UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Softball's Bailey Parshall (Belle Vernon, Pa.) and Paige Maynard (Shady Springs, W. Va.) were awarded Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and Big Ten Freshman of the Week, respectively, for their performances this weekend in Jacksonville, Fla. at the Jacksonville/UNF Invitational.
Parshall, who earns her third weekly honor from the league, dominated this past weekend, pitching 15 innings for the Nittany Lions, allowing no runs and only four hits. Opponents were held to just a .078 batting average against Parshall as she struck out 22 batters. Against Jacksonville on Saturday, Parshall fanned 11 batters in a seven-inning complete game shutout. Her 11 strikeouts in one game is tied for fifth in program history. Versus UNF Friday night, Parshall held the Ospreys hitless until the sixth inning on the way to yet another complete game shutout, as she struck out nine UNF hitters. Only one player all weekend was able to manufacture an extra-base hit off Parshall. She is currently third in program history with 629 career strikeouts, 116 strikeouts away from the all-time record.
Maynard, who is the program's first ever Big Ten Freshman of the Week, threw a no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman in her first collegiate appearance on Saturday. It marked the first time in program history in which a pitcher threw no-hitter in their first career appearance. Maynard fanned four batters and didn't give away a free pass all day.
The last time two Penn State players won Big Ten weekly awards the same week was March 28, 2011, when Lisa Akamine was voted pitcher of the week, and Cassidy Bell was recognized as player of the week.
The Nittany Lions are off to a 5-0 start on the season, marking their best start since the 1974 season, when they started 7-0. Penn State travels to Charlotte, N.C. next weekend for a five-game round robin tournament against Charlotte, Kent State, Georgia Tech, and Boston University (two games).