BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Penn State softball kicks off its first national postseason appearance since 2011 on Friday, May 17, as the Nittany Lions get set for a 4 p.m. (ET) matchup with the Texas State Bobcats in the Bryan-College Station Regional of the 2024 NCAA Division I Softball Championship at Davis Diamond. Friday's matchup against Texas State will be the first of seven potential contests hosted by national No. 16 seed Texas A&M this weekend.
GAME INFORMATION
To find a complete list of NCAA Regional information, purchase tickets or learn more about the Bryan-College Station area, click the link here to access the Tournament Central webpage provided by Texas A&M University. For access to the complete NCAA Tournament schedule and bracket, click the link here.
G1 | Penn State vs. Texas State | Friday, May 17 | 4 p.m. ET | ESPNU | Live Stats
G2 | UAlbany at #16 Texas A&M | Friday, May 17 | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats
G3 | Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 | Saturday, May 18 | 2 p.m. ET | Broadcast TBD | Live Stats
G4 | Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 | Saturday, May 18 | 4:30 p.m. ET | Broadcast TBD | Live Stats
G5 | Loser G3 vs. Winner G4 | Saturday, May 18 | 7 p.m. ET | Broadcast TBD | Live Stats
G6 | Winner G3 vs. Winner G5 | Sunday, May 19 | Time TBD | Broadcast TBD | Live Stats
G7 | Rematch of G6* | Sunday, May 19 | Time TBD | Broadcast TBD | Live Stats
* - Denotes that game will be played if necessary
FOLLOW ALONG
All seven potential games in the NCAA Bryan-College Station regional will air to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN app, with select games chosen for national television broadcast via the ESPN family of networks. Penn State's opening matchup against Texas State, the first game of the Regional, will air live on ESPNU. All games will feature Trey Bender and Brittany McKinney calling the action live from the Davis Diamond press box. Live stats provided by StatBroadcast and Texas A&M University are available at the links above.
QUICK HITS
Penn State heads to Bryan-College Station in regional action for the second time in program history, joining the ninth-ranked and 16th-seeded Texas A&M Aggies, the Texas State Bobcats and UAlbany Great Danes. PSU's opening matchup against the Bobcats marks the fourth meeting of the two programs this season. Texas State took the first three contests by narrow margins in San Marcos, with the Nittany Lions notably missing the services of B1G Freshman of the Year and Tucci/NFCA National Freshman of the Year finalist Bridget Nemeth for all three games. In addition to Nemeth, Penn State is led by a trio of Second-Team All-Big Ten selections in senior infielder Kaitlyn Morrison, junior utility Maddie Gordon and senior catcher Gaby Garcia. Morrison is one double shy of the single-season program record in the category, while Garcia and Gordon both boast the eighth-most home runs in a single season in program history with 11 apiece.
MAY I HAVE THIS DANCE?
Following the NCAA Division I Softball Committee's announcement of the national field of 64 on Sunday, May 12, the Penn State softball program garnered its 11th national postseason bid and first in 13 years. PSU last secured a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2011, when the Blue & White were afforded the opportunity to host the University Park Regional at Nittany Lion Softball Park in the venue's inaugural season due to stadium renovations at 13th-seeded Oregon's on-campus facility. The Nittany Lions boast 12 NCAA Tournament victories all-time, highlighted by their first win over Texas A&M in the Tempe Regional during the 2000 tournament. PSU's last national postseason victory came on May 21, 2011, a timeframe of 4,746 days. Penn State took down the Fordham Rams in a 5-2 contest that went 16 innings in Happy Valley. PSU booked its first national postseason bid under the direction of fourth-year head coach Clarisa Crowell, who prepares for her second career NCAA Regional appearance and first as an at-large selection, with her first tournament bid coming during her stint at Miami (Ohio) in 2016.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Highlighted by one of the most dominant freshman seasons in Penn State history, in addition to several crucial non-conference results, the Nittany Lions secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament as one of the "Last Four In" according to NCAA Division I Softball Committee Chair and UT Martin Vice Chancellor & Director of Athletics Kurt McGuffin. Freshman pitcher Bridget Nemeth's elevation to national stardom has mirrored Penn State's ascent into the spotlight, with the rookie tying the PSU single-season wins record in the circle while garnering national recognition as a Top 10 Finalist for the Tucci/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Award. In addition to Penn State's star freshman and key contributors at the plate, the Nittany Lions boast eight top-50 wins in the RPI, highlighted by non-conference results over No. 14 Arkansas and No. 41 FAU. Additionally, PSU booked a series sweep of No. 43 Indiana in B1G play.
TALKING TEXAS STATE
Under the direction of head coach Ricci Woodard, Texas State prepares for its 12th NCAA Regional appearance in program history looking to build off a third-place result in the Austin Regional a season ago that featured two losses to Texas A&M. Texas State picked up the automatic bid from the Sun Belt Conference after an impressive 3-0 run through the conference tournament that culminated in a 9-5 victory over top-seeded and 2024 NCAA Regional host Louisiana in the championship game. Texas State enters the postseason unbeaten in their last eight games. The Bobcats boast one of the nation's top pitchers in Jessica Mullins, who has a 30-7 overall record with a 1.31 ERA this year. Sara Vanderford leads the way at the dish with 11 homers and 48 RBI.
STORY OF THE SERIES: TEXAS STATE
Penn State and Texas State get set for the sixth all-time meeting of the two programs, in addition to the fourth meeting overall this season on Friday afternoon. The Nittany Lions entered the 2024 campaign with a 2-0 lead in the series, but the Bobcats surged back to take all three meetings this year on their home field. PSU first met the Bobcats on March 4, 1989, taking a narrow 1-0 victory home in neutral site action from Las Vegas. PSU and Texas State gear up for their second all-time meeting in Aggieland this weekend, with the Blue & White taking a 7-1 result in Bryan-College Station in 1991. Playing its seventh, eighth and ninth games in six days without freshman ace Bridget Nemeth, Penn State dropped all three contests against Texas State in the regular season series between the two programs in San Marcos. PSU forced extra innings in the second game, dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker in eight innings of play.
TESTING TEXAS A&M
Led by second-year head coach Trisha Ford, the Texas A&M softball team continues its stretch of historic postseason appearances with their 34th tournament bid overall. The Aggies maintain a 91-73 overall record at the event all-time. Texas A&M picked up one of the Southeastern Conference's 12 at-large selections to the NCAA Tournament following a 40-13 season overall paired with a 15-9 record in SEC play. The Aggies have struggled as of late, going 1-4 in their last five games with their win coming in an SEC Tournament meeting against South Carolina bookended by four consecutive losses to No. 4 national seed Florida. Junior pitching staff ace Emiley Kennedy is the headline performer for the Aggies, boasting a 1.68 season ERA with 21 wins. Senior infielder Trinity Cannon leads at the plate with 15 homers and 52 RBI.
STORY OF THE SERIES: TEXAS A&M
In an all-time series dating to the 1991 campaign, Texas A&M and Penn State prepare for their 19th all-time meeting should the two teams have an opportunity to square off this weekend. The Aggies maintain a 13-4-1 lead over the Blue & White. Penn State could potentially square off against A&M in Bryan-College Station for the 17th time ever, with PSU picking up three of their four all-time victories against the Aggies in the Brazos Valley. The Nittany Lions could face off against Texas A&M at Davis Diamond for the first time, with the prior 17 meetings coming at the Aggie Softball Complex. PSU has played Texas A&M three times in the NCAA Tournament, with Penn State picking up its first national postseason win over A&M in 2000 in the Tempe Regional. Penn State last faced Texas A&M in the postseason in 2005, dropping a pair of NCAA tests.
UNDERSTANDING UALBANY
Veteran head coach Chris Cannata leads the UAlbany Great Danes into their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance all-time and first national postseason bid since 2018, earning the automatic bid as the champion of the America East Conference Tournament. The Great Danes boast a 33-12 overall record and pair that with a 14-6 mark against AEC opponents over the course of the regular season. UAlbany battled its way through the AEC Tournament unbeaten, besting the UMass Lowell River Hawks in a pair of meetings in addition to a win over PSU's common opponent Binghamton. UAlbany's offense is headlined by a pair of graduate students in Morgan Petty and Maddi Petrella, who stand atop the team with nine homers in 2024. In the circle, Wendi Hammond leads the way with a 1.91 earned run average coupled with an impressive 24-8 record.
STORY OF THE SERIES: UALBANY
The Nittany Lions and Great Danes could potentially meet for the second time in each program's respective history this weekend in Bryan-College Station, with the Blue & White picking up a victory in the only prior contest. Penn State last faced UAlbany in the 2011 NCAA University Park Regional hosted by Penn State at Nittany Lion Softball Park and Beard Field. PSU turned in a 6-1 final score to eliminate the Great Danes in 2011, with UAlbany forced to face the host Nittany Lions after dropping their regional opener to 13th-seeded Oregon. The Blue & White were victorious against their only other challenger out of the America East Conference in 2024, with Penn State recording a season-high 15 runs in a 15-5, five-inning win over the AEC's second-seeded Binghamton Bearcats in Happy Valley. UAlbany put up a 3-1 record against the Bearcats this year.
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.
