UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team (25-16, 7-5 Big Ten) travels to Rutgers (23-24, 1-13 Big Ten) over the weekend before heading to Columbus to face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes (27-10, 7-5 Big Ten) in a doubleheader on Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions have won three out of their past four games. Last time out, Penn State downed Indiana 8-6 at home on Easter Sunday. Ally Kurland's two home runs matched with another home run from Lexie Black propelled the Nittany Lions over the Hoosiers.
The Nittany Lions moved back above .500 in Big Ten play with a 7-5 record following the weekend series against Indiana. Penn State heads back on the road for the team's second Big Ten road trip of the season this weekend.
GAME INFORMATION
- Game 1: Penn State at Rutgers- Friday April 22; 1 p.m.
- Game 2: Penn State at Rutgers- Saturday April 23; 3 p.m.
- Game 3: Penn State at Rutgers-Sunday April 24; 1 p.m.
- Game 4: Penn State at Ohio State April 26; TBD
- Game 5: Penn State at Ohio State April 26; TBD
SERIES HISTORIES
- The Nittany Lions are 33-27 all-time against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, with the first meeting coming back in 1980. Last season, Penn State won the series in Happy Valley, taking three of four games from the Scarlet Knights.
- Penn State is 33-60 all-time against Ohio State.. The Nittany Lions dropped the seires againt the Buckeyes in 2021.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
- The Scarlet Knights enter the weekend with a 23-24 record, including a 1-13 mark in Big Ten play. Rutgers has played stiff competition in 2022 against the likes of No. 8 Arkansas, No. 7 Washington, and No. 22 Arizona State, falling against all ranked teams.
- Last time out, Rutgers fell to Maryland in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The weekend before, the Scarlet Knights were swept by Illinois in a weekend series at home.
- Kyleigh Sand and Gabrielle Callaway are two offensive weapons for Rutgers. Sand is batting .417 on the year with 22 RBIs and Callaway is batting .385 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs.
- The pitching staff is headed by juniors Jaden Vickers and Ashley Hitchcock. Vickers is 14-8 on the year while Hitchcock is 9-16. That duo has seen 275.1 combined innings for the Scarlet Knights this season. Georgia Ingle has also seen some action in the circle, appearing in 15 games this season.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
- The Buckeyes come into the weekend with a 27-10 record, including a 7-5 mark in Big Ten play. Ohio State will play a series against arch rivals Michigan in Ann Arbor over the weekend before hosting Penn State on Tuesday.
- Last time out, the Buckeyes swept Iowa in Iowa City. Ohio State won the first game 7-3, followed by a 6-4 win in game two and 10-5 victory in game three.
- At the plate, the Buckeyes are led by committee. Sam Hackenbracht, McKenzie Bump, Melina Wilkison, and Niki Carver are all solid contributors for the Ohio State offense. Hackenbracht paces the group with a .380 batting average and team leading 12 home runs and 37 RBI.
- Lexie Handley is the ace of the Ohio State pitching staff and one of the better pitchers in the Big Ten. Handley is 15-6 with a 2.53 ERA with 177 strikeouts through 143.2 innings pitched.
LAST TIME OUT
- Last time out, Penn State hosted Indiana in a weekend series in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions took two of three games from the Hooisers, securing the team's second Big Ten series victory of the season.
- In game one, Penn State shut out Indiana 6-0. Bailey Parshall pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits across the seven innings. Cassie Lindmark went 3-4 with two doubles and Maggie Finnegan hit a home run in the win.
- In game three, Ally Kurland's two home runs lifted the Nittany Lions over the Hoosiers 8-6. Bailey Parshall earned her second win of the weekend and 16th of the year in the game.
QUEEN B
- Senior Bailey Parshall continues to be the standout leader on the Penn State pitching staff in 2022. Parshall leads the Nittany Lions with a 16-6 record and a 1.67 ERA in 150.2 innings pitched.
- In game one against Indiana, Parshall went the distance, going all seven innings while allowing two hits in Penn State's 6-0 win.
- Parshall's eight shutouts is the best mark in the Big Ten and the fifth best in Division I. Her 1.67 ERA is also the fourth best mark in the Big Ten.
- Parshall was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 21 after going 4-0 with two complete game shutouts. It was the second Big Ten weekly award of her career with her other honor coming in March 2020.
- 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.
KURLAND KILLIN' IT
- Senior Ally Kurland has been one of the best sluggers in the Big Ten and country in 2022. She leads Penn State in home runs (16), RBI (38), and slugging percentage (.788).
- Her 16 home runs this season are tied for the second most in a single season in program history. Her 14 doubles are also the sixth best mark all-time by a Nittany Lion in a single season.
- In Penn State's win over Indiana on Sunday, Kurland hit two home runs in the game. It was her second multi-home run game of the season and propelled Penn State over Indiana 8-6.
- After Penn State's sweep over Purdue, Kurland was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. Against Purdue and Bucknell, she batted .583 with seven hits, three home runs, and eight RBI while posting a 1.417 slugging percentage and .667 on base percentage. She was the first Nittany Lion to win the award since Alyssa VanDerveer in 2015.
- On March 4, Kurland rocked a grand slam in the seventh inning as part of a 12-0 victory over North Carolina. Before Lilia Crouthamel's grand slam against Bucknell she was 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.
LINDMARK LEADS THE WAY
- Along with Ally Kurland, Cassie Lindmark's offensive output has helped create one of the most formidable one-two punches in the Big Ten.
- After transferring to Happy Valley from Kentucky, the catcher from Lyons, Illinois leads the Nittany Lions in batting average (.426) and hits (52). She is fourth in batting average and second in on-base percentage (.533) in the Big Ten.
- In the series against Indiana, Lindmark batted .600 with six hits, three doubles and two RBI while having a .900 slugging percentage.
- In Penn State's win over No. 22 Michigan on April 10, Lindmark's seventh inning home run was the difference that led Penn State to the upset victory.
- Lindmark put up monster numbers on the way to being among the Louisville Slugger/Wilson D1 Top Performers of the Week on March 21. The junior hit .500 with eight hits and six RBI. She also had an on base percentage of .636 and a .688 slugging percentage.
FINNY FEELIN' IT
- In last weekend's series against Indiana, junior Maggie Finnegan put on one of the best offensive performances in her college career.
- In three games last last weekend, Finnegan hit .500 with two home runs, a double, and a triple, all while having a 1.625 slugging percentage and four RBI.
- Finnegan doubled her career home run total over the weekend and now has a career high three on the season.
ON DECK
- The Nittany Lions host their final home series of the season against Wisconsin starting next Friday, April 29. Game one of the series will take place at 6 p.m. on B1G+ ($).