UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Being gritty and playing with resilience has been a key component to Penn State softball's success this season. The positive energy from the team radiates throughout the field as soon as they step foot on it. The Nittany Lions recently claimed their second Big Ten series win of the season against Indiana improving them to 13-3 at home and 25-16 overall, (7-5 Big Ten).
Head Coach Clarissa Crowell is confident that this momentum is here to stay and knows her team's mentality has a huge role with their success in the Big Ten.
"Obviously throughout the season we've gone through some tough moments, but we continue to respond positively," said Crowell. "I think that this speaks to my players mentality with the grittiness and toughness they show on the field."
This season Crowell has been stressing the importance of remaining strong and shaping her players' mindsets into being stronger leaders. Earlier in the season, in the series against Purdue, the team had a board displayed with their goals. They later went on to sweep the series against the Boilermakers and have been carrying that momentum with them since.
Senior Ally Kurland amounts the team's strong mentality to its 1-0 virtue. This meaning resonates with the players that every week is the beginning of a new journey. Win or lose, the previous performance does not matter, only the goal at hand.
"The offense has really started to click, and we have been sticking to our plan of 1-0 mentality," said Kurland. "Our goal is to look at every at bat as an opportunity and to do what we know how to do."
Kurland had her second multi-home run game of the season in the most recent win against Indiana. She is now tied for second in program history for home runs in a single season with 16.
Maggie Finnegan and Cassie Lindmark have also been stepping up to the plate for the Nittany Lions offensively. Both finished the weekend against Indiana batting over .500, and Lindmark leads the team with a .426 average on the season.
This 1-0 virtue goes farther than the offense of the Nittany Lions and can be seen from Nittany Lions all over the field.
Bailey Parshall's pitching currently leads Penn State with a 14-6 record and is atop the Big Ten with eight total shutouts.
"Bailey is perfectionist by nature, and she has improved tremendously this year on the mental side of the game," said Crowell. "She's being extremely efficient with her pitches and that is huge for our team."
Working on a game plan instead of going consistently for strikeouts has been the difference for Parshall this season.
"Continuing to mix up my chang- up and working on my speed is beneficial momentum heading into the other games," she said. "From the mentality standpoint I think the team has been doing a great job, today may be a great day but tomorrow is an opportunity to be even better."
Knowing each day is a new opportunity and looking to go 1-0 in each new challenge has been and will continue to be key for the Nittany Lions down the stretch of Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions were scheduled to take on the Ohio State's Buckeyes this past Tuesday at 3 p.m., however the series has been postponed until further notice. The next time Penn State is scheduled to be in action Friday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, New Jersey.
