UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –Penn State softball remains in Happy Valley for its Big Ten-opening series this weekend, as the Nittany Lions host the Iowa Hawkeyes in a three-game stretch beginning on Friday, March 24, and concluding on Sunday, March 26. All three games will be played on Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, with streaming available via B1G+.
Penn State will compete with Iowa as previously scheduled on Friday, March 24, with first pitch at Beard Field slated for 5 p.m. Due to inclement weather forecasted in Central Pennsylvania over the weekend, Saturday's game will be moved to a doubleheader format on Sunday. The first game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. start in the weekend finale.
HOT START
The Nittany Lions began the season 7-0, matching their best start in program history with the 1974 team. The team currently maintains an 18-4 record, matching the best start through 22 games in program history set by the 2006 team. Penn State shut out five consecutive opponents beginning with its second game of the season against North Florida, setting a school record for the most consecutive shutouts. PSU currently maintains a two-game shutout streak with wins over Canisius (7-0) and Pittsburgh (1-0). Penn State has recorded seven shutouts in 2023 and owns the second-most shutouts per game in the Big Ten at 0.318.
IN THE BATTER'S BOX
Penn State has outscored its opponents by a 127-39 margin this season and is currently outhitting opponents 163-74. Kaitlyn Morrison leads the team with a .403 batting average which ranks sixth in the Big Ten. She also leads the team in hits (27) and RBI (20). Lexie Black leads the team in slugging percentage (.703) which ranks sixth in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions have six players who hold over a .400 on base percentage. As a team, the Nittany Lions hold a .377 OBP compared to their opponents who only reach base 20.3 percent of the time. In addition, Penn State has walked (84) more times than it has struck out (69). The Nittany Lions' opponents have struck out (163) more times than they've walked (29) against the Penn State pitching arsenal.
DOMINANCE IN THE CIRCLE
Parshall is second in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin's Gabi Salo and 26th nationally in ERA (1.24). Kylee Lingenfelter is tied for eighth in the Big Ten and ranks second at PSU with a 1.84 ERA. The Nittany Lion pitching staff owns the 13th-best ERA in Division I with a 1.82 mark while leading the Big Ten in the category. With her start against Canisius last weekend, Parshall became the all-time career leader in pitching appearances in program history with 140 trips to the circle. Parshall secured her 700th career strikeout against Pittsburgh, joining program legend Missy Beseres as just the second player in program history to reach that mark. With 702 career strikeouts, Parshall currently ranks second in PSU history to Beseres who amassed 745 from 2001-2006.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Head coach Renee Gillispie leads Iowa into the weekend boasting an 18-11 overall record heading into the Big Ten slate. The Hawkeyes have won seven of their last 10 games dating to a 4-1 showing at the Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida on March 10-12. Iowa booked a run-rule victory over Lafayette on March 14 before going 2-2 at USF's Tournament on March 17 and 18. The Hawkeyes are led in the batter's box by Nia Carter, who owns a .485 batting average this season. Breanna Vasquez serves as the team's ace in the circle, boasting a 1.42 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State and Iowa gear up for the 65th meeting of the all-time series this weekend in University Park. The weekend series marks the first meeting between the two programs on Beard Field since April 24-25, 2010, when Penn State booked back-to-back wins over the Hawkeyes. Iowa leads the all-time series by a 44-20 margin and most recently swept PSU in the Big Ten Bubble during the 2021 season. Since 2009, however, Penn State owns a 9-6 lead in the series.
FOLLOW ALONG
Each game in the weekend series will be streamed live to a worldwide audience via B1G+. Fans are encouraged to visit BigTenPlus.com and sign in with credentials to follow along. Links to Live Stats for all three games are available online via StatBroadcast at GoPSUSports.com. Click HERE to purchase tickets for these, as well as future Nittany Lion softball games.
PARKING INFORMATION
On Saturday, the Bryce Jordan Center is hosting a Kenny Chesney concert. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid delays. The cash-only, $20 day-of rate will apply. Fans are encouraged to purchase parking prior to the day of the game. Parking for all Penn State Athletics non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
For softball games, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile by clicking here. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $20 per vehicle and is cash only. Parking on the day of the event can be purchased on the ParkMobile app. The East Deck is also available for most events at a rate of $1 per hour.Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or to submit questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State softball. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion softball team on Facebook at /pennstatesoftball as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateSB.
