UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball lays the nation's fourth-longest active home winning streak on the line this weekend, as the Nittany Lions return to Big Ten Conference competition with a three-game series against the Maryland Terrapins. The weekend set runs Friday through Sunday, March 29 through 31 at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field, with streaming available via B1G+.
GAME INFORMATION
Maryland at Penn State | Friday, March 29 | 5 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Maryland at Penn State | Saturday, March 30 | 2 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
Maryland at Penn State | Sunday, March 31 | 1 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Penn State softball's Easter weekend will feature a wide variety of fan interaction opportunities and special events, starting with a postgame on-field meet and greet with the Nittany Lion softball team open to all fans at the conclusion of Friday night's contest. On Saturday, the program will host Little League and Kids Day, as well as the team's first Dollar Dog promotion of the 2024 campaign featuring $1-dollar hot dogs from the concession stand along the first base line. On Easter Sunday, the Blue & White welcome a special guest to Nittany Lion Softball Park, with the Easter Bunny scheduled to toss out Sunday's ceremonial first pitch. Postgame Sunday, all fans will have the opportunity to take part in the Penn State Softball Easter Egg Hunt in the Beard Field outfield. Beginning in the 2024 season, all Penn State softball home contests will be FREE to the public. Seating preference is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Parking for all Penn State softball games 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 softball games 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 the ParkMobile app, or by clicking here. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day before each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle.
FOLLOW ALONG
All three of Penn State's Easter weekend contests against Maryland will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+. For links to view all three contests, visit the Penn State softball schedule page at GoPSUsports.com or click the links above. Live radio broadcasts of all three games this weekend are available to the listening public for free via LionVision, or locally in Central Pennsylvania on 1390AM (WBHV) and 93.3FM. Live stats provided by the Pennsylvania State University and StatBroadcast are available at the Penn State softball schedule webpage and the links above.
QUICK HITS
The Blue & White return to league play riding a nine-game overall winning streak, tied for the 10th-longest stretch of success in Division I and the longest active run of wins in the Big Ten. PSU boasts a 24-6 overall record through its first 30 contests, including a 3-0 start to B1G play following a weekend sweep of Indiana to open conference action last week. The dominant stretch of performances saw freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth land D1Softball National Freshman of the Week, as well as Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades in both organizations'' releases on Tuesday. Nemeth stands as one of just two pitchers in the nation with 14-or-more wins and zero losses and is the only pitcher in America to acomplish that feat in a Power Five conference.
Senior third baseman Emily Maddock continues her torrid stretch of outings in the batter's box in 2024, ranking as the toughest player to strike out in college softball, returning to the dugout via K only once in 94 total at-bats. Maddock, a native of Kempton, Pennsylvania, turned in a 3-for-3 outing against Bucknell on Tuesday that saw her move into the top spot for batting average in a Nittany Lion career with a .374 mark midway through the year.
TACKLING THE TERRAPINS
First-year head coach Lauren Karn leads her upstart Terrapin squad into the fray in Happy Valley fresh off an impressive B1G series win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, bringing Maryland's record to 15-15 and 2-1 in Big Ten play early this spring. The Terrapins have won five of their last six games and have played competitively against one of the most challenging schedules in the Big Ten. Maryland's signature win of the season to date came against then-No. 25 Oregon in a 4-0 upset victory in Eugene on March 1, with the Terrapins taking on a bevy of nationally ranked, Power Five foes including Washington and UCLA. Graduate first baseman Diamond Williams has been a breakout star for Maryland this season, leading the team in batting average (.360), home runs (10) and RBI (29). Veteran staff ace Courtney Wyche holds things down in the circle with a 2.72 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 2024.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Maryland gear up for their 38th, 39th and 40th all-time meetings this weekend in Happy Valley, with PSU maintaining a 22-15 edge in the series since the first contest between the two squads in 1999. One of PSU's closest geographical rivals, the Nittany Lions and Terrapins have faced off in a weekend series every year since Maryland joined the B1G in the 2015 spring campaign, excluding the COVID-maligned 2020 season. In the last six meetings, PSU and UMD have played dead even, with each team picking up a trio of results. The home team has not picked up a win in the weekend series since Maryland took three-of-four in 2021. Last year's set in College Park featured a trio of ultra-competitive games, with Penn State taking the series by a 2-1 tally after an extra-inning one-run win in the opener, as well as a 2-1 win in Sunday's finale.
HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE
Penn State is in the midst of one of the most remarkable home stretches in program history, with the Blue & White picking up 16 consecutive victories at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field through this point in the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions own the fourth-longest active home winning streak in Division I softball, tied with Eastern Kentucky while trailing Northwestern, Boston University and Tennessee. PSU last dropped a home contest on Tuesday night, April 11, 2023, when the Ohio State Buckeyes picked up a 4-1 win over the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won every home game since, starting with a weekend sweep of Rutgers on April 14, 2023. The 2024 Nittany Lions own the longest home-opening win streak in Beard Field history, racking up nine straight wins in the friendly confines. PSU has already had a monumental 2024 season at Nittany Lion Softball Park, picking up their 100th win in facility history on Friday, March 15 wiht a 4-3 victory against Lehigh. Senior catcher Gaby Garcia booked the walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to cement the historic milestone.
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 Instagram and X @PennStateSB.
