ERA and 6-0 record through 40.1 innings pitched.
- UNC Greensboro enters the weekend with a 9-4 record and riding a four-game winning streak. Junior Blayke Batten was named Southern Conference Player of the Week following her performance last week. Batten led the Spartans batting .412 with two home runs and seven RBI over the course of the UNCG Invitational and a single game against NC State. She leads UNCG with five home runs on the season. Freshman Reese Byrd has been a standout in the circle, with a 3-1 record and a 1.73 ERA with 26 innings pitched.
- UConn and the Nittany Lions have already squared off this season, with the Huskies coming out 2-1 winners in Penn State's third game of the season. UConn is 8-6 this season and are riding a five-game winning streak. During last weekend's Cougar Classic in South Carolina, the UConn pitching staff finished with a 0.60 ERA and struck out 37 hitters. In UConn's game against Penn State earlier in the year, it was a Lexi Hastings' walk-off double that was the difference maker.
- Duke is 13-3 on the year and ranked No. 13 with all three of their losses coming against ranked opponents. Last Thursday, sophomore Jala Wright threw the third no-hitter in program history during an 8-0 win over Army. The Blue Devils face Georgia Tech this weekend before returning home to face the Nittany Lions.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Nittany Lions took part in the I-75 Challenge down in Atlanta, Ga., last weekend, claiming a 2-2 record.
- Penn State opened the weekend with a tough doubleheader against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets had a walk-off 2-0 win over the Nittany Lions in the first game of the doubleheader before narrowly beating Penn State, 6-4, in the second game. Junior Cassie Lindmark shined for the Nittany Lions in both games, recording four hits and three RBI over the course of the day.
- The Nittany Lions bounced back in a big way, sweeping Kennesaw State in a doubleheader Saturday. Senior pitcher Bailey Parshall was victorious in a 5-2 victory in first game, before freshman Lydia Spalding earned the win during a 10-2 run-rule win for the Nittany Lions. Spalding's victory was the first of her collegiate career. Junior Lexie Black also hit a three-run home run in each of the games while Lindmark continued to be an offensive powerhouse for Penn State, registering her fifth multi-hit and third multi-RBI games of the season.
- Due to inclement weather, the final game of the tournament against Georgia State was cancelled.
QUEEN B AND THE CREW
- Senior Bailey Parshall continues to lead what has been a standout pitching staff for the Nittany Lions this season. Parshall leads the Nittany Lions with a 4-2 record and a 1.17 ERA in 47.2 innings pitched. Parshall's perfect game against FIU remains the highlight on what has been a great start to the season for her.
- Parshall's three shutouts on the season so far are good enough for the fourth most in the country. She is also 25th in the nation in strikeouts with 59 so far this season.
- In the Nittany Lions' second game against Kennesaw State, Lydia Spalding recorded her first collegiate win. The freshman from Youngstown, Ohio went three innings, only allowing two hits and one run in the victory.
- The Penn State pitching staff has a combined 1.72 ERA to start the 2022 season. That combined ERA is the third best in the Big Ten and 22nd best in the country.
LINDMARK AND LEONE LEAD THE WAY
- The duo of juniors Cassie Lindmark and Michelle Leone have sparked the Nittany Lions offensively early in the 2022 season.
- After transferring to Happy Valley from Kentucky, Lindmark has seen early success in a Penn State uniform. The catcher from Lyons, Ill. is batting .450 on the season with a team-leading 18 hits and .675 slugging percentage from the leadoff spot.
- After having a combined .193 batting average through her first two years at Penn State, Leone is starting to become a powerhouse at the plate. The junior has been hitting .429 this season through 35 at-bats. She is second on the team with 15 hits, three behind the team leader Lindmark.
- Lindmark's .450 average at the plate is the second best mark in the Big Ten while Leone's .429 average is the fifth best in the conference.
1-0 EACH GAME
- No. 12 Oregon and No. 13 Duke are two of only three ranked teams the Nittany Lions will have played to start the season.
- In Penn State's only ranked match up so far this season, the Nittany Lions pushed No. 11 Missouri to the brink, just falling shorts of the upset victory, losing the game 2-1 in 8 innings. Parshall pitched a gem in that game, striking out ten and walking one while not allowing an earned run over seven innings pitched.
ON DECK
- The Nittany Lions will travel to Delaware to take part in the Delaware Invitational March 11-12.
- Penn State will play the host Blue Hens twice with a matchup against Canisius sandwiched in between those two games.