UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball remains at home in Happy Valley this weekend, as the Nittany Lions get set for a condensed three-game series against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park. The Blue & White will host a doubleheader on Friday, April 14, followed by a single game on Saturday, April 15.
ADJUSTED WEEKEND SERIES
Due to inclement weather forecasted throughout Central Pennsylvania over the weekend, Penn State's previously scheduled contest against Rutgers on Sunday, April 16, has been canceled. Friday's game will be moved to a doubleheader format beginning at 4:30 p.m. (ET), with the second game slated to begin at approximately 7 p.m. (ET). Saturday's contest will proceed as scheduled at 4:30 p.m. (ET). The linear television broadcast of Sunday's game on Big Ten Network will not be rescheduled. All three games in the weekend series will instead be broadcast to a worldwide audience via B1G+.
TICKET AND PARKING INFORMATION
Fans who originally purchased tickets for Sunday's contest will be able to use those tickets to gain entry to Beard Field for Friday evening's doubleheader. Fans with tickets originally designated for Friday's single game will also be able to utilize those for both games of the doubleheader should they choose to do so. For more information, contact 1-800-NITTANY (1-800-648-8269) Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or visit the ticket office at the Bryce Jordan Center Wednesday thru Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Due to Saturday's Penn State Football Blue-White game, fans should expect higher levels of traffic than normal. Parking for Nittany Lion softball is reserved in Orange Lot B on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid delays.
GAME INFORMATION
Rutgers at Penn State | Friday, April 14 | 4:30 p.m. ET | B1G+ | 93.3 FM | Live Stats | Tickets
Rutgers at Penn State | Friday, April 14 | 7 p.m. ET | B1G+ | 93.3 FM | Live Stats | Tickets
Rutgers at Penn State | Saturday, April 15 | 4:30 p.m. ET | B1G+ | 93.3 FM | Live Stats | Tickets
QUICK HITS
Penn State remains in at home in University Park following a doubleheader loss to Ohio State that moved the Nittany Lions' season record to 20-13 overall with a 2-9 ledger in the Big Ten. Penn State ranks inside the top-five in the Big Ten Conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd, 3.45), earned run average (3rd, 2.47), shutouts (4th, 8), stolen bases per game (4th, 1.27) and doubles per game (5th, 1.61). PSU ranks 16th in the nation in doubles per game this season.
Junior third baseman Emily Maddock continues her dominant stretch of performances dating to the start of Big Ten play. Maddock maintains the longest active reached base streak on the roster with 12 consecutive games on the basepath. Maddock is hitting an even .500 since the B1G season began. Senior catcher Cassie Lindmark has seen an uptick in offensive production during the league season, joining Maddock as the only Nittany Lions to hit over .340 and slug over .600 in B1G play.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Head coach Kristen Butler leads Rutgers into the weekend boasting one of its more impressive starts in program history. The Scarlet Knights currently maintain a 30-14 overall record coupled with a 7-4 start to Big Ten Conference play, placing them in fourth behind Northwestern, Indiana and Wisconsin. Rutgers is 3-2 in its last five games, sweeping a doubleheader against the Maryland Terrapins on April 5 before dropping two-of-three games in a weekend series at Ohio State. In the batter's box, Kyleigh Sand leads the way with a .385 batting average while pacing the team in hits (57) and total bases (74). Rutgers is led in the circle by the one-two punch of Raimy Gamsby and Jaden Vickers, who each own ERA's of 2.65 this year.
SERIES HISTORY
Since the first all-time meeting of the two programs in 1980, the Nittany Lions own a solid 35-28 record against the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers and Penn State last met in a three-game stretch last season in Piscataway, with the Blue & White stealing two-of-three games off of Rutgers on the road. PSU defeated Rutgers by a 4-3 margin in the opener before booking an 8-0 run-rule decision in the decisive second game. Rutgers responded with a 3-1 win in the finale to avoid the sweep. The squads last met in University Park for four games on April 9-10, 2021, with PSU winning three-of-four.
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.
