UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State softball enters its penultimate weekend of the 2024 season and prepares for its final home series this Friday through Sunday, April 26 through 28, as the Nittany Lions welcome the Michigan Wolverines to Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field for a three-game set.
GAME INFORMATION
Michigan at Penn State | Friday, April 26 | 5 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | LionVision Audio
Michigan at Penn State | Saturday, April 27 | 1 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | LionVision Audio
Michigan at Penn State | Sunday, April 28 | 1 p.m. ET | B1G+ | Live Stats | LionVision Audio
PROMOTIONS AND PARKING
Penn State's final home series of the 2024 campaign features a wide variety of promotions and fan engagement opportunities. Friday night's contest serves as the program's annual Wear White game, with the first 200 fans at Beard Field eligible to pick up a free Penn State softball Wear White T-shirt. The game will also serve as PSU's final Dollar Dog Night of the 2024 season. On Saturday, fans are encouraged to stick around after the game for an autograph session and meet-and-greet opportunity with the team on the concourse. Finally, Sunday's game serves as Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. Fans are encouraged to arrive prior to the team's ceremony pregame at 12:40 p.m. (ET). Senior trading cards will also be available for fans to celebrate their favorite seniors.
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. Due to the Penn State football Blue-White game, Saturday's contest will feature free parking for fans on a space-available basis in the Stadium West lot beginning at 3 p.m. (ET) on the day of the game.
SATURDAY PARKING INFORMATION: Due to the Luke Combs Growin' Up and Getting Old Tour concert at Beaver Stadium, fans planning to attend Saturday's softball game against Michigan are encouraged to read the following language CAREFULLY. Fans are encouraged to prepay for athletics 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. Day of Event parking is in the on-campus parking decks (HUB, East, Eisenhower, Nittany, and West) for $40. Eisenhower Deck parking will be cash only and due upon entry, while parking at the East, HUB, Nittany and West decks will be payable by credit card upon exiting at pay-on-foot machines inside each deck.
FOLLOW ALONG
All three of Penn State's senior weekend contests against Michigan will be streamed live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+. Sunday's Senior Day ceremony will be incorporated into the B1G+ stream, with festivities scheduled to begin at approximately 12:40 p.m. (ET). For links to view all three contests, as well as Penn State's senior celebration, 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 close out their 19-game home slate this weekend fresh off a gritty 3-2, extra-inning win over the in-state rival Saint Francis Red Flash earlier this week. PSU carried a two-run lead into the top of the seventh that SFU proceeded to equalize, but a wild pitch in the home half of the ninth saw freshman shortstop Jiselle Hernandez race home for the game-winning run. Senior second-baseman Kaitlyn Morrison led the way in the game with her sixth triple of the year in addition to a 2-for-4 showing overall.
On an individual basis, freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth continues to maintain a place in the spotlight following her 21st victory in the circle this year against the Red Flash. The freshman phenom needs one win to tie and two to surpass the Penn State program record for victories in a single season. Nemeth boasts a 1.43 ERA, the second-best mark in the Big Ten as well as the 22nd best ERA nationally. At the plate, Morrison leads the way with a .348 batting average, junior utility Maddie Gordon paces the squad with 10 homers and senior catcher Gaby Garcia leads the team with 37 RBI.
WATCHING THE WOLVERINES
Under the direction of second-year head coach Bonnie Tholl, the Michigan Wolverines enter the weekend series boasting a 34-14 overall record with a 13-3 B1G ledger coupled with an active 10-game winning streak. The Wolverines sit in the No. 2 position in the Big Ten standings, with PSU appearing at the No. 3 spot on the table. Michigan got off to a rocky start to the 2024 campaign, but the Wolverines have rounded into form thanks to a pair of nationally ranked victories against Florida as well as a trio of Big Ten series sweeps against Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska as well as a pair of midweek victories against archrival Michigan State. On the field, Ellie Sieler leads the way with an impressive .373 batting average with five homers and 15 extra-base hits on the season, while Keke Tholl paces the Wolverines with 13 homers this year. Maddie Erickson leads Michigan with 38 RBI at the plate, while veteran pitcher Lauren Derkowski headlines the Wolverine staff with a 2.34 ERA coupled with 13 wins in the circle.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and Michigan get set to square off for the 89th, 90th and 91st times this weekend in University Park, with the Wolverines managing a 79-9 grip on the all-time series lead. The Nittany Lions have won each of the last two meetings, securing consecutive victories against the Wolverines for just the second time in program history. Penn State will seek its first-ever series victory over Michigan since the Big Ten Conference implemented a 23-game regular season format with seven scheduled series ahead of the 2012 campaign. Last year, the Blue & White squared off with the Wolverines in the first round of the 2023 Big Ten Conference Tournament in Champaign, Illinois. Penn State secured its first postseason victory over Michigan in program history by way of a 3-2, walk-off win aided by a Wolverine throwing error in the bottom of the seventh.
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.
