UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – Penn State softball senior pitcher Bailey Parshall added to her outstanding season by being selected to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American third team Wednesday. Parshall is just the fifth Penn State player to earn All-America laurels, joining Cassidy Bell (2013; first team), Danielle Kinley (2007; second team), Ashley Esparza (2005; third team) and Karen Gulini (2000; third team), since the NFCA began naming a team in 1986.
Parshall is the first Penn Stater to earn All-America accolades since 2013 when Cassidy Bell was named to the first team. Parshall is also the first Nittany Lion pitcher to be selected as an All-American since Ashley Esparza in 2005.
Parshall, who was a first-team NFCA All-Great Lakes honoree, was dominant in the circle for the Nittany Lions this season, posting a 22-9 record with a 1.68 ERA and nine shutouts in 212.1 innings. She held opponents to a paltry .199 batting average. She ranks 10th in Division I in shutouts, 14th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.59), 16th in innings pitched, 18th in walks per seven innings (1.05), 22nd in wins, 28th in ERA and 38th in strikeouts (211).
Parshall name is sprinkled throughout the Penn State record books after her tremendous season. She tied the school record for wins in a season, equaling the mark set by Kelly McCann in 2001. She also became the third player (fifth occurrence) in Penn State history to have 200 strikeouts in a season, she finished ranked tied for third with Jackie Hill's 2010 performance. Parshall's nine shutouts are tied for third in school history and her 212.1 innings pitched are fourth in season history.
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 had a five-inning perfect game against St. Francis (Pa.) in 2005. In addition, 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. Parshall was also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team for her efforts. She was the only member of the team to be from a team that did not reach the semifinals.
