UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball returns home for its penultimate week of regular season competition and final four games at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field this week, beginning with a 6 p.m. (ET) midweek contest against the Saint Francis Red Flash on Tuesday, April 23. The game will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
GAME INFORMATION
Saint Francis at Penn State | Tuesday, April 23 | 6 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | LionVision Audio
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Penn State softball celebrates its annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night on Tuesday evening, with members of the Nittany Lion program inviting multiple members of PSU's esteemed academic community to the contest at Nittany Lion Softball Park. Selected faculty members will join the Blue & White on the field as Anthem Buddies prior to the National Anthem, with an on-field ceremony honoring invitees before the start of Tuesday night's game.
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
Penn State's final midweek matchup of the season against Saint Francis will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+, with Will Duerksen and Kasey Kreider on the call. To access the streaming link for Tuesday's game, visit the Penn State softball schedule webpage at GoPSUsports.com or click the link above. A live radio broadcast of Tuesday's action is available to the listening public for free via LionVision at the link above, 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 link above.
QUICK HITS
The Nittany Lions prepare for their final four home games of the season coming off of a 2-3 performance in five grueling B1G road contests a week ago against Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Blue & White dropped a midweek doubleheader against the Buckeyes, but bounced back to take their fifth consecutive Big Ten series against the Badgers in Madison. PSU's 2024 squad joined the 2016 team in becoming just the second team in school history to win five straight conference series since the league switched to a weekend series model in 2012.
Junior utility Maddie Gordon continues to dominate on the offensive side of the ball this season, leading the Nittany Lions in multiple statistical categories. Gordon, a native of Shenandoah, Virginia, ranks fourth in a single season at PSU with 15 doubles and is tied for 10th all-time at PSU in single-season home runs with 10 in 2024. In the circle, freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth continues to shine as the Nittany Lion staff ace. The Glendora, California, native ranks third all-time at PSU for wins in a single season with an astronomical 20-3 overall record paired with a dominant 1.51 earned run average at the pitcher's rubber.
RATTLING THE RED FLASH
Head Coach Beth Krysiak leads Saint Francis into its second meeting of the year with Penn State boasting an impressive 31-11 overall record coupled with an unblemished 18-0 mark against Northeast Conference opponents following six consecutive league series sweeps. The Red Flash boast the longest active winning streak in Division I softball, with their 18 consecutive conference wins coinciding with an 18-game overall winning streak. Saint Francis boasts a single power five victory in the 2024 campaign, taking home a 6-3, extra-inning win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on March 9 of this season during the Razorback Rumble in Fayetteville, Arkansas. On an individual basis, SFU has six players hitting at the .300 mark or better, with Ashley Orischak leading the way with a .385 average at the dish. Olivia Ulam is tied for the team lead in homers with six while maintaining the most RBI on the squad with 44. The one-two pitching tandem of Grace Vesco and Rachel Marsden both own sub-2.00 ERAs, with the duo combining for 29 of SFU's 31 wins.
STORY OF THE SERIES
An in-state rivalry series that dates to the 1990 campaign, Penn State and Saint Francis get set to square off for the 48th time in program history on Tuesday evening with PSU managing an impressive 38-9 lead following a contest against the Red Flash earlier this year. Of the 47 prior meetings with Saint Francis, only two took place away from the PSU campus in University Park. In total, 36 of Penn State's 38 wins in the series came at Nittany Lion Softball Park or its predecessor facility, with PSU leading 36-9 in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions challenged SFU on February 23 of this season in neutral site action at Liberty in Lynchburg, Virginia, with PSU picking up a solid 2-0 decision in the game. The victory marked the Penn State program record for season-opening wins, bringing the Blue & White to 8-0 through the early going. Bridget Nemeth tossed 4.1 innings and earned the win for PSU, while Gaby Garcia led the way at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance and a run scored.
CHEESIN'
Penn State picked up its fifth consecutive Big Ten series victory over the Wisconsin Badgers last weekend in Madison, taking the opener by a 3-1 margin followed by a 10-2 win in Sunday's rubber match. Game one saw senior catcher Gaby Garcia publish a 3-for-3 outing at the plate, while freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth turned in her 10th complete game of the season en route to the Friday afternoon win. In the batter's box on Sunday, Penn State's offense mustered its most hits against a Big Ten opponent in the 2024 season, finishing with 14 total knocks in addition to seven extra-base hits split between four doubles and three homers. Senior center fielder Liana Jones was an instant standout Sunday, going 2-for-3 highlighted by her first collegiate grand slam.
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.
