Penn State Softball Hits the Road for Three Game Series Against No. 22 MichiganPenn State Softball Hits the Road for Three Game Series Against No. 22 Michigan
Craig Houtz

Penn State Softball Hits the Road for Three Game Series Against No. 22 Michigan

Opens in a new window Michigan Game Notes

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State softball team (22-13, 4-2 Big Ten) heads back on the road for the first time in 13 games to face off against the Michigan Wolverines (22-11, 2-4 Big Ten) in a three-game weekend series in Ann Arbor. The first game of the series will take place on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 2 p.m., and concluding with game three at 1 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be streamed on B1G+ ($). 
 
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions swept Purdue at home, which was Penn State's first Big Ten series sweep since 2016. Penn State outscored Purdue 26-5 over the three games, including a 11-3 run-rule victory in five innings in the last game of the series. The Nittany Lions also played hosted to Bucknell last Tuesday, defeating the Bison 5-1. Lilia Crouthamel hit her first career grand slam and second career home run in the win.
 
Ally Kurland earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her performances against the Boilermakers and Bucknell last week. The senior catcher 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 honor since Alyssa VanDerveer won it on April 6, 2015. Kurland was also named a Division I Louisville Slugger/NFCA Top Performer of the Week. 
 
SERIES HISTORY

  • These will be the 82nd, 83rd, and 84th all-time meetings between Penn State and Michigan. The Wolverines hold a 7-74 all-time record advantage over the Nittany Lions. The first meeting between the two teams came in 1992. 
  • Last season, Penn State dropped three games to No. 19 Michigan.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES

  • Coming in at No. 22 in the NFCA Coaches Poll, the Michigan Wolverines are 21-11 in 2022 with a 2-4 record in conference play. They boast impressive wins over UCF, LSU, Duke, Kentucky, and, most recently, No. 9 Northwestern.
  • Last time out, Michigan hosted bitter rivals Michigan State for one game in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. The Wolverines were victorious 6-1 following multi-run innings in the first, third, and fifth. 
  • Last weekend, the Wolverines played a highly anticipated series against No. 9 Northwestern. Michigan dropped the first two games, including game one in nine innings, before taking the rubber match 8-3.
  • At the plate, outfielder Kristina Burkhardt is the leader of the Wolverine offense. The graduate student is batting .421 with 45 hits, 20 RBI, and a .626 slugging percentage. She leads the Big Ten in doubles (16) and is third in hits and doubles in the conference. She has 11 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games this season.
  • The Michigan pitching staff is highlighted by one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten, senior Alex Storako. She is 15-4 on the season with a 1.53 ERA and 188 strikeouts through 114.1 innings pitched. Against Michigan State on Wednesday, Storako pitched a complete game, allowing only three hits while striking out 12. Against Illinois State on February 11 and Bowling Green on March 29, Storako struck out a whopping 18 batters.  

LAST TIME OUT

  • Last time out, the Nittany Lions hosted Purdue in a three-game series to conclude their 13-game homestand. Penn State swept Purdue in dominating fashion, outscoring the Boilermakers 26-5 over the weekend. It was the first Big Ten series sweep for Penn State since the 2016 season.
  • In game one of the series, Ally Kurland put up historic numbers in Penn State's 7-1 win. Kurland hit two home runs while notching five RBI. She tied the school record for the most home runs in a single game and was the seventh Nittany Lion ever to have five RBI in a game. Bailey Parshall went all seven innings in the win, striking out seven while allowing four hits. It was her 12th complete game of the season.
  • In game three, the Nittany Lions run-ruled Purdue 11-3 in five innings. Penn State scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to secure the win. Penn State's 11 runs came on only six hits. 

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 13-4 record and a 1.43 ERA in 127.1 innings pitched. 
  • Parshall's seven shutouts is the best mark in the Big Ten and the fourth best in Division I. Here 1.43 ERA is also the third best mark in the Big Ten. 
  • Penn State has won the last six games Parshall has started.
  • 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 

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 (13), RBI (33), and slugging percentage (.803). Her 13 home runs this season is the third most all-time by a Nittany Lion in a single season. Her 14 doubles are also the sixth best mark all-time by a Nittany Lion in a single season. 
  • Last week, 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. 
  • In the first game against Purdue, Kurland hit two home runs and had five RBI. She tied the school record for the most home runs in a game and became the seventh Nittany Lion ever to record five RBI in a game. 
  • 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 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 (.406) and hits (43). She is sixth both in batting average and on-base percentage (.504) in the Big Ten.
  • 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.

OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE

  • The Nittany Lion offense produced one of their most efficient weeks at the plate last week against Bucknell and Purdue.
  • The Penn State offense batted a combined .299, with a .425 on-base percentage, and a .567 slugging percentage in last week's games.
  •  Entering last week, the team had a combined batting average of .263, on-base percentage of .327, and slugging percentage of .419 

DOUBLE TROUBLE

  • The Nittany Lions have hit a combined 52 doubles so far in 2022. That is the second-best mark in the Big Ten and 23rd best in Division I.
  • Aly Kurland's 14 doubles is the second-best mark in the Big Ten and third best in the Division I. 


WHAT'S NEXT

  • The Nittany Lions return home to host the Indiana Hoosiers next weekend. Game one of the series is slated for 6 p.m. on Friday, April 15. The game will be broadcasted on B1G+ ($).