LEESBURG, Fla. – Penn State softball returns to the Sunshine State for the second week in a row, as the Nittany Lions get set for THE Spring Games. PSU takes the field against Kansas, Coastal Carolina, UC Riverside, Southern Illinois and Liberty beginning on Friday, February 16 and concluding on Sunday, February 18 at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.
GAME INFORMATION
RV Penn State vs. Kansas | Friday, February 16 | 2 p.m. ET | FLO | Live Stats | TICKETS
RV Penn State vs. Coastal Carolina | Friday, February 16 | 4:30 p.m. ET | FLO | Live Stats | TICKETS
RV Penn State vs. UC Riverside | Saturday, February 17 | Noon ET | FLO | Live Stats | TICKETS
RV Penn State vs. Southern Illinois | Saturday, February 17 | 2:30 p.m. ET | FLO | Live Stats | TICKETS
RV Penn State vs. Liberty | Sunday, February 18 | 9:30 a.m. ET | FLO | Live Stats | TICKETS
FOLLOW ALONG
All games at THE Spring Games will be played at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg, Florida. Tickets for each day of the weekend tournament are available at the links above. For more information on THE Spring Games, including ticketing and parking information, click the link here. All games at the THE Spring Games will be streamed live through the tournament's official streaming provider FloSoftball. Access to FloSoftball requires a paid subscription.
QUICK HITS
The Blue & White are off to an unbeaten 5-0 start for just the third time in program history, and the first time PSU has booked back-to-back 5-0 starts all-time. PSU's signature win of the season to date came in a 3-2 eight-inning victory over No. 16 Arkansas, the first ranked victory for the Nittany Lions since beating then-No. 22 Michigan on April 10, 2022. Freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth leads PSU with a 1.09 ERA in a team-high 19.1 innings pitched, picking up B1G Pitcher of the Week and @NCAASoftball Digital Pitcher of the Week accolades after recording a 4-0 start in the circle paired with a save in Penn State's fifth and final contest against Ohio on Sunday. In the batter's box, senior catcher Gaby Garcia leads the Blue & White with a .500 batting average and six RBI, while senior centerfielder Liana Jones owns a .400 average and leads the squad with three stolen bases.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
The Kansas Jayhawks enter the second weekend of the season with a 2-3-1 overall record, with wins over St. John's and Central Arkansas at the NFCA Leadoff Classic last week. KU is led by sixth-year head coach Jennifer McFalls and is led on the field by batting average leader Aynslee Linduff (.429) and pitching staff ace Katie Brooks (1.10 ERA). Coastal Carolina enters the weekend following a 4-0 start to the campaign at the Kickin' Chicken Classic with wins over Syracuse, George Washington, Bucknell and Campbell. CCU is led by Indya Smith in the box, who owns a .556 average and a pair of homers, as well as pitching ace Nicollete Picone, who has yet to surrender an earned run this year.
UC Riverside is off to a 2-2 start to the 2024 season under head coach Nikki Palmer, booking wins over Portland State and California Baptist with losses to Oklahoma State and Utah State. UCR is paced by Nadia Witt's .583 average at the dish and Briza Blanco's 1.40 earned run average. Head Coach Jen Sewell leads Southern Illinois into the season's second week after booking a 3-2 start in tournament action at Texas State. Freshman Maddia Groff leads the squad, tossing a perfect game in her collegiate debut against Creighton, marking the first seven-inning perfect game in Saluki program history. Liberty enters its second weekend of 2024 on a five-game skid, including losses to three teams who currently boast high national rankings in No. 8 Clemson, No. 14 Missouri and No. 17 Oregon. The Flames are led by Rachel Roupe's pair of homers and .688 average, as well as pitcher Elena Escobar's 0.78 ERA in the circle.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Kansas get set for the fourth all-time meeting in a series that dates to 1991, with the Jayhawks boasting a 3-0 lead. PSU's last meeting against KU also came in the state of Florida, with the Jayhawks picking up an 8-0 run-rule win in Boca Raton on Feb. 8, 2015. The Nittany Lions gear up for their seventh meeting with Coastal Carolina, trailing the series by a 2-4 tally. CCU booked a win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 23, 2019, with a 3-1 result in Orlando. PSU and UC Riverside prepare to meet for the first time in history Saturday. Southern Illinois and Penn State will square off for the third time Saturday afternoon, with both squads splitting the previous two meetings in the Sunshine State. SIU picked up a 1-0 win in Tallahassee back in 1998, with PSU logging a 1-0 win in Clearwater in 2010. PSU and Liberty meet for the ninth time since 1983 on Sunday morning, with the Nittany Lions boasting a 7-1 lead in the series. PSU booked a 2-1 extra-inning win over the Flames in the most recent meeting in 2008.
FIVE-AND-OH YEAH
PSU softball returns to work in the Sunshine State following a dominant weekend of performances at FAU's Paradise Classic. The 2024 Nittany Lion softball team etched its name in PSU history at the tournament, closing the book on a 5-0 opening weekend in South Florida. The Blue & White also opened the 2023 campaign with a 5-0 start, marking the first time in program history that Penn State has recorded 5-0 starts in consecutive seasons. Last year's 5-0 opening to the season featured Cleveland State, North Florida, Bethune-Cookman, Jacksonville and Memphis. The 2024 Nittany Lions began undefeated with wins over Marshall, FAU, No. 16 Arkansas and a pair of wins over Ohio. PSU's only prior unbeaten start through five games before 2023 came in the 1974 campaign.
KNOW THE NEMETH
Freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth picked up the first Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Week accolade of the 2024 season in addition to recognition as the NCAA Softball Digital Pitcher of the Week, both organizations announced earlier this week. The freshman from Glendora, California, booked one of the most impressive debut weekends in Big Ten Conference history last week, earning a victory as Penn State's pitcher of record in four of PSU's five games at FAU's Paradise Classic while recording a save in the fifth. Nemeth appeared in all five contests with a pair of starts, logging an astounding 1.09 ERA in a team-leading 19.1 innings pitched. Across her five appearances, Nemeth surrendered a mere 13 hits and three walks for a WHIP of 0.83, while simultaneously striking out 14 batters. Nemeth is most notably tied for the national lead in overall victories through opening weekend and is one of just eight players in the Big Ten to have recorded a save through this early point in the 2024 campaign.
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.
